[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4248 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4248

 To provide for the protection of books and materials from the Library 
                  of Congress, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 19, 1994

 Mr. Fields of Texas introduced the following bill; which was referred 
                to the Committee on House Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide for the protection of books and materials from the Library 
                  of Congress, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Library of Congress Book Protection 
Act of 1994''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    For purposes of this Act--
            (1) the term ``book'' means any book, document, or other 
        material that is in the collection of the Library of Congress;
            (2) the term ``borrower'' means any individual who has loan 
        privileges for books from the Library of Congress;
            (3) the term ``Fund'' means the Late Book Fine Fund 
        established under section 4;
            (4) the term ``Librarian'' means the Librarian of Congress; 
        and
            (5) the term ``Library'' means the Library of Congress.

SEC. 3. LATE FINES ON BOOKS.

    No later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Librarian shall promulgate regulations--
            (1) to establish a schedule of late fines for any borrower 
        who has a book on loan for more than 70 days;
            (2) to assess a late fine on any borrower who has a book on 
        loan for more than 70 days;
            (3) in the case of a borrower who has not returned a book 
        after such 70-day period, to suspend the loan privileges of--
                    (A) such borrower; and
                    (B) all borrowers of the same office loan account 
                of such borrower;
            (4) to reinstate the loan privileges of any borrower after 
        the return of the book and the payment of all late fines;
            (5) to provide for waivers, at the discretion of the 
        Librarian, with regard to--
                    (A) all or any part of an assessed late fine; and
                    (B) the suspension of all or any part of the loan 
                privileges of any borrower (including borrowers of the 
                same office loan account as a borrower who has not 
                returned a book within such 70-day period).

SEC. 4. LATE BOOK FINE FUND.

    (a) Establishment.--The Librarian shall establish a Late Book Fine 
Fund.
    (b) Deposit.--All late fines paid to the Librarian under this Act 
shall be deposited in the Fund.
    (c) Uses of the Fund.--All monies deposited in the Fund shall 
remain in the Fund and shall be available to the Librarian without 
fiscal year limitation for the general operating expenses of the 
Library and the replacement of lost or stolen books.

SEC. 5. PROHIBITION OF FEDERAL FUNDS TO PAY LATE FINES.

    (a) In General.--No Federal funds may be used to pay a late fine 
assessed under this Act.
    (b) Enforcement.--Violation of the provisions of subsection (a) 
shall be a misdemeanor and any person convicted thereof shall be fined 
not more than $1,000.

SEC. 6. REPORTS.

    The Librarian shall include in the annual report submitted to the 
Congress under the heading ``library of congress'' of the Act of 
February 19, 1897 (2 U.S.C. 139; 29 Stat. 546)--
            (1) the estimated number of books that are missing from the 
        Library due to borrowers who have had loan privileges 
        suspended;
            (2) the name of any office with an office loan account that 
        includes any borrower who--
                    (A) has had loan privileges suspended; and
                    (B) has been assessed late fines that have not been 
                paid for more than 1 month;
            (3) the total amount of unpaid late fines assessed to each 
        office named under paragraph (2);
            (4) all monies deposited in the Fund; and
            (5) the amounts and uses of expenditures from the Fund.

SEC. 7. EFFECTIVE DATE AND APPLICATION.

    (a) In General.--This Act shall take effect on the date of 
enactment of this Act and shall apply to all books of the Library of 
Congress, including books that are on loan on such date.
    (b) Assessment of Fines.--No late fine may be assessed under this 
Act during the 100-day period beginning on the date of the enactment of 
this Act.

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