[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2728 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2728

 To provide financial support for the operation of the law library of 
            the Library of Congress, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 4, 2009

Ms. Zoe Lofgren of California (for herself and Mr. Daniel E. Lungren of 
 California) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                   Committee on House Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide financial support for the operation of the law library of 
            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 ``William Orton Law Library 
Improvement and Modernization Act''.

SEC. 2. FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR LAW LIBRARY OF LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Financial Support.--In addition to any other amounts made 
available for the salaries and expenses of the Library of Congress, 
there are authorized to be appropriated to the Librarian of Congress 
$3,500,000 for maintaining and administering the operations of the law 
library of the Library of Congress, including the cataloguing of the 
collections of the law library. Any amounts appropriated pursuant to 
the authority of this subsection shall remain available without fiscal 
year limitation until expended.
    (b) Electronic Cataloging of Nonproprietary Material.--To the 
extent practicable, in using any funds appropriated pursuant to the 
authority of subsection (a) to catalog and archive nonproprietary 
material in the collections of the Law Library after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Law Librarian of Congress shall catalog and 
archive the material electronically in a nonproprietary and 
nondiscriminatory format. Nothing in the previous sentence may be 
construed to affect any cataloging and archiving activities carried out 
with funds which are not appropriated pursuant to the authority of 
subsection (a).

SEC. 3. SEPARATION OF LAW LIBRARY SALARIES AND EXPENSES IN PREPARATION 
              OF ANNUAL LIBRARY OF CONGRESS BUDGET.

    (a) Separate Budget Treatment of Law Library.--In preparing the 
annual budget for the Library of Congress which will be submitted by 
the President under chapter 11 of title 31, United States Code, and in 
preparing the annual budget and related materials for the Library of 
Congress for the use of the Committees on Appropriations of the Senate 
and House of Representatives, the Librarian of Congress shall ensure 
that all amounts attributable to salaries and expenses of the law 
library of the Library of Congress are set forth separately as a 
separate line item from other salaries and expenses of the Library of 
Congress.
    (b) Effective Date.--This section shall apply with respect to 
fiscal year 2011 and each succeeding fiscal year.

SEC. 4. WILLIAM ORTON PROGRAM TO SUPPORT THE MISSION OF THE LAW LIBRARY 
              OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Establishment.--
            (1) In general.--The Librarian of Congress, acting through 
        the Law Librarian of Congress, shall establish and operate a 
        program to be known as the ``William Orton Law Library Support 
        Program'' (hereafter in this section referred to as the 
        ``Program''), which will--
                    (A) provide enhanced or special services and 
                programs for the Law Library; and
                    (B) otherwise support the mission of the Law 
                Library.
            (2) Relation to other programs.--The Librarian shall 
        operate the Program in a manner which ensures that the 
        resources of the Program are not commingled with the resources 
        used to carry out the program operated under section 2.
    (b) Role of Other Entities.--The Librarian may carry out the 
Program through agreements and partnerships entered into with other 
government and private entities, including the American Association of 
Law Libraries and the American Bar Association.
    (c) Private Support.--
            (1) Acceptance of donations.--Donations of funds and in-
        kind contributions in support of the Program may be accepted--
                    (A) by the Library of Congress Trust Fund Board, as 
                provided under the Act entitled ``An Act to create a 
                Library of Congress Trust Fund Board, and for other 
                purposes'', approved March 3, 1925 (2 U.S.C. 154 et 
                seq.); and
                    (B) by the Librarian of Congress, as provided under 
                section 4 of such Act (2 U.S.C. 160).
            (2) Use of amounts.--Notwithstanding the second paragraph 
        of section 2 of the Act entitled ``An Act to create a Library 
        of Congress Trust Fund Board, and for other purposes'', 
        approved March 3, 1925 (2 U.S.C. 157), or the third sentence of 
        section 4 of such Act (2 U.S.C. 160), any amounts accepted by 
        the Library of Congress Trust Fund Board or the Librarian of 
        Congress in support of the Program shall be subject to 
        disbursement by the Librarian only upon the recommendation of 
        the Law Librarian (except to the extent otherwise provided 
        under any terms and conditions on the use of the amounts which 
        are imposed by the person making the donation).
            (3) Acceptance of other voluntary services.--
        Notwithstanding section 1342 of title 31, United States Code, 
        the Librarian of Congress may accept voluntary and 
        uncompensated services in support of the Program.
    (d) Establishment of Separate Account.--
            (1) In general.--There is established in the Treasury 
        (among the accounts of the Library of Congress) a separate 
        account for the Program, which shall consist of--
                    (A) amounts accepted by the Library of Congress 
                Trust Fund Board in support of the Program as described 
                in subsection (c)(1)(A), together with any income 
                earned on such amounts;
                    (B) amounts accepted by the Librarian of Congress 
                in support of the Program as described in subsection 
                (c)(1)(B), together with any income earned on such 
                amounts;
                    (C) amounts appropriated pursuant to the 
                authorization under subsection (f); and
                    (D) interest on the balance of the account.
            (2) Use of amounts.--The funds contained in the account 
        established under this subsection shall be used solely by the 
        Law Librarian of Congress to carry out the Program.
    (e) Annual Report.--Not later than April 30 of each year (beginning 
with 2010), the Librarian of Congress shall submit a report on Program 
funding and activities to the Committee on House Administration of the 
House of Representatives, the Committee on Rules and Administration of 
the Senate, the American Bar Association, and the American Association 
of Law Libraries. The report shall include--
            (1) a listing of all donations received in support of the 
        Program during the previous year;
            (2) the total obligations during the previous year for each 
        Program activity;
            (3) the amount appropriated pursuant to the authorization 
        under subsection (f) for the fiscal year beginning on the 
        previous October 1;
            (4) a list of Program activities, with budget information 
        for each such activity, planned for the calendar year in which 
        the report is submitted; and
            (5) any findings in the most recently completed audit 
        conducted with respect to the Law Library or Program funds or 
        investments.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--In addition to any other 
amounts authorized to be appropriated to the Librarian of Congress for 
the Law Library of Congress for a fiscal year, there are authorized to 
be appropriated for deposit into the account established under 
subsection (d) an amount equal to 40 percent of the amount of the 
donations accepted by the Library of Congress Trust Fund Board in 
support of the Program under subsection (c)(1) during the previous 
fiscal year.

SEC. 5. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING ROLE AND STATUS OF LAW LIBRARY OF 
              LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that the Librarian of Congress should 
make decisions regarding the financing and operation of the law library 
of the Library of Congress, the maintenance of its collections, and the 
access of the public to its collections in a manner that preserves the 
role and status of the law library as the Nation's law library.
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