Letters and telegrams-Continued Sepin, Gladys S., president, Ohio Library Association, to chairman, Settlemire, Claude L., president, Kansas Library Association, to Shubert, Joseph F., president, Nevada Library Association, to chair- Stratton, John B., president, Oklahoma Library Association, to Sullivan, Richard J., president, Massachusetts Library Association, Sweasy, Mrs. J. R., president, Minnesota Library Association, to Page 50 41 46 50 43 44 Thomas, Robert, president, North Dakota Library Association, to 50 Thompson, Alice B., Federal Coordinator for the Connecticut Library Traynor, J. Frank, president, Library Trustees Foundation of New Vaughan, Dorothy M., president, New Hampshire Library Associa- Vickers, Lucile F., president, South Dakota Library Association, to 68 55 63 47 52 Vosper, Robert, president, Association of College and Reference 71 Wright, Mrs. Marjorie P., Oklahoma, Agricultural and Mechanical 67 LIBRARY SERVICES WEDNESDAY, MAY 23, 1956 UNITED STATES SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE ON EDUCATION OF THE COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND PUBLIC WELFARE, Washington, D. C. The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10 a. m., in the Old Supreme Court Chamber, United States Capitol, Senator James E. Murray presiding. Present: Senators Murray, Hill, and Smith of New Jersey. Also present: Committee staff members Steward E. McClure, John E. Forsythe, William G. Reidy, Michael Bernstein, and Mary Di Dio. Senator MURRAY. The hearing will come to order, please. This hearing has been scheduled to take testimony relating to the Library Services bill, S. 205. This measure was introduced by my esteemed colleague, Senator Lister Hill, for himself and 12 other Senators. The cosponsors of this measure are Senators George Aiken, Paul Douglas, Henry Jackson, Mike Mansfield, Frank Carlson, Írving Ives, William Langer, Dennis Chavez, Matthew Neely, Herbert Lehman, James Eastland, and Estes Kefauver. Since the introduction, four other Senators have asked that their names be added as cosponsors: Olin Johnston, J. W. Fulbright, Gordon Allott, and Clifford Case. To that list, I want to add my own name. I should like to mention briefly Lister Hill's long time interest in this legislation. In March 1946, he introduced the public library demonstration bill. The bill was favorably reported by this committee, but it was passed over on the Consent Calendar. The following year, he reintroduced the bill and George Aiken joined him as a cosponsor. In 1948 the bill passed the Senate, but did not reach the House floor. Again in 1949, the bill was introduced by Senators Hill and Aiken. The bill reached the Consent Calendar but was passed over when the House defeated it by 3 votes. The bill was completely revised and became the Library Services bill. It has been introduced in each Congress since then. Twice more this committee favorably reported the bill, but the failure of the House to act caused the Senate bill to be passed over on the Consent Calendar. I am pleased to be able to say that Senator Hill and Senator Murray voted for the bill every time it came to a committee vote. On May 8, the House passed the Library Services bill, H. R. 2840, by a voice vote with a good majority. This is the action we have been awaiting. 1 year for which the allotment is made not less than the total amount actually expended for public library services from such sources in the fiscal year ending June 30, 1955. (b) The Commissioner shall from time to time, but not less often than semiannually, and prior to the period for which a payment is to be made, estimate the amount, within the balance of the allotments for each State, which may be necessary to pay the Federal share of the total expenditures for carrying out the approved State plan for such period. The Commissioner shall certify to the Secretary of the Treasury the amount so determined, reduced or increased as the case may be by the amount by which he finds that his estimate for any prior period was greater or less than the amount which should have been paid to the State for such period. The Secretary of the Treasury shall thereupon, prior to audit or settlement by the General Accounting Office, pay to the State, at the time or times fixed by the Commissioner, the amount so certified. (c) For the purposes of this section the "Federal share" for any States shall be 100 per centum less the State percentage and the State percentage shall be that percentage which bears the same ratio to 50 per centum as the per capita income of such State bears to the per capita income of the continental United States (excluding Alaska), except that (1) the Federal share shall in no case be more than 66 per centum or less than 33 per centum, and (2) the Federal share for Hawaii shall be 50 per centum and for Alaska, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands shall be 66 per centum. (d) The "Federal share" for each State shall be promulgated by the Commissioner between July 1 and August 31 of each even-numbered year, on the basis of the average of the per capita incomes of the States and of the continental United States (excluding Alaska) for the three most recent consecutive years for which satisfactory data are available from the Department of Commerce. such promulgation shall be conclusive for each of the two fiscal years in the period beginning July 1 next succeeding such promulgation: Provided, That the Commissioner shall promulgate such percentages as soon as possible after the enactment of this Act to be effective until July 1, 1956. (e) No portion of any money paid to a State under this Act shall be applied, directly or indirectly, to the purchase or erection of any building or buildings, or for the purchase of any land. (f) No portion of any money paid to a State under this Act shall be used, directly or indirectly, to provide or improve library services in any area other than a rural area; except that nothing contained herein shall be construed to prohibit the utilization of such money by public libraries in nonrural areas, if such utilization has been provided for in an approved State plan covering the areas affected. WITHHOLDING SEC. 7. If the Commissioner finds after reasonable notice and opportunity for hearing to the State agency administering or supervising the administration of the State plan approved under this Act, that the State plan has been so changed that it no longer complies with the requirements of this Act or that in the administration of the plan there is a failure to comply substantially with the provisions required to be included in the plan, he shall notify such State agency that further payments will not be made to the State under this Act until he is satified that there is no longer any such failure to comply. Until he is so satisfied, he shall make no further certification to the Secretary of the Treasury with respect to such State. ADMINISTRATION SEC. 8. (a) The Commissioner shall administer this Act under the supervision and direction of the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, and shall, with the approval of the Secretary, prescribe such regulations as may be necessary for the administration of this Act. (b) The Commissioner is also authorized to make such studies, investigations, and reports as may be necessary or appropriate to carry out the purposes of this Act, including periodic reports for public distribution as to the values, methods, and results of various State demonstrations of public library services in rural areas undertaken under this Act. (c) There are hereby authorized to be appropriated for expenses of administration such sums as may be necessary to carry out the functions of the Secretary and the Commissioner under this Act. DEFINITIONS SEC. 9. For the purposes of this Act— (a) The term "State" means a State, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, or the Virgin Islands; (b) The term "State library administrative agency" means the official State agency charged by State law with the extension and development of public library services throughout the State; (c) The term "public library" means a library that serves free all residents of a community, district, or region, and receives its financial support in whole or in part from public funds; (d) The term "Secretary" means the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare; and (e) The term "rural area" does not include an incorporated or unincorporated town having a population of more than ten thousand persons. [H. R. 2840, 84th Cong., 2d sess.] AN ACT To promote the further development of public library service in rural areas Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That this Act may be cited as the "Library Services Act." DECLARATION OF POLICY SEC. 2. (a) It is the purpose of this Act to promote the further extension by the several States of public library services to rural areas without such services or with inadequate services. (b) The provisions of this Act shall not be so construed as to interfere with State and local initiative and responsibility in the conduct of public library services. The administration of public libraries, the selection of personnel and library books and materials, and, insofar as consistent with the purposes of this Act, the determination of the best uses of the funds provided under this Act shall be reserved to the States and their local subdivisions. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS SEC. 3. There is hereby authorized to be appropriated for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1957, and for each of the four succeeding fiscal years the sum of $7,500,000 which shall be used for making payments to States which have submitted and had approved by the Commissioner of Education (hereinafter referred to as the Commissioner) State plans for the further extension of public library services to rural areas without such services, or with inadequate services. ALLOTMENTS TO STATES SEC. 4. (a) From the sums appropriated pursuant to section 3 for each fiscal year, the Commissioner shall allot $10,000 to the Virgin Islands and $40,000 to each of the other States, and shall allot to each State such part of the remainder of such sums as the rural population of the State bears to the rural population of the United States, according to the most recent decennial census. (b) The amount of any allotment to a State under subsection (a) for any fiscal year remaining unpaid to such State at the end of such fiscal year shall be available for payment to such State under section 6 until the end of the succeeding fiscal year. No payment to a State under section 6 shall be made out of its allotment for any fiscal year until its allotment for the preceding fiscal year has been exhausted or has ceased to be available. STATE PLANS SEC. 5. (a) To be approved under this section, a State plan for the further extension of public library services to rural areas must (1) provide for the administration, or supervision of the administration, of the plan by the State library administrative agency, and provide that such agency will have adequate authority under State law to administer the plan in accordance with its provision and the provisions of this Act; (2) provide for the receipt by the State treasurer (or, if there be no State treasurer, the officer exercising similar functions for the State) of all |