Idaho Librarian

Idaho Legislature Opens 2002 Session

By Vicki Kreimeyer-Brown
Boise Public Library  

The Idaho Legislature convened the 2002 session on January 7, 2002. From the first hour of the day we could tell that this session will be a memorable one. From repeal of term limits to creating a budget in an environment of deficits instead of surplus, this session will be lively, fast paced and important to us all. 

The Idaho Library Association greeted legislators early in the morning on January 10,at our annual breakfast for legislators. We had a great turnout of library staff from around the state, wonderful refreshments served with warm greetings from staff at Kuna and Caldwell and a low legislator turnout. We were up against major meetings of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee (JFAC) at the same hours as our breakfast. The Legislature got right down to business, in contrast to last year at the same time, when new members were receiving orientation during our breakfast time. So we visited with the legislators who dropped by, handed out information packets, and made our visits count. Following the breakfast, we distributed the remaining information packets to legislators who were unable to drop by our table. 

We are focusing our message this year. Our primary legislation is the rewrite of the library district laws. John Watts, our legislative advisor, is working closely with key legislators for sponsorship of the legislation in each house. As soon as the bills are printed, we will let the library community know on LIBIDAHO, so that appropriate support can be developed. 

ILA’s second area of interest is the Read To Me program at the State Library. Once the Governor’s budget message was presented, we learned that the program had been zeroed out and that the Governor proposed serious cuts for the State Library. We will work closely with the State Library to ensure that the impact of any cuts on the Idaho library community is clear to our representatives. Where possible we will advocate to soften the cutback impact on services to Idaho libraries. 

We will also continue to advocate for the Read to Me program becoming part of the State Library’s basic services, unless that action imperils other services needed by the library community statewide. The governor’s efforts to maintain certain programs without cuts (Education, Prisons) means that other programs are hit with larger cuts than 10%. It is always important to remember that JFAC creates the final budget, and that the Governor doesn’t always get what he has proposed.

The third and final area that we are working on is educating the legislature about the importance of certified school media generalists in the elementary schools. We are working closely with members of the School Media Coalition, and Jim Shackleford, legislative advisor for the Idaho Education Association, to inform key legislative committees about this issue.

The School Media Coalition is working with Representative Tilman to organize a field trip to Lake Hazel Middle School for the House Education Committee, which he chairs. This is the first step in an organized effort to educate the legislators this session. We feel confident we can make a positive impact because there is now solid research showing the positive impact that good school libraries have on the educational success of children.

The Coalition plans to bring the author of this research from San Jose State University here to address the appropriate committees on this topic. As we learned last year, timing and preparation are everything. We will focus on the preparation this session, rather than proposing legislation with dollar signs attached. We want to be effective in the long run, build our credibility, and develop legislators who will advocate for this purpose.

John Watts and I will keep the library community informed as the session develops. LIBIDAHO will be used to update everyone, so please subscribe if you don’t already. And remember, when we ask you to contact your legislator, please do. Nothing has greater impact on their decision making. As one representative told me at the breakfast, “I thirst for contact with my constituents. Nothing helps me more!”

Editor's Note:  To subscribe to LIBIDAHO, send a message to listserv@listserv.boisestate.edu.  Leave the subject line blank and enter the message: subscribe libidaho (your name)