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Issue: # 20
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June 10, 2009
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ILA Urges Governor to Sign "Library" Bills
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Tuesday, 9 June 2009
The Honorable Patrick Quinn The Honorable Patrick Quinn
Office of the Governor Office of the Governor
207 State House James R. Thompson Center
Springfield, IL 62706 100 W. Randolph, 16-100
Chicago, IL 60601
Dear Governor Quinn:
On behalf of the entire membership of the Illinois Library Association, we respectfully request that you sign several bills supported by the Association that directly benefit the library community.
· House Bill 49. This legislation amends the State Library Act and the State Property Control Act. It permits the Illinois State Library and state academic libraries to routinely manage their collections and properly dispose of library materials. It specifically permits the sale or transfer of library materials to non-profit agencies as well as the sale of materials through book sales, to dealers and other appropriate organizations. The legislation would require that the proceeds from such sales must be used only for the purchase of new library materials.
· House Bill 146. This legislation simply permits Illinois county boards to adjust county circuit court clerk filing fees in support of county law libraries. The fees are capped at a maximum of $18 in 2009, $19 in 2010, and $21 in 2011 and thereafter. If a county board decides to adjust this local fee, the board would have to pass an ordinance through a public process and the revenues must be used to support the county law library. Judges, attorneys, and litigants use county law libraries. Increasingly pro se litigants are turning to the county law library for assistance. The costs for library operations and services have increased dramatically especially for new and expanded electronic resources.
· House Bill 211. This legislation amends the Illinois Local Library Act to provide a procedure to dissolve a public library that has failed to operate or comply with the Local Library Act. The dissolution process was modeled after an existing statute for dissolution of a non-functioning park district. A library may be dissolved by court order after a finding that the library does not comply with the statutory requirements. It is important to have a process for dissolving a non-functioning library. While not providing service but still officially recognized, library patrons in that service area are denied library privileges at neighboring libraries. Essentially, these patrons have no library service available. Dissolution of a non-functioning library will permit patrons in that service area to seek privileges as a non-resident at the nearest library.
· House Bill 242. This legislation brings consistency to the Property Tax Extension Limitation Act (tax caps). Currently tax caps allow a small annual adjustment in the aggregate extension levy for operational purposes. This annual adjustment is equal to the lesser of 5 percent or the consumer price index. However, the debt extension levy has been frozen without any annual adjustment since 1995. House Bill 242 allows the debt extension levy to be adjusted by the same small amount as the operations levy. This legislation is prospective only, but will greatly benefit units of local government as they pursue job creating capital projects.
· House Bill 793. This legislation amends the Open Meetings Act to permit an Illinois library system with jurisdiction over more than 4,500 square miles to include members participating in a videoconference when determining the physical presence of a quorum at an open meeting. Currently, only a public body with statewide jurisdiction may include members participating in a videoconference when establishing a quorum. Library systems with vast territory such as these make it virtually impossible for their boards to establish a physical quorum in one location. These unpaid board members must travel long distances at great hardship. All meetings and all sites are still open to the public in all other respects.
· Senate Bill 1285. This legislation amends the General Not For Profit Corporation Act of 1986 to provide that voting members or their proxies, belonging to a not-for-profit corporation, may conduct elections for directors, officers, or representatives by mail, e-mail, or other electronic means if the corporation's bylaws so provide (instead of conducting elections for directors and officers exclusively by first-class mail only).
· Senate Bill 1390. This legislation amends the General Not For Profit Corporation Act of 1986 essentially to provide greater flexibility to associations in conducting business via e-mail or any other electronic means.
Thank you for your kind consideration and please feel free to contact our Legislative Consultant Kip Kolkmeier at (312) 339-6540 if you have any questions.
Very truly yours,
Donna Dziedzic Robert P. Doyle
2008-2009 ILA President ILA Executive Director
cc: Sean Vinck, Chief Legislative Counsel
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Sincerely,
Robert P. Doyle
Illinois Library Association |
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