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Rep. Levin is taking a lead role in the House of Representatives I n DC fighting for library funding.
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<div>Randy Riley</div>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">July 2, 2020<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Contact: Jenny Byer<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><a href="mailto:Jenny.Byer@mail.house.gov"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Jenny.Byer@mail.house.gov</span></a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Rep. Levin, Sen. Reed Introduce Legislation to Provide Stabilization Funding to Libraries During COVID-19 Pandemic<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Congressman Andy Levin (D-MI) and Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) today introduced companion bills in the House and Senate to provide critical stabilization funding to libraries
facing revenue losses from the COVID-19 pandemic. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">“Funding for local governments has been top of mind for me throughout this crisis and driven much of my congressional action.”
<b>Rep. Levin said</b>. “We need to ensure that libraries and their employees can continue providing the services that have become even more important during the pandemic. Libraries are a source of information, educational materials, entertainment, professional
development, and even telehealth care. We need to lift up these institutions whose primary goal is to serve everyone, regardless of area code, so that our children, families, friends and students can benefit from the wealth of resources libraries have to offer.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">“At a time when budgets of local governments have been decimated, America can’t afford to dismiss a national infrastructure of 117,000 libraries nimble enough to offer relief
and advance recovery,” <b>said</b> <b>American Library Association (ALA) President Julius C. Jefferson Jr.</b> “The Library Stabilization Fund Act is the comprehensive federal response needed to keep our nation’s libraries safely in operation, and ALA is throwing
the full weight of our advocacy network into supporting the bill. ALA applauds Representative Levin's leadership in recognizing that the library services Americans rely on are utterly dependent on library funding.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The Library Stabilization Act creates a $2 billion stabilization fund to bolster library services and address revenue losses. The bill instructs the Institute of Museum
and Library Services (IMLS) to distribute these funds for a range of services, including to:
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Maintain library services and keep nearly 370,000 library workers on the job;<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Purchase cleaning and PPE supplies and train staff for safe re-opening;
<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Expand technology and services to keep library users connected; and
<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Strengthen collections and programs to address needs such as remote learning, early literacy, job skills and access to government services.<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">In March, Rep. Levin sent a
</span><a href="https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fandylevin.house.gov%2Fmedia%2Fpress-releases%2Frep-andy-levin-35-bipartisan-house-members-call-increased-library-funding&data=02%7C01%7CRileyR1%40michigan.gov%7Ce24340d51aa64e3eae1d08d81ebb17d7%7Cd5fb7087377742ad966a892ef47225d1%7C0%7C1%7C637293136245029537&sdata=HMQRl419%2FKanrJE1%2BTohm%2FdFj9jt898za6iJQh1sBpc%3D&reserved=0" originalsrc="https://andylevin.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-andy-levin-35-bipartisan-house-members-call-increased-library-funding" shash="BjtjdCxEG8WOyjIEam3JaEyOyV3qMATtU2EseRx98xr4ROiYkcid4w+y8X2TXL+BLwIIFpUEm9B14jXuOHUNFV5OCu1Ny/a2QrsMsFouAizAda/zaNlP3ix1k+xRMW3mS4yfVTAPguGMY6jdGDVd173ZSDXFxBBuFkIgstdoyQE="><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">bipartisan
letter</span></a><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> signed by 36 House members to Congressional leaders requesting support for libraries in COVID-19 relief legislation. The CARES Act later included $50 million in library funding.
Rep. Levin also led a </span><a href="https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fandylevin.house.gov%2Fsites%2Fandylevin.house.gov%2Ffiles%2FA.Levin_Young_Grijalva_Support%2520Public%2520Libraries%2520during%2520COVID-19_4-23-20.pdf&data=02%7C01%7CRileyR1%40michigan.gov%7Ce24340d51aa64e3eae1d08d81ebb17d7%7Cd5fb7087377742ad966a892ef47225d1%7C0%7C1%7C637293136245029537&sdata=v7rXKdkRGxG%2FKHPxjcgBZxS6dWjnZ0GGwPR5IXLoc2M%3D&reserved=0" originalsrc="https://andylevin.house.gov/sites/andylevin.house.gov/files/A.Levin_Young_Grijalva_Support%20Public%20Libraries%20during%20COVID-19_4-23-20.pdf" shash="yuZhq2Y5EzbgxzDYqL9c6YpIWEOhbZsTn1eGjLn/MZ5+au1bVrNEqK+CYVGG5okqhuXzhkPqm8u354h6/yezhZofmf66drPquu6bmCKCAVphd6qI0cY7wEHsHC99d5W3BD9zhBEv4xmVUaohewFZIQ9GWkp5INiWW1gVaPcIq3Q="><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">bipartisan
letter</span></a><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> with Reps. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) and Don Young (R-AK) signed by more than 100 House members urging House leadership to include further stabilization funding for America’s libraries
in future COVID-19 legislation. The HEROES Act later included a $1.5 billion Emergency Connectivity Fund for schools and libraries as well as $5 million in funding for the IMLS.
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The Library Stabilization Act has 27 original cosponsors and is endorsed by the American Library Association, Association for Rural & Small Libraries, Association of Research
Libraries<a name="_Hlk44577296">, Brodart, Chief Officers of State Library Agencies, Council of State Archivists, Edge Consulting Partners, Follett / Baker & Taylor, International Dyslexia Association, National Association of Elementary School Principals,
National Association of Secondary School Principals, National Center for Families Learning, National Coalition for History, National Coalition for Literacy, National Humanities Alliance, National League of Cities, OverDrive, Inc., Reading is Fundamental, Reading
Recovery Council of North America, Reach Out and Read, Society of American Archivists, and Urban Libraries Council.
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