Members of the state legislature's Joint Committee on Finance today voted 16-0 to restore $512,000 in funding to BadgerLink that had been cut in Governor Walker's budget proposal. Motions to retain public library maintenance of effort (MOE) funding requirements or to allow MOE reductions of up to 10 percent (for this biennium only) failed on an 8-8 vote. Motions to restore all library-related funding failed on votes of 5-10 and 6-11.
Sen. Sheila Harsdorf (R-River Falls), Sen. Luther Olsen (R-Ripon), Sen. Robert Jauch (D-Poplar), Sen. Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee), Rep. Dan Meyer (R-Eagle River) and Rep. Jennifer Shilling (D-La Crosse) where among those who spoke in favor of libraries. If you live in the district of a finance committee member, please take a moment to send your thanks for the restoration of BadgerLink funding.
Sen. Sheila Harsdorf (R-River Falls), Sen. Luther Olsen (R-Ripon), Sen. Robert Jauch (D-Poplar), Sen. Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee), Rep. Dan Meyer (R-Eagle River) and Rep. Jennifer Shilling (D-La Crosse) where among those who spoke in favor of libraries. If you live in the district of a finance committee member, please take a moment to send your thanks for the restoration of BadgerLink funding.
And, a big thank you to all the library supporters who sent emails to Governor Walker or legislators about library funding needs in the 2011-13 state budget. Though your contacts in recent days could not rebuff the lobbying efforts of municipalities to end MOE, or restore all library-related funding, those communications did make a difference.
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4 comments:
So system funding is still being slashed I see - is that really so much less significant than MOE that you can't even note it?
The proposed cuts to system funding are a significant problem, too. It is dissapointing you singled out MOE as you did.
It's not over yet!
My apologies; I was focused on votes that passed or were astoundingly close, but I should have mentioned that there were two failed motions (5-11 and 6-10) to restore all library-related funding. You can read more about that in the next post.
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