* Final Push to Save Funding to Sustain MeL and MeLCat!

* Final Push to Save Funding to Sustain MeL and MeLCat!


House and Senate leaders agreed to cut an additional $1.4 billion in cuts on September 16, with no additional revenues. Senate Majority Leader Bishop and House Speaker Dillon agreed to a plan to cut an additional $1 billion from the General Fund and $412.7 million in the School Aid Fund, beyond Governor Granholm’s recommendation. Conference Committees will meet on Monday and are charged with reporting out details by Tuesday. With the elimination of the Department of History, Arts and Libraries, library funding remains in the House Education Committee at $10 million, with a placeholder in the Senate budget. Governor Granholm’s Education Budget called for $26,389,700 – but the agreed upon targets reduce this amount to $19,429,600. The $6,960,100 in cuts will be negotiated by the conferees. Education Conference Committee members include: Senators Jelinek, Brown and Switalski and Representatives Brown, Moss and Cushingberry. It is time for one last push to preserve library funding. If you are in their districts, it is extremely important that they hear from you with a personal story or the impact on your community if MeL and MeLCat implode. . Visit milibrariesforthefuture.com to send a final message to these legislators about the value of MeL. Thank and encourage Representatives Cushingberry and Brown for their support. Don't forget to personalize your message!