News - Advocacy | |
Wednesday, April 15, 2020 12:00 AM | |
Call to Action - Urge Governor Whitmer to Dedicate CARES Act Funding to LibrariesApril 15, 2020 In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Michigan has received $89.4 million in federal aid through the CARES Act that will help K-12 schools, colleges and universities and other educational organizations. MLA has contacted Governor Whitmer requesting that a portion of these funds be used for libraries. The Governor’s Emergency Relief Fund under section 18002 of the CARES Act allows Governors to allocate funds to educational agencies, institutions of higher education, and any “education-related entity” deemed essential for carrying out emergency educational services. Note that “other education-related entity” includes libraries. Libraries will be critical in the months to come as we rebuild our economy and strengthen the workforce. Access to digital resources has become critically important to all Americans in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak and libraries have stepped up to successfully deliver these resources to communities in need throughout Michigan. However, libraries, like other public and private institutions, are fulfilling community needs while anticipating lost revenue. We urge you to contact Governor Whitmer and request that a portion of CARES Act funding is dedicated to libraries. By allocating CARES Act funding to support our libraries, they will be able to maintain the staffing and services necessary to scale up relief efforts already underway and, equally important, to foster community resilience as we emerge from this crisis. A draft of our letter is posted below. Please feel free to use this letter as an example when drafting your note to the Governor. To contact Governor Whitmer now, visit our Call to Action Webpage by clicking the button below. Take Action
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