Legislative Update -- April 3, 2025
April 3, 2025
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On Thursday, March 27, Secretary of State & State Librarian Alexi Giannoulias sent a letter to Illinois libraries responding to the executive order requiring that the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and six other agencies be eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law and the agencies are ordered to reduce their services and personnel to the minimum amount required to perform the functions required by law. IMLS is the primary source of federal funding for libraries.
In the past week, there have been new developments:
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On March 26, a bipartisan group of Senators – Jack Reed (D-RI), Susan M. Collins (R-ME), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) – sent a letter to Keith Sonderling, Acting Director of IMLS. The Senators are the lead authors of the Museum and Library Services Act (MLSA), which was signed into law by President Trump.
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On March 31, all staff of IMLS were placed on administrative leave and all grants and contracts were suspended.
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On April 2, Members of Congress wrote a letter to express their concern over the proposed elimination of the IMLS. Eleven of the 17 Illinois members of Congress have signed on.
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On April 3, the members of the National Museum and Library Services Board sent a letter to Keith Sonderling, Action Director of IMLS, asking for clarification about the recent decision to place the staff of IMLS on administrative leave.
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On April 3, several states, including California, Connecticut, and Washington, received written notifications from IMLS Acting Director Keith Sonderling that their IMLS grants were cancelled.
We need all library supporters to call their members of Congress and urge them to protect federal funding for libraries by preventing the dismantling of the IMLS.
Phone calls only take a couple of minutes and send a strong message to elected officials that their constituents care enough to take time out of their day to make their voices heard. ALA’s Show Up for Our Libraries will help you contact your member of Congress.
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