Urge Your Legislators to Support Library Funding
Last week, the Michigan House of Representatives approved an omnibus budget bill, HB 4706, for fiscal year 2026. Now with less than a month before a signed state budget is due, the budget process is entering its final and most critical phase: reconciling major differences in Michigan's budget across Chambers and the Governor's office.
In June, the House passed HB 4576, its spending plan for the Michigan Department of Education (MDE), which includes funding for the Library of Michigan, without a line item for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). LSTA funds are federal dollars provided annually to the Library of Michigan by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). But if the final version of the state budget does not include an LSTA line item, the Library of Michigan cannot spend the federal funds already awarded and earmarked for critical statewide programs like the Michigan eLibrary (MeL) and the Michigan eLibrary Catalog (MeLCat).
Despite MLA's advocacy to House Appropriation Chairs over the summer urging them to include the LSTA line item, the MDE budget has been stalled in negotiations as part of the broader state budget impasse. Michigan's legislature returned to work this week and will spend the next several weeks in intense negotiations. Now is the time to contact your Senators and Representatives and urge them to add the LSTA line item back into the MDE budget! As a constituent, your voice matters most to your locally elected officials. We encourage you to make a personal call to both your Representative's and Senator's offices this week!
We have a very short window to act. Please share this message with your colleagues, trustees, and other library advocates. Your voice is essential in communicating the importance of including the LSTA line item in the MDE budget! Legislators pay attention to voters in their district. We encourage you to make a call to both your Representative's and Senator's offices as soon as possible! Thank you for taking action to support Michigan's libraries. Your outreach to Representatives and Senators is critical to influencing the budget process—your emails and phone calls can make a difference!
Call Script:
Hi, my name is [YOUR NAME] and I'm a constituent from [YOUR ADDRESS] and I'm calling to urge Representative/SENATOR [YOUR REPRESENTATIVE OR SENATOR'S NAME] to support libraries and include a line item for the Library Services and Technology Act in the state budget.
The Library Services and Technology Act or L-S-T-A are federal dollars provided annually to the Library of Michigan by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. But if the final version of the state budget does not include a line item for L-S-T-A, the Library of Michigan cannot spend the federal funds already awarded. The $5.6 million of federal money provided supports widely used programs like Michigan eLibrary and Michigan eLibrary Catalog, which provide a $26.96 return on investment for every $1 spent.
I urge you to voice support for the L-S-T-A line item in the final state budget.
Email Script:
Subject: Support Library Funding in the Michigan FY2026 Budget
Dear [NAME OF REPRESENTATIVE/SENATOR],
As your constituent, I urge you to support libraries and include a line item for the Library Services and Technology Act in the state budget.
The Library Services and Technology Act or LSTA, are federal dollars provided annually to the Library of Michigan by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. But if the final version of the state budget does not include a line item for LSTA, the Library of Michigan cannot spend the federal funds already awarded. The $5.6 million of federal money provided supports widely used programs like Michigan eLibrary and Michigan eLibrary Catalog, which provide a $26.96 return on investment for every $1 spent.
Notably, 78% of respondents in a recent statewide poll said that IMLS funding from the federal government should remain as part of the federal budget, but Michigan can only access those funds if the LSTA line item is included in the state budget. I encourage you to speak with appropriations leadership about the importance of this funding and urge you to voice support for the LSTA line item in the final state budget.
Sincerely.
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
We have a very short window to act. Please share this message with your colleagues, trustees, and other library advocates. Your voice is essential in communicating the importance of including the LSTA line item in the MDE budget! Legislators pay attention to voters in their district. We encourage you to make a personal call to both your Representative's and Senator's offices as soon as possible!
Thank you for taking action to support Michigan's libraries. Your outreach to Representatives and Senators is critical to influencing the budget process—your emails and phone calls can make a difference!