Federal:
With presidential administrations poised for turnover, a number of library advocacy issues are on the precipice of change:
– support of net neutrality, which the FCC strongly bolstered in 2015 with the adoption of the Open Internet rules, may be weakened or eliminated under the new administration;
– championship of privacy, including as it relates to library patron records, is under question as Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) takes over the office of Attorney General;
– efforts to pass the Email Privacy Act, which would prevent unwarranted access by authorities to electronic communications, will be reinvigorated; and,
– modernization of the Copyright Office, including the potential decoupling of this office from the Library of Congress, is on the horizon.
State:
The Illinois State Comptroller’s Office has an informative website that allows you to see the finances of the state and your local government. To access the current state expenditures and revenues as well as the current total for the backlog of unpaid bills, use The Ledger. To run reports on your local county, municipality, township, or other taxing district, use The Warehouse. The website also has other tools and pages to explore, including the Check for Cash page that let’s you see if the state owes you any money.