S-1751.1  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 6125

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2001 Regular Session

By Senator Kastama

Read first time 02/26/2001.  Referred to Committee on Economic Development & Telecommunications.

Creating a statewide information data base licensing service administered by the Washington state library.

    AN ACT Relating to public access to information data bases; adding a new section to chapter 27.04 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  Citizens, students, business people, professionals, and public officials depend on timely, accurate information in order to be competitive and to make informed decisions.  Many Washington citizens have been at a disadvantage in accessing such information due to economic or geographic barriers.

    Washington's libraries are demonstrated leaders in providing the public access to print and electronic information.  The legislature finds the statewide data base licensing program, developed as a pilot project in 1998, has proven that licensing of on-line information data bases at the state level is the most cost-effective way to provide equitable, quality information resources to all citizens and that joint state and local participation in obtaining cost-effective licenses increases access to this quality information.

    The legislature also finds that access to these on-line resources should be available to every citizen, every school, and every area in the state of Washington.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 27.04 RCW to read as follows:

    (1) There is created a statewide data base licensing service to secure cost-effective access to commercially produced information data base products.  The information data bases shall be made available to citizens of Washington through all types of public, school, academic, and other nonprofit libraries in the state.  The Washington state library shall administer the service either directly or through contract.  Libraries shall make data bases available to their users through a variety of venues, including computers and other computing devices in schools and library buildings, and to homes.

    (2) The statewide data base licensing service shall be funded through a combination of state general fund and local funds.  It is intended that state general fund moneys will pay for data base content and local funds will pay for administrative costs of running the program.  For the purpose of any general budget reduction, state general fund moneys for the service shall be considered for reduction separate and apart from general fund moneys appropriated for ongoing operations of the state library.

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