I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2728 
To provide financial support for the operation of the law library of the 
Library of Congress, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 4, 2009 
Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California (for herself and Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN 
of California) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on House Administration 
A BILL 
To provide financial support for the operation of the law 
library of the Library of Congress, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘William Orton Law 
Library Improvement and Modernization Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR LAW LIBRARY OF LI-
BRARY OF CONGRESS. 
(a) FINANCIAL SUPPORT.—In addition to any other 
amounts made available for the salaries and expenses of 
the Library of Congress, there are authorized to be appro-
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priated to the Librarian of Congress $3,500,000 for main-
taining and administering the operations of the law library 
of the Library of Congress, including the cataloguing of 
the collections of the law library. Any amounts appro-
priated pursuant to the authority of this subsection shall 
remain available without fiscal year limitation until ex-
pended. 
(b) ELECTRONIC CATALOGING OF NONPROPRIETARY 
MATERIAL.—To the extent practicable, in using any funds 
appropriated pursuant to the authority of subsection (a) 
to catalog and archive nonproprietary material in the col-
lections of the Law Library after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Law Librarian of Congress shall 
catalog and archive the material electronically in a non-
proprietary and nondiscriminatory format. Nothing in the 
previous sentence may be construed to affect any cata-
loging and archiving activities carried out with funds 
which are not appropriated pursuant to the authority of 
subsection (a). 
SEC. 3. SEPARATION OF LAW LIBRARY SALARIES AND EX-
PENSES IN PREPARATION OF ANNUAL LI-
BRARY OF CONGRESS BUDGET. 
(a) SEPARATE BUDGET TREATMENT OF LAW LI-
BRARY.—In preparing the annual budget for the Library 
of Congress which will be submitted by the President 
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under chapter 11 of title 31, United States Code, and in 
preparing the annual budget and related materials for the 
Library of Congress for the use of the Committees on Ap-
propriations of the Senate and House of Representatives, 
the Librarian of Congress shall ensure that all amounts 
attributable to salaries and expenses of the law library of 
the Library of Congress are set forth separately as a sepa-
rate line item from other salaries and expenses of the Li-
brary of Congress. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall apply with 
respect to fiscal year 2011 and each succeeding fiscal year. 
SEC. 4. WILLIAM ORTON PROGRAM TO SUPPORT THE MIS-
SION OF THE LAW LIBRARY OF THE LIBRARY 
OF CONGRESS. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Librarian of Congress, 
acting through the Law Librarian of Congress, shall 
establish and operate a program to be known as the 
‘‘William Orton Law Library Support Program’’ 
(hereafter in this section referred to as the ‘‘Pro-
gram’’), which will— 
(A) provide enhanced or special services 
and programs for the Law Library; and 
(B) otherwise support the mission of the 
Law Library. 
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(2) RELATION TO OTHER PROGRAMS.—The Li-
brarian shall operate the Program in a manner 
which ensures that the resources of the Program are 
not commingled with the resources used to carry out 
the program operated under section 2. 
(b) ROLE OF OTHER ENTITIES.—The Librarian may 
carry out the Program through agreements and partner-
ships entered into with other government and private enti-
ties, including the American Association of Law Libraries 
and the American Bar Association. 
(c) PRIVATE SUPPORT.— 
(1) ACCEPTANCE
OF
DONATIONS.—Donations 
of funds and in-kind contributions in support of the 
Program may be accepted— 
(A) by the Library of Congress Trust 
Fund Board, as provided under the Act entitled 
‘‘An Act to create a Library of Congress Trust 
Fund Board, and for other purposes’’, approved 
March 3, 1925 (2 U.S.C. 154 et seq.); and 
(B) by the Librarian of Congress, as pro-
vided under section 4 of such Act (2 U.S.C. 
160). 
(2) USE
OF
AMOUNTS.—Notwithstanding the 
second paragraph of section 2 of the Act entitled 
‘‘An Act to create a Library of Congress Trust Fund 
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Board, and for other purposes’’, approved March 3, 
1925 (2 U.S.C. 157), or the third sentence of sec-
tion 4 of such Act (2 U.S.C. 160), any amounts ac-
cepted by the Library of Congress Trust Fund 
Board or the Librarian of Congress in support of 
the Program shall be subject to disbursement by the 
Librarian only upon the recommendation of the Law 
Librarian (except to the extent otherwise provided 
under any terms and conditions on the use of the 
amounts which are imposed by the person making 
the donation). 
(3) ACCEPTANCE OF OTHER VOLUNTARY SERV-
ICES.—Notwithstanding section 1342 of title 31, 
United States Code, the Librarian of Congress may 
accept voluntary and uncompensated services in sup-
port of the Program. 
(d) ESTABLISHMENT OF SEPARATE ACCOUNT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—There is established in the 
Treasury (among the accounts of the Library of 
Congress) a separate account for the Program, 
which shall consist of— 
(A) amounts accepted by the Library of 
Congress Trust Fund Board in support of the 
Program as described in subsection (c)(1)(A), 
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together with any income earned on such 
amounts; 
(B) amounts accepted by the Librarian of 
Congress in support of the Program as de-
scribed in subsection (c)(1)(B), together with 
any income earned on such amounts; 
(C) amounts appropriated pursuant to the 
authorization under subsection (f); and 
(D) interest on the balance of the account. 
(2) USE OF AMOUNTS.—The funds contained in 
the account established under this subsection shall 
be used solely by the Law Librarian of Congress to 
carry out the Program. 
(e) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than April 30 of 
each year (beginning with 2010), the Librarian of Con-
gress shall submit a report on Program funding and ac-
tivities to the Committee on House Administration of the 
House of Representatives, the Committee on Rules and 
Administration of the Senate, the American Bar Associa-
tion, and the American Association of Law Libraries. The 
report shall include— 
(1) a listing of all donations received in support 
of the Program during the previous year; 
(2) the total obligations during the previous 
year for each Program activity; 
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(3) the amount appropriated pursuant to the 
authorization under subsection (f) for the fiscal year 
beginning on the previous October 1; 
(4) a list of Program activities, with budget in-
formation for each such activity, planned for the cal-
endar year in which the report is submitted; and 
(5) any findings in the most recently completed 
audit conducted with respect to the Law Library or 
Program funds or investments. 
(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In addi-
tion to any other amounts authorized to be appropriated 
to the Librarian of Congress for the Law Library of Con-
gress for a fiscal year, there are authorized to be appro-
priated for deposit into the account established under sub-
section (d) an amount equal to 40 percent of the amount 
of the donations accepted by the Library of Congress 
Trust Fund Board in support of the Program under sub-
section (c)(1) during the previous fiscal year. 
SEC. 5. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING ROLE AND STA-
TUS OF LAW LIBRARY OF LIBRARY OF CON-
GRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that the Librarian of Con-
gress should make decisions regarding the financing and 
operation of the law library of the Library of Congress, 
the maintenance of its collections, and the access of the 
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public to its collections in a manner that preserves the 
role and status of the law library as the Nation’s law li-
brary. 
Æ 
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