Joint MLA/AAHSL Legislation Committee

Established 1985; revised December 1987, May 1991, February 2002 (effective May 2002), revised June 2020; revised March 2024

The committee develops and promotes a joint legislative agenda that supports a consistent position on information policy issues, particularly those relevant to medical libraries and librarianship, and on governmental actions affecting medical libraries. Work is achieved through these primary activities:

• Hill visits – to advocate for funding to NLM and NIH
• Reviewing and recommending support letters for MLA and AAHSL to sign
• Responding to relevant RFIs
• Drafting a statement for AAHSL/MLA to submit to the Senate L-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee in support of NLM and NIH funding.

Members:

• MLA is represented by the president (one year), the Executive Director, and four members at large (two serve three-year terms, two serve four-year terms).
• The Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL) is represented by the association’s president (one year), and four AAHSL members at large. AAHSL members serve four-year terms.
• MLA and AAHSL members at large may be appointed for a consecutive second term. When possible, members are preferably appointed from the districts and states of members of Congress sitting on committees addressing MLA and AAHSL’s legislative priorities (e.g., list those committees)