Advocacy

On November 19, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) released To Read or Not to Read: A Question of National Consequence, a new analysis of reading patterns in the U.S. The study, which is a follow-up to NEA's 2004 Reading at Risk, revealed recent declines in voluntary reading and test scores alike, trends NEA described as having "severe consequences for American society."

November marks two important events for booksellers and readers: Children's Book Week 2007, sponsored by the Children's Book Council, and Jewish Book Month, sponsored by the Jewish Book Council.

Page23, a one-year-old project of Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe, Arizona, promotes reading among people who may reject traditional marketing approaches through specially selected title lists, displays, and other promotional materials.

One Shared World, a campaign to raise awareness of global poverty and generate dialogue about solutions, is reaching out to booksellers in the Book Sense marketing program.

As lawmakers in Congress continue the debate over how to solve the national healthcare crisis, the healthcare concerns of independent booksellers and small businesses are drawing the attention of the national media. On May 5, a front page article in the Business Section of the New York Times detailed the health insurance challenges and concerns of Jeff Levin, owner of Varney's Book Store in Manhattan, Kansas.

The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Small Business tackled the issue of health insurance for small-business employees on Wednesday, March 14, at a hearing on "challenges and solutions" to health insurance coverage for small businesses. Oren Teicher, ABA COO, attended the morning hearings, which featured witnesses from the small business community, health care experts, and the insurance industry.

On February 13, Sen. John Kerry (D- MA) called a meeting of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship to evaluate the current health care landscape for small businesses. The hearing focused on available options, as well as Kerry's contention that there is a need to go beyond Association Health Plans (AHPs) as the sole solution to helping small firms cope with skyrocketing health care costs. In January, Kerry, who is chair of the committee, introduced the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit Act (S.

It may be a new year and a new Congress, but providing small businesses access to affordable health care remains a key issue for Capitol Hill lawmakers. Already this year, House Republicans made an unsuccessful attempt to bring Small Business Health Plans (SBHP) legislation to a vote; Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA), the chairman of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, convened a committee on health care policies; and Sen. Michael Enzi (R-WY) has holding discussions with Senate Democrats in an effort to finally get SBHP legislation passed.

From October 15 to 21, libraries, schools, and bookstores across America will celebrate Teen Read Week, now in its ninth year. A national literacy initiative aimed at teens, their parents, librarians, educators, booksellers, and other concerned adults, Teen Read Week is sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA).

This week, Kaisernetwork.org's Capitol Hill Watch reported that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) is hoping to hold a vote this month on a revised "Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act," S. 1955 -- a bill that would allow business and trade associations to pool their members to offer group health coverage through Small Business Health Plans (SBHPs, also known as Association Health Plans). The legislation, which was introduced by Sen. Michael Enzi (R-WY), is co-sponsored by Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) and Sen.