Advocacy

This week, ABA announced that, at its first-ever Legislative Day', Dawn P. Latham, CAE, director of public policy, for the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), will be on hand to provide attendees with an update on the current status of Association Health Plan (AHP) legislation in Congress. "'Small business health plans is such a critical issue," Latham said. "I look forward to meeting the members of ABA to discuss this important legislation."

Senators Call for a Hearing on the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Project

In a letter dated March 21, Sen. Michael Enzi (R-WY) and Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) called on the Senate Committee on Finance to hold a hearing on S. 2152 and S. 2153, their respective streamlined sales and use tax legislation, that was referred to the committee for review. The letter was sent to Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-IA), the Senate Committee on Finance chairman, and Max Baucus (D-MT), the committee's ranking minority member.

Ending a 15-year stalemate on Association Health Plan (AHP) legislation, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee voted in favor of "The Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act," (S. 1955), which was introduced by Sen. Michael Enzi (R-WY). With the committee's approval, the bill can head to the Senate floor for debate.

The logjam that has seen AHP legislation repeatedly stall in the Senate could be coming to an end.

On Wednesday, March 8, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee has scheduled a mark-up of legislation that looks to provide more affordable health insurance options to America's small businesses. The bill, "The Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act," (S. 1955) was introduced into the Senate by Senator Michael Enzi (R-WY), Chairman of HELP, in late 2005.

With the return of the American Booksellers Association's convention and the book industry trade show to Washington, D.C., for the first time in 17 years, ABA is making the most of the event by offering its first-ever Legislative Day.

With no fanfare, Barnes & Noble has begun collecting sales tax on online purchases made through its Barnes&Noble.com website in 38 states. The company website currently notes, "In accordance with applicable law, Barnes&Noble.com collects tax in all but the following states: Arizona, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, New Mexico, Vermont, and the District of Columbia." States that have no sales tax are Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon.

Volvo did not violate Robinson-Patman Act, court declares

Earlier this month, Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, introduced legislation that aims to help small businesses and their employees increase access to affordable health insurance plans. The legislation, the Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act of 2005 (S.

Between October 16 and 22, libraries, schools, and bookstores across America will celebrate Teen Read Week, which is now in its eighth year. A national literacy initiative aimed at teens, their parents, librarians, educators, booksellers, and other concerned adults, Teen Read Week was developed by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to focus on the importance of teen recreational reading.

Reach Out and Read (ROR), the 16-year-old national pediatric literacy organization, has been putting millions of books into the hands, strollers, and even mouths, of babies and preschool children to help make reading a part of every healthy childhood.

By Jay Hochstedt of Changing Hands Bookstore

On July 25, ABA joined a number of retail and dealer trade groups in submitting an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the Robinson-Patman Act (RPA) -- a federal law enacted in 1936 that protects individual competitors from price discrimination in favor of large chain stores by their suppliers. ABA submitted its friend-of-the-court brief in support of the Arkansas-based truck dealer Reeder-Simco GMC, which claims Volvo violated RPA by favoring other truck dealers.

The Association of American Publishers (AAP) recently announced the release of their latest newsletter for Get Caught Reading, the Association of American Publisher's campaign to promote the joy of reading, now beginning its seventh year.

As previously reported by Bookselling This Week, in late July, Bruce V. Spiva of the law firm Tycko, Zavareei & Spiva offered comments on behalf of the American Booksellers Association to the Antitrust Modernization Commission Robinson-Patman Act Panel, which was established by Congress to review the nation's antitrust laws.

The American Booksellers Association was recently invited to offer comments before a committee appointed by Congress to look at U.S. federal antitrust law with the view of updating it. The Antitrust Modernization Commission Robinson-Patman Act Panel asked ABA to offer comments because of the association's past lawsuits against major publishers and bookstore chains Barnes & Noble and Borders, which were filed under provisions of the act.