LC spokesperson Jill Brett told American Libraries that the layoffs involved staff who offered production, technical, and audiovisual support, and that no librarians were affected.
In a statement, CRS Director Daniel P. Mulhollan said the move “reflects our continuing commitment to the Congress to maintain a cost-effective, accountable, and high-performance organization dedicated to meeting its statutory mission.” In a September staff memo, he said several factors were involved in the decision, including the CRS fiscal 2006 budget, “which requires us to reduce our staff size by a significant number,” the Washington Post reported October 7.
A survey by the Congressional Research Employees Association, the employees’ union, found that nearly 70% of the staff to be laid off are female, and about 75% are minorities, the Post said.
Posted October 14, 2005.