Federal Legislative Update
January 2008

January 25, 2008
January 18, 2008

January 25, 2008

News from Capitol Hill...

Tell Congress: Move Quickly To Provide Relief to Low- and Middle-income Families

With a possible recession looming and millions of low- and middle-income families feeling financial stress, the government needs to step in with an immediate solution. Congress and the President must come to an agreement as soon as possible to stimulate new spending right away, so businesses don't have to lay off workers or cut back on production. 

The agreement should be targeted to low- and middle-income families and communities most in need, including refundable tax rebates, an extension of unemployment benefits to those most affected by the recession, and a temporary increase in food stamps to help the poorest families. The package should also provide relief for states who are facing real difficulty to prevent cuts in education and other priorities.

In addition, the economic stimulus package should include:

• Assistance to help communities repair and modernize schools. In addition to improving learning environments, such assistance will help create jobs.
  
  
• Funding for the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act. This critical program, which provides guaranteed funding to rural, timber-dependent schools, has expired and, without immediate relief, many communities will have to lay off school staff and cut programs.
  
  
• Provisions to address the Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision. Repealing these unfair offsets will provide long-overdue relief to millions of retirees currently facing significant financial insecurity. 

Take Action Now!

Contact your representatives in Congress today and urge them to support a stimulus package that will give needed relief to ordinary people and struggling communities. You can call toll-free (1-800-965-4298) and/or send your Members an e-mail.

January 18, 2008

News from Capitol Hill...

Tell Congress: Stand up for Vulnerable Children - Override the President's Veto of Children's Health Funding

Late last year, President Bush vetoed legislation that would provide much-needed health care coverage to low-income children. The Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (H.R. 3963) would expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to cover 10 million children.

Over the past 10 years, SCHIP has helped reduce the number of uninsured children in America by one-third. However, millions of children remain uninsured or underinsured.  

The House has scheduled a vote to override the President's veto for January 23. 

Contact your representatives in Congress TODAY!!

• Tell Congress to stand up for our most vulnerable children - override the President's veto of the SCHIP bill.

House Hearing Held on Social Security Fairness Act;  Submit Your Personal Stories for the Record

On January 16, the House Ways and Means Committee, Subcommittee on Social Security, held a hearing on the Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision. Peg Cagle, an NEA member from California and recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, testified before the subcommittee, giving a voice to educators' concerns about the offsets and calling for their immediate repeal. This hearing, and the Senate hearing held November 6, 2007, represent a major step forward in our ongoing campaign to repeal these unfair offsets, and was a direct result of the pressure exerted by NEA members and other activists across the country. 

Statements are being accepted for the hearing record until close of business on January 30, 2008. To submit your personal story electronically, go to http://waysandmeans.house.gov/Hearings.asp?congress=18 and select the January 16 hearing entitled, "Hearing on Social Security Benefits for Economically Vulnerable Beneficiaries."  Then, select "Click here to provide a submission for the record." 

Once you have followed the online instructions, completing all informational forms and clicking "submit" on the final page, an email will be sent to the address which you supply confirming your interest in providing a submission for the record. You MUST REPLY to the email and ATTACH your submission as a Word or WordPerfect document, in accordance with the following rules:

1. All submissions and supplementary materials must be provided in Word or WordPerfect format and MUST NOT exceed a total of 10 pages, including attachments. Witnesses and submitters are advised that the Committee relies on electronic submissions for printing the official hearing record.
   
   
2. Copies of whole documents submitted as exhibit material will not be accepted for printing.  Instead, exhibit material should be referenced and quoted or paraphrased. All exhibit material not meeting these specifications will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.
   
   
3. All submissions must include a list of all clients, persons, and/or organizations on whose behalf the witness appears. A supplemental sheet must accompany each submission listing the name, company, address, telephone and fax numbers of each witness.