Federal Legislative Update
February 2008

February 1, 2008
February 8, 2008
February 29, 2008

February 29, 2008

News from Capitol Hill...

March Forth for Child Care and Head Start on March 4th

This Tuesday, March 4th, members of the National Women’s Law Center and more than 20 partner organizations will join a virtual march for child care and Head Start, calling on Congress to provide more support for low-income children and families.

Under the President’s proposed FY09 budget, some 200,000 low-income children and their families would lose child care assistance. Another 14,000 children would lose Head Start.

Contact your representatives in Congress this MONDAY, MARCH 4.  Tell Congress to provide more support for low-income children and families, not less as the President has proposed in his FY09 budget.  

Tell Congress: the “Academic Bill of Rights” is a Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

Later next week, a conference committee will be appointed to iron out differences between House and Senate takes on reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. The Senate bill includes an “Academic Bill of Rights,” which NEA strongly opposes. The House bill does not include this provision.

Like the wolf clad in sheep’s clothing, the so-called “Academic Bill of Rights” is NOT what it claims to be. Under the guise of protecting students from purported faculty bias, it would encourage ideologically-driven intervention in course content and teaching.  

Contact your representatives in Congress THIS WEEK.

Ask them to deliver this message to Senator Edward Kennedy and Representative George Miller, who will oversee the conference committee: Do NOT include the so-called “Academic Bill of Rights” in the Higher Education Act – it would undermine the freedom of speech central to higher education and the Constitution’s true Bill of Rights.

February 8, 2008

News from Capitol Hill...

Tell Congress:  Oppose the Bush Budget – Support a Budget That Gives Schools and Students the Resources Needed to Succeed

This week, President Bush released his Budget Request for fiscal year 2009 (which starts October 1, 2008).  The Bush budget once again falls woefully short of needed funding for our nation’s schools.  For example, the President's request: 

• Funds programs under the No Child Left Behind Act at the current, underfunded level. 
• Increases funding for Title I by only 4 percent -- not enough to keep pace with 6 percent inflation.
• Increases funding for special education by less than inflation – keeping the federal share at about 17 percent.  Congress has promised to fund 40 percent of the costs of educating students with disabilities. 
• Eliminates over 40 programs including career and technical education, Even Start, family literacy, education technology, and parent resource centers.
• Cuts funding for 16 programs, including after-school, Safe and Drug-Free, and Teacher Quality State Grants. 
• Includes three voucher programs: the $300 million Pell Grants for Kids; a new after-school voucher program that would take funding away from the current after-school grant program; and the District of Columbia voucher program, which is otherwise set to expire in September. 

NEA is urging Congress to reject the Bush Budget and instead to increase education funding to a total of at least$66 billion -- $6.85 billion more than what the President has requested (current funding and Bush request are $59.2 billion).  This increase should include:

• An increase for Title I of at least $1 billion – which would allow 387,000 low-income kids to get the additional support they need to succeed. 
• An increase in the federal share of special education costs to 20 percent – which would help one million students with disabilities get the additional support they need to succeed; and
• Restoration of funding for programs targeted for elimination and/or cuts in the president's budget request.

Take Action Now:

• Contact your representatives in Congress today and urge them to support a Congressional Budget Resolution that provides schools and students the resources necessary to succeed

February 1, 2008

News from Capitol Hill...

Tell Congress:  Oppose the President's Plans for Private School Vouchers

In his January 28 State of the Union Address, President Bush touted three separate initiatives that would divert taxpayer money to private and religious school vouchers:

• "Pell Grants for Kids" – a new $300 million national voucher program that would help students pay for private and faith-based school expenses. 
  
• DC Vouchers – the existing "DC Opportunity Scholarships" program, currently providing vouchers in the District of Columbia. The program, which has shown no evidence of positive results, is set to expire in September 2008, but the President would like to extend and expand it. 
  
• After-school vouchers – $800 million of scholarships for "21st Century Learning Opportunities." This program would convert the existing 21st Century Community Learning Centers (after-school programs) to an individual voucher program. The program currently provides grants to school districts and community-based organization to provide after-school services. 

Take Action Now!

• Contact your representatives in Congress today and urge them to oppose any efforts to divert scarce taxpayer dollars away from public schools through private school vouchers.