For too long, Congress has failed to live up to its commitment to fund 40 percent of the cost of educating students with disabilities. In fact, the federal government currently funds only 17.2 percent of special education costs, forcing many schools to cut other programs in order to provide required special education services. Schools and the students they serve cannot afford to wait any longer for the relief they so desperately need.
Bipartisan legislation (H.R. 821/S. 1159) has been introduced in both the House and Senate to put special education on the path to full funding by the year 2015. Urge Members of Congress to add their names as cosponsors on this important legislation.
Representatives Barney Frank (D-MA), Deborah Pryce (R-OH), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Christopher Shays (R-CT) have reintroduced the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA — H.R. 2015. This important legislation would prohibit employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. Every year, qualified hard-working Americans are denied job opportunities while countless others live in fear of losing their jobs. ENDA will help ensure that individuals are judged in the workplace by their ability to perform the required job rather than by prejudice and discrimination.
Contact Your Representatives in Congress Today
Urge your Representative to cosponsor H.R. 2015.
4/20/07
News from Capitol Hill...
First Presidential Debate to Be Held Next Week: Watch What the Candidates Say about Education!
The first presidential debate for eithe r party in the 2008 cycle will be held on Thursday, April 26 at South Carolina State University. All eight announced Democratic presidential candidates will participate in the debate. The debate will take place from 7:00-8:30pm EDT and will be shown live on MSNBC News as well as on MSNBC.com and South Carolina's NBC affiliates.
A recent poll shows that voters rank education as a top priority in the presidential election. Watch the debate to see if and how the candidates say they will fulfill every child's basic right to a great public school!
Senate Fails to Address Spiraling Prescription Drug Costs
This week the Senate failed to move forward on legislation (S.3) to allow the federal government to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies for lower Medicare prescription drug prices. The 55-42 vote (60 votes were required) meant that the Senate could not close debate and move the NEA-supported bill forward for a vote—a disappointing setback for legislation already adopted by the House of Representatives. See how your Senators voted on this important issue (a "yes" vote supported the NEA position).
The fight is not over! Keep the pressure on the Senate to pass this important bill.
CONTACT YOUR SENATOR TODAY
Urge your Senator to support allowing the federal government to negotiate prescription drug prices.
Social Security Offsets: Support for Repeal Continues to Grow!
The House version of the Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 82), which would repeal the Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision, has jumped to 290 bipartisan cosponsors; the Senate version (S. 206) now boasts 26 bipartisan supporters .
4/13/07
News from Capitol Hill...
Tell the Senate to Address Spiraling Prescription Drug Costs
Millions of seniors, many of them retired educators and education support professionals living on fixed incomes, face escalating medication costs. Too often, they must pay for medication at the expense of food or other necessities. This is, in part, due to the inability of the federal government to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies, leaving individual Medicare beneficiaries with no leverage to bargain discount drug prices.
The House of Representatives has already passed legislation to give the Department of Health and Human Services the authority to negotiate with drug companies. This will allow the Medicare program to take advantage of the market power of 40 million beneficiaries and will allow seniors and individuals with disabilities to purchase essential prescription medications at a fair price. The Senate will begin looking at similar legislation (S.3) next week.
Contact Your Senator Today
Urge your Senator to support allowing the federal government to negotiate prescription drug prices.
Social Security Offsets: Support for Repeal Continues to Grow!
The House version of the Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 82), which would repeal the Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision, has jumped to 277 bipartisan cosponsors; the Senate version (S. 206) now boasts 25 bipartisan supporters. The rapid rise in support is a direct result of your continued e-mails.
Printer friendly
E-mail
Subscribe
