Federal Legislative Update
September 2006

September 22, 2006

September 22, 2006

News from Capitol Hill...

Help Restore School, Health Care Funding

In a display of bipartisan unity in support of public schools and health care, a Republican and a Democratic senator are circulating a letter to their Senate colleagues asking that $2 billion be restored to education and health care programs. But in order for the funds to be included in the 2007 health and education budget, we need to get as many senators as possible to sign on to the letter. With your help, we can ensure children, schools and poor and working-class families get the assistance they need.

"Millions of needy American families and students rely on the vital services" administered by the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services, points out the letter from Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA), adding, "At a time when the demand for job training and education is critical to maintain America's competitiveness, and when the cost of health care and access to quality care are major issues for many Americans, we simply cannot afford to cut funding for health care and education."

Ensuring all our children receive a quality education, as schools struggle with growing enrollments, increasing numbers of children with special needs, and costly federal requirements under No Child Left Behind, should be a top priority for our nation. Now is not the time to take away the tools and resources teachers and other school employees need to do their jobs.

Contact Your Senators Today

Act TODAY and contact your senators.  Ask them to sign on to the Harkin/Specter letter and join the effort to restore $2 billion to the Labor-Health and Human Services-Education appropriations bill.