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Posts Tagged ‘appropriations’

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Senate Appropriations Subcommittee Marks Up Education Bill

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

On Tuesday the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education held a markup of and approved by voice vote their FY 2011 appropriations bill. While the text of the bill is not available, the subcommittee did release a summary of what’s included in the bill. There is no mention of Perkins funding in the summary, but we have heard from the Committee for Education Funding that Perkins was flat funded in the Subcommittee’s bill. We have also learned that the President’s proposed consolidation of Tech Prep was not in this bill, or the House Appropriations Subcommittee’s bill that they marked up earlier this month.

Some highlights of this bill:

The bill now moves to the full Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday, but Sen. Tom Harkin (IA), chair of the subcommittee, has indicated that the bill will not go to the floor for a vote before December.

By admin in Legislation
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Legislative Update: FY11 Appropriations

Friday, July 16th, 2010

Yesterday the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education held a markup of the $176.4 billion FY2011 appropriations bill and passed it by a party-line vote. The bill sets the total education funding level at $1.4 billion less than the Obama Administration’s request.

You can view the summary tables of appropriations for the Labor, Health and Education Departments here, but the full program funding levels will only be introduced if the bill is considered by the full appropriations committee. From what we can tell, Perkins was level funded in the House’s markup. The Workforce Investment Act state grants were increased for the first time in more than a decade, which will allow for training an additional 85,000 workers. Funding for summer youth employment opportunities was also increased by $250 million, which will provide employment for approximately 100,000 young adults, enabling them to gain valuable skills and workplace experience.

By admin in Legislation
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Legislative Update: Education Jobs Fund, FY11 Appropriations, School Counselors Bill

Friday, July 9th, 2010

Education Jobs Bill Uncertain in the Senate

While the House voted last week to pass the Education Jobs Fund, it remains unclear what will happen in the Senate. Last Friday, a group of 13 Democratic Senators, led by Sen. Evan Bayh (IN), sent a letter to Senate Appropriations Chairman Daniel Inouye (HI) opposing the $800 million education offsets in the House bill, while expressing support for the education jobs fund.

FY11 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Markup

House Appropriation subcommittees have begun hearings to markup FY11 appropriations bills, with six bills already marked up. We have heard that the House Labor-HHS-Education subcommittee will markup their FY11 bill next week, possibly on Friday, July 16th. Now that the House passed the Budget Enforcement Resolution, the full House Appropriations Committee can formally make its 302(b) allocations, which set the amounts that each subcommittee has to work with as they set spending limits for programs they have jurisdiction over.

Put School Counselors Where They’re Needed Act

Rep. Linda Sanchez (CA) recently introduced H.R. 5671 the Put School Counselors Where They’re Needed Act. This bill seeks to create a demonstration project in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) that would fund additional secondary school counselors in troubled Title I schools in an effort to reduce the dropout rate. While the bill does not specify CTE, it does allow for counseling services such as individual graduation plans, something NASDCTEc supports in our ESEA recommendations.

By admin in Legislation
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Legislative Update: Education Jobs Fund, America WORKS, Technical School Training Bill

Friday, July 2nd, 2010

Education Jobs Fund Passes House, But President Threatens Veto

As predicted earlier this week, the House voted on the Supplemental Appropriations Act. During the vote, the House passed amendment by Rep. Dave Obey (WI) which included $10 billion for education jobs and $4.95 billion for Pell grants by a vote of 239-182. However, White House has issued a Statement of Administration Policy which states that “If the final bill presented to the President includes cuts to education reforms, the President’s senior advisors would recommend a veto.”

The bill now returns to the Senate where it will be subject to any further amendments by the Senate or by concurrence with the House amendments. If the Senate further amends the bill, it will return to the House. It is unclear when the Senate will take up the bill because Congress is in recess next week.

America WORKS Act

Last week, Sen. Kay Hagan (NC) introduced S. 3529, the America WORKS Act which would require Federal job training and career education programs to give priority to programs that provide an industry-recognized and nationally portable credential. This bill would have implications for postsecondary Perkins indicators, and we are working with Sen. Hagan’s staff on getting this language amended. We will keep you updated on our progress.

Technical School Training Bill

On June 24, Rep. John Barrow (GA) introduced H.R. 5594, a bill that would amend the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) to establish a technical school training subsidy program. This program would go a long way in ensuring that Workforce Investment Act funds would be used to provide career technical education and training services so that individuals are prepared for lifelong careers. This bill aligns to our recommendations for WIA reauthorization which call for greater access to high-quality training.

By admin in Legislation
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Legislative Update: Education Jobs Fund

Friday, May 28th, 2010

Education Jobs Fund Press Conference

On Wednesday the National Education Association (NEA) held a press conference addressing the $23 billion education jobs fund featuring NEA President Dennis Van Roekel, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Reps. Dave Obey (D-WI) and George Miller (D-CA), and American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten.

“The Recovery Bill last year saved over 300,000 education jobs, but, because states have not yet recovered, and local economies are just beginning the recovery process, we still have a shortage of the financial resources necessary to keep teachers, firemen and policemen on the job for another year while state budgets catch up,” said Rep. Obey, chair of the House Appropriations Committee. “On that score, we have two choices—we can sit, frozen in our own indifference, as President Roosevelt once said, or we can take action to save those jobs.  That’s what we’re going to try to do.”

House Markup of Supplemental Postponed

The House Appropriation Committee’s markup of the emergency supplemental that was to include the $23 billion education jobs fund that was scheduled for Thursday has been postponed and will not happen until after the Memorial Day recess. In the meantime, the Committee released an official summary of the bill.

State-By-State Estimates of Jobs Saved or Created by Education Jobs Fund

Earlier this week the White House released state-by-state estimates of the number of jobs that will be saved or created through the $23 billion education jobs fund. Based on these estimates you can see how the funding will help your state, and since the House markup was postponed, there is still time to contact your Representative to voice your support of saving educators’ jobs!

By admin in Legislation
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Legislative Update: Education Jobs Fund, America COMPETES Act

Friday, May 21st, 2010

Education Jobs Fund

We have been updating you over the last several weeks about the status of the Education Jobs Fund in both the House and the Senate.  To recap, both chambers are proposing a $23 billion jobs fund to protect teachers’ jobs, programs and essential services.  The House Appropriations Committee plans to markup the House version of the emergency supplemental appropriations bill soon.  It is Chairman Obey’s preference that this bill include the $23 billion education jobs fund.  However, he will only put the $23 billion in the supplemental bill if he believes there is sufficient support to pass it on the House floor. In the Senate, Sen. Tom Harkin, chairman of the Labor, HHS, and Education subcommittee plans to introduce the education jobs fund as an amendment on the floor during their vote on the emergency supplemental appropriations.

Earlier this week we sent out an action alert urging you to contact your Representatives and asking them to support the inclusion of the education jobs fund in the House emergency supplemental appropriations bill. We had originally heard that the bill would be marked up after the Memorial Day recess, but the latest word is that the markup is scheduled for next Thursday, May 27th. Please call your member of Congress today!

America COMPETES Act

Two weeks ago we told you that the House intended to consider the America COMPETES Act before the Memorial Day recess. The AP is now reporting that Republicans have “united to derail” the reauthorization of the bill. The bill was brought up for a vote under the House’s suspension process, which limits floor debate, prohibits all floor amendments, and requires a two-thirds vote for final passage, however the bill failed by a vote of 261-148.

Rep. Ralph Hall of Texas, ranking Republican member of the House Science and Technology Committee said the bill “continues to take us in a much more costly direction and authorizes a number of new programs which have little to do with prioritizing investments” in science and technology.

By admin in Legislation
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Legislative Update: Appropriations, Education Jobs Bill

Friday, May 14th, 2010

House May Cut Education, Health and Labor Funding by $3.5 Billion

Rep. David Obey (WI), chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said in a hearing on Wednesday that $3.5 billion would be cut from President Barack Obama’s budget request for education, health and labor programs. Obey stated that the need to cut the deficit is being promoted by members from both sides of the aisle and that while many of the requests for additional health, education and labor funding should be funded on their merits, that would not be possible given the political climate.

Administration Lends Support to Education Jobs Bill

Yesterday, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan sent a letter to congressional leadership supporting Sen. Harkin’s education jobs bill aimed at helping states and school districts save jobs during the next school year. The Secretary is urging Congress to include $23 billion in supplemental appropriations to preserve education jobs.

Melody Barnes, director of the President’s Domestic Policy Council, also posted a statement on WhiteHouse.gov that calls on Congress to include the education jobs funding in the supplemental appropriations bills. She says, “Our teachers are vital to our nation’s success and if we don’t act now and act boldly, we will not only endanger the future of tens of millions of students but threaten to undermine the recovery of our economy.”

By admin in Legislation
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Chairman Obey Will Not Seek Re-election

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

Rep. ObeyChairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Dave Obey, will not seek re-election in Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District this November. As chair of the appropriations committee Obey oversees more than $1 trillion in annual federal spending. “There is a time to stay and a time to go. And this is my time to go,” Obey said at a press conference on Capitol Hill today.

Obey has held his congressional seat since April 1969, when he replaced Melvin Laird, who stepped down to become President Richard Nixon’s defense secretary.

Obey is the 17th Democrat to announce that they will leave at the end of this session of Congress. He is the highest-ranking House Democrat to retire and is the chamber’s third-longest-serving Democrat. Twenty Republicans are also leaving their positions to retire or run for higher office.

By admin in Legislation
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House Passes Omnibus Appropriations Bill

Thursday, December 10th, 2009

On December 10 the United States House of Representatives passed an omnibus appropriations bill that includes funding for six appropriations bills that have not yet been passed by Congress for FY 2010.  This includes funding for the bill that funds the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education.  As expected, all programs funded under the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act were flat funded in this bill.  

Because the Federal Fiscal Year began on October 1, these programs have been funded under a continuing resolution (CR) since that date.  Because this CR expires on December 18 it is expected that the Senate will take action on this bill within the week so that it can be sent quickly to the President for his signature. 

The process for developing the FY 2011 Federal budget is underway.  President Obama will announce his budget recommendations in early February.

By admin in Legislation, Public Policy
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Another Continuing Resolution on Federal Appropriations

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009

Stop me if you have heard this one before.  Last week Congress passed a Continuing Resolution to fund programs for the Department of Education as well as other federal agencies whose Fiscal Year 2010 funding bills have yet to be approved by Congress and signed by the President. 

The most recent resolution was approved on October 29 and provides stopgap funding for the government at FY 2009 levels until December 18, 2009.  This means two things: 1) the government will continue to function without fear of a shut down, and 2) speculation that Congress might stay in session until near Christmas to finish appropriations bills, health care reform and other priorities seems more and more likely.

The House of Representatives passed their Labor HHS Education Appriopriations bill on July 24. It includes flat funding for all programs authorized under the Perkins Act.   The Senate has not yet voted on their version of the bill.  It has only gotten as far as approval by the Senate Appropriations Committee on July 30.  That bill also includes flat funding for Perkins, so it is almost certain that we will see no increase in Perkins funding for FY 10. 

 

 

 

 

By admin in Legislation, Public Policy
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