House Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee Approves Spending Bill
Perkins Implementation Efforts Continue
Higher Education Act Reauthorization Moving Forward
House Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee Approves Spending Bill
On June 7, 2007, the House Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education Appropriations Subcommittee “marked-up” its FY 2008 appropriations bill, proposing funding levels for health, education and workforce programs. The bill would provide a total of $151.5 billion for discretionary programs under its jurisdiction, almost 5 percent more than in FY 2007.
The Subcommittee’s proposal would provide approximately $61.7 billion for education programs, an increase of $4.2 billion over the FY 2007 enacted level. While the Perkins Basic State Grant and Tech Prep programs were level funded in the Subcommittee’s bill, and Perkins National Programs’ funding was cut slightly, larger education programs including No Child Left Behind and IDEA received increases. The maximum Pell grant was increased by $390 to $4,700 per student. The Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program also received an increase, raising the program total to $61.5 million, and finally reaching an amount that triggers a provision allowing funds to go to high school counseling programs.
Department of Labor programs overall would receive a slight increase under the bill, but the adult, youth, and dislocated worker programs of the Workforce Investment Act, as well as Community-Based Job Training Grants, would be level funded. Click here for a chart showing detailed funding levels for programs of interest to CTE.
The full House Appropriations Committee is expected to vote on the bill on June 14, and there is still some opportunity for changes to program-level funding. ACTE is working to secure an increase in Perkins funding, and has issued an action alert detailing messages that should be delivered to Members of Congress.
For more information and the latest updates on the federal budget and appropriations process, visit ACTE’s Web site at http://www.acteonline.org/policy/legislative_issues/funding.cfm.
Perkins Implementation Efforts Continue
All states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico submitted their one-year transition plans in May to cover the first year of Perkins implementation. The federal Office of Vocational and Adult Education is now reviewing those plans and holding final conversations with States on their Perkins IV student definitions and measurement approaches and final negotiations on their Final Agreed Upon Performance Levels (FAUPL). Final approval of state transition plans is expected by June 22 so that grant awards with the first installment of new Perkins funds for federal FY 2007 may be issued on schedule on July 2.
The Office of Vocational and Adult Education has also released additional guidance to help states and local programs implement the changes in the new Perkins Act. The second part of a series of questions and answers on the implementation of the law was issued on June 6. The “Q and A” provides non-regulatory guidance covering issues such as accountability, incentives and sanctions, and occupational and employment information programs.
In related news, following the change in terminology from “vocational” to “career and technical” in the new Perkins Act, Congress is taking steps to change the name of the federal office overseeing Perkins programs. A bill, S. 33, passed the Senate on May 22 to change the name of the Office of Vocational and Adult Education to the “Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education.” A companion bill, H.R.2430, has been introduced in the House by Rep. Michael Castle (R-DE), one of the leading authors of last year’s Perkins reauthorization legislation. The House bill has not yet been scheduled for a vote, but is not expected to be controversial.
For more information and the latest updates on Perkins implementation, visit ACTE’s Web site at http://www.acteonline.org/policy/legislative_issues/Perkins.cfm.
Higher Education Act Reauthorization Moving Forward
In both the House and Senate, progress is being made toward a full reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. The Senate is tentatively scheduled to mark up legislation to reauthorize the Act on June 20, and the House will consider portions of the bill related to student loans on June 13.
As both the House and Senate continue to move slowly toward a comprehensive reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA), the House has once again passed an extension to ensure that funds for student loans and other “mandatory spending” portions of the bill continue to be available after the current June 30, 2007 expiration. H.R. 2559, the First Higher Education Extension Act of 2007, was passed by voice vote in the House on June 6, and the Senate is expected to follow soon. This legislation extends the Higher Education Act for four months, until October 31, 2007, and allows Congress additional time to consider reauthorization legislation.
The House Ways and Means Committee has also gotten involved in higher education issues, with a bill that would simplify the tax code by consolidating the three existing higher education tax breaks into one $3,000 per-student tax credit. The three existing tax breaks that would be consolidated include the Hope Credit, worth up to $1,650 per student for the first two years of college; the Lifelong Learning Credit, worth up to $2,000 for any stage of postsecondary education or job skills training; and the tuition tax deduction worth up to $1,000 per student. The Universal Higher Education and Lifelong Learning Act of 2007, H.R. 2458, was introduced by Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) and Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI) on May 23, and enjoys bi-partisan support. The bill would raise the income ceiling that determines eligibility, make the credit refundable, and would be of particular benefit to many community college students by allowing the costs of college attendance beyond tuition and fees, such as books, transportation, supplies, and room and board, to be included in the credit.
For more information and the latest updates on HEA reauthorization, visit ACTE’s Web site at http://www.acteonline.org/policy/legislative_issues/HEA.cfm.
