Senate Approves FY 2008 Education Appropriations Bill
House Republicans Introduce WIA and HEA Legislation
States Move Forward on Perkins Implementation
NCLB Legislation Close to Introduction
Senate Approves FY 2008 Education Appropriations Bill
On October 23, the Senate passed its FY 2008 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill. The bill was approved by a 75-19 vote. The Senate’s bill provides a total of $149.9 billion in discretionary spending, including $60.1 billion for education, an increase of $4.1 billion over the President’s request. During the debate, several potentially harmful amendments, such as one that would cut funding for all programs rated “ineffective” by the PART rating tool and another that would have forced large cuts in the entire bill, were defeated.
The Senate-passed bill provides level funding for the Perkins Basic State Grant and Tech Prep programs. While Senators Smith (R-OR) and Casey (D-PA) had offered an amendment to increase Perkins funding by $25 million to match House-passed levels, it was not considered during the debate. Instead, Sen. Harkin, the bill’s sponsor, stated that he hoped to increase funding for Perkins during the conference with the House.
Currently, the House has passed all 12 of its appropriations bills, but the Senate has only approved seven. While it has been reported that conference discussions to work out the differences on some of the bills have begun informally, no official conference committees have met. Since Congress was unable to complete work on a single appropriations bill before the beginning of the new fiscal year (FY) on October 1, a continuing resolution (CR) was passed to extend current program funding levels and keep the federal government operating. The CR lasts through November 16, 2007, and continues funding for programs at FY 2007 levels. Appropriations bills must be passed by this date or a new CR will have to be considered. With the threat of potential Presidential vetoes on almost every one of the bills, House and Senate leaders are carefully considering strategy as the process moves forward.
The Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill will reportedly be the first to go through the conference process. However, on October 17, the White House released a Statement of Administration Policy on the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill, saying it “strongly opposes S. 1710 because, in combination with other FY08 Appropriations bills, it includes irresponsible and excessive levels of spending and includes other objectionable provisions.” In reality, most education programs have been level funded for a number of years, and this bill provides only a modest 4.3 percent increase for education overall. As grassroots advocacy will be critical as the bill moves forward, ACTE will keep you posted on the appropriate time to act and the messages to convey to policymakers.
For the latest information on the budget and appropriations process, visit ACTE’s Web site at http://www.acteonline.org/policy/legislative_issues/funding.cfm.
House Republicans Introduce WIA and HEA Legislation
On October 4, Republican leaders of the House Education and Labor Committee introduced two separate bills. The first one, H.R. 3746, is titled the "College Access and Opportunity Act," and is designed as a comprehensive Higher Education Act (HEA) reauthorization bill. A summary of the College Access and Opportunity Act of 2007 can be found on the Committee’s Web site.
The second, H.R. 3747, is titled the "Workforce Investment Improvement Act," and would reauthorize the long overdue Workforce Investment Act (WIA). This bill is similar to legislation to reauthorize WIA introduced in the previous Congress, and a summary of it is also available on the Committee’s Web site.
While these bills will not likely be the starting point for Committee activity, they provide insight into the upcoming reauthorization discussions and clearly present Republican views on the respective programs. The Senate has already passed a full HEA reauthorization bill, S. 1642, and is awaiting House action. In the meantime, a temporary extension of HEA has been approved by the House, lasting until April 30, 2008, and is likely to be approved by the Senate soon.
Neither chamber has begun serious discussions on the Workforce Investment Act, and it is growing increasingly unlikely that work with be completed on either bill this year.
For the latest information on the reauthorizations of the Workforce Investment Act and the Higher Education Act, visit ACTE’s Web site at http://www.acteonline.org/policy/legislative_issues/WIA.cfm and http://www.acteonline.org/policy/legislative_issues/HEA.cfm.
States Move Forward on Perkins Implementation
As states work to implement transition plans approved by the Department of Education for the first year of the new Perkins law, work continues toward full five-year plans. The Department of Education has announced that complete state plans will be due on April 1, 2008. Requirements for state plans are outlined in the State Plan Guide released on March 12, 2007.
Before submitting state plans for approval, each state must hold public hearings to solicit feedback and input from a broad group of stakeholders. These public hearings will be held in a variety of formats, both electronic and face-to-face, throughout the fall and spring. It is critical for career and technical educators to take advantage of the opportunity to provide input and help shape each state’s priorities under the new Perkins law.
For more information and the latest updates on the Perkins implementation process, visit ACTE's Web site at http://www.acteonline.org/policy/legislative_issues/Perkins.cfm.
NCLB Legislation Close to Introduction
Both the House and Senate continue to work steadily on the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. After soliciting comments from a wide range of stakeholders in early September, House Education and Labor Committee staff have been attempting to incorporate the feedback received into draft legislation. Reportedly, committee leaders are close to introducing a formal bill that will begin the official legislative process.
In the Senate, the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee circulated a partial bi-partisan draft the week of October 15. Leaders of this committee also hope to introduce formal legislation soon, and both chambers continue to express optimism that a bill will be completed this year. However, as time passes, the prospects of a full reauthorization before the end of the year continue to decline. ACTE continues to review draft legislation and submit comments, and will keep you updated on new activity.
For the latest updates on the reauthorization of NCLB, visit ACTE's Web site at http://www.acteonline.org/policy/legislative_issues/NCLB.cfm.
