ACTE Legislative Alert: Action Needed NOW to Build Support for the Specter/Harkin Amendment!

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March 14, 2006

What? Additional information has become available since yesterday’s Legislative Alert regarding the Senate debate over the FY 2007 budget resolution. Senators Specter (R-PA) and Harkin (D-IA) have confirmed their intention to offer an amendment to the Senate budget resolution. The Specter/Harkin Amendment would increase the overall spending cap for education, employment and training, and social services by $7 billion – enough to restore overall funding levels for these government functions (including Perkins) to FY 2005 levels.

When? The amendment could be considered as early as today, Tuesday, March 14, or tomorrow, March 15.

Why? The Specter/Harkin Amendment is critical because, if passed, appropriators would have an additional $7 billion in the budget to support education, employment and training, and social services programs. If the amendment does not pass, appropriators will be left with no choice but to make deep cuts to many key programs – including Perkins programs.

Action Needed NOW! Please call your Senators to urge them to:

Support the Specter/Harkin Amendment to the FY 2007 budget resolution that would increase overall funding for education, training, employment and social services by $7 billion.
Oppose any budget resolution that will force harmful cuts to education.

Who? Republican Senators need to hear a loud voice of support for the Specter/Harkin Amendment. In particular, moderate Republican Senators and Republican Senators who are seeking re-election this year (see list below) are the key to this critical vote. If your Senator is listed below, please be sure to call him or her immediately to urge support for the amendment.

Norm Coleman (R-MN), Mike DeWine (R-OH), Lincoln Chafee (R-RI), Susan Collins (R-ME), Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME), Gordon H. Smith (R-OR), Conrad Burns (R-MT), Rick Santorum (R-PA), George F. Allen (R-VA), John Ensign (R-NV), Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Jon Kyl (R-AZ), Trent Lott (R-MS), Richard G. Lugar (R-IN), Jim Talent (R-MO), and Craig Thomas (R-WY).

How? To reach your Senators today and tomorrow, dial (800) 459-1887. This toll-free number is sponsored by the Coalition on Human Needs as part of its national budget call-in days.

Additional Background: The budget resolution sets the total dollars to be available for all the services funded by the federal government. While the budget resolution does not make decisions about individual programs, if the total is set too low, the budget resolution will force appropriators to cut programs in order to meet the amount budgeted under the budget resolution.

While the bill that was passed by the Senate Budget Committee last week assumes $1.5 billion more for the Department of Education over what the President requested, the overall amount proposed for education and employment and training (Function 500) in FY 2007 is actually $3.8 billion less than in FY 2006.