Federal Legislative Update
October 2008

October 10, 2008
October 2, 2008

10/10/08

News From Capitol Hill ...

Tell Congress: Help Struggling States Protect Health Care

Although Congress has adjourned for the campaign season, the economic crisis continues. As many as 27 states are predicting deficits for this fiscal year of at least $25 billion. A growing number of states have made or are considering harmful cuts in health care, education and other vital services:

• Many school districts are being forced to raise prices for school meals due to escalating food costs.
• Rising fuel costs are forcing school districts to take drastic measures, including trimming or eliminating bus service, cutting all field trips, or shortening the school week.
• Some states have already been forced to layoff school staff. For example, Detroit has laid off 700 teachers; Los Angeles has laid off 500 administrators; and Miami-Dade County has laid off hundreds of school psychologists, maintenance workers, and custodians.
• California is short $3 billion just this month to pay teachers and fund education programs.

Although Congress has taken some steps to address the economic crisis, more is needed to help states facing severe budget deficits. One proven, effective way to help states is to provide a temporary increase in federal matching funds for Medicaid costs. Such an increase will help relieve budget pressure and stave off cuts to education and health care.

Contact your Representatives in Congress Today!
Tell Members of Congress who are back home campaigning to help states avoid deep cuts in education and health care.

You Did It! Victories for Education in the 110th Congress!!

NEA cyberlobbyists helped secure a number of victories for children and public education in the past week as part of the economic recovery bill:

• Rural Schools: Reauthorization and funding of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act.
  
• Educator Tax Relief: Extension of the deduction for instructional materials and classroom supplies, which had been set to expire at the end of the year.
  
• School Construction: Extension of the Qualified Zone Academy Bonds program, which was set to expire at the end of the year. This program will help meet the pressing need for modernization-renovating, repairing, and installing 21st century technology in schools in urban and rural communities.
  
• Child Tax Credit: Expansion of the Child Tax Credit, increasing eligibility for many working families.
  
• Mental Health Parity: Providing parity in coverage for mental health services to ensure treatment for mental as well as physical conditions that impair the ability to learn and succeed in school.

You also helped NEA secure many victories for children and public education throughout the 110th Congress (2007-2008), including:

• Education Funding: The Fiscal Year 2008 (October 1 2007-September 30-2008), "omnibus" funding bill included $3 billion more for education programs than requested by the President.
  
• Head Start -Increased funding for Head Start, provided support for professional development, and retained civil rights protections for Head Start employees.
  
• Higher Education Act Reauthorization: Raised the Pell Grant maximum award; created a fellowship program to help minorities and women enter the professoriate; and authorized scholarships, support programs, and counseling for community college students.
  
• College Affordability: Reduced interest rates on subsidized student loans, shaving some $4,400 off the average individual student's debt load; created new tuition assistance grants for qualified undergraduates who commit to teaching in public schools in high-poverty communities or high-need subject areas; and allowed eligible schools to improve and expand services for low-income Asian American and Pacific Islander students.
  
• Internet Safety: Required schools participating in the E-Rate program to educate students about appropriate behavior on social networking and chat room sites and about cyber-bullying.
  
• Medicaid for Students with Special Needs: Delayed scheduled Medicaid reimbursement cuts for school-based, transportation, and/or rehabilitation services, allowing students with medical needs to continue receiving the school-based services they need.
  
• Nutrition: Provided $10.4 billion in new spending for nutrition programs that help 38 million American families afford healthy food.
  
• Medicare: Congress overrode the President's veto of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act. The bill will result in much improved access to affordable, high quality medical care and pharmaceutical services for Medicare beneficiaries in rural and urban areas.
  
• Minimum Wage: Minimum wage - Increased the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour.
  
• Unemployment Compensation: Extended unemployment benefits for an additional 13 weeks for people who have exhausted their benefits.
  
• Americans with Disabilities Act: Overturned four Supreme Court decisions that eroded the protections of people with disabilities under the ADA.
  

  10/02/08

  News From Capitol Hill ...

  Tell Your Representative: Vote YES on H.R. 1424

  Yesterday, the U.S. Senate passed H.R.1424, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act. Urge your representative to support this bill because it addresses issues critically important to children and public education. This bill would:

  • Extend the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act.
  • Maintain the educator tax deduction for instructional materials and classroom supplies.
  • Continue Qualified Zone Academy Bonds for school modernization.
  • Expand the Child Tax Credit.
  • Provide mental health parity.

  Contact the U.S. House of Representatives TODAY!
  Urge your elected representatives to support H.R. 1424
  

Federal Legislative Update
September 2008

September 25, 2008
September 19, 2008
September 12, 2008

09/25/08

News From Capitol Hill ...

Tell Congress: Help Main Street, Not Just Wall Street!

Congress is considering options for addressing the serious economic crisis and the collapse of Wall Street. But, while Congress focuses on bailing out financial institutions, families across the nation are losing their homes, and finding it increasingly harder to buy even basic necessities such as food and fuel. At the same time, a majority of states are facing significant budget deficits and will likely cut funding for education, health care, and other priorities.

Congress must not leave Washington, DC without passing an economic stimulus package that helps working families and gives relief to states facing fiscal crises.

Key ingredients in this package are:

• Help for families, including increasing nutrition assistance and extending unemployment benefits.
  
  
• Help for states, including a temporary increase in the federal Medicaid match, and job creation through investments in infrastructure (such as school construction).

Contact your Representatives in Congress Today!
Tell Congress to pass a stimulus package that helps working families!

09/19/08

News From Capitol Hill ...

Tell Congress: Act Now on Economic Recovery

Congress needs to take immediate action on economic recovery. Unemployment rates continue to rise, financial markets are unstable, states facing budget crises are cutting funding for essential services including education, and working families are feeling the squeeze of escalating prices for basic necessities.

Congress is scheduled to adjourn within the next few weeks. Don't let Congress leave Washington without providing fiscal relief for states, helping low-income families and the unemployed, maintaining needed public services, and boosting the economy. Congress should also pass a temporary increase in the federal matching rate for Medicaid, as well as providing additional funds for infrastructure investments such as school construction.

Contact your Representatives in Congress Today!
Tell Congress to pass an economic recovery bill now!

You can also contact your Representatives toll free by calling 1-888-245-0215.

09/12/08

News From Capitol Hill ...

National Democratic Platform Calls for Repeal of Social Security Offsets!

The 2008 Democratic National Platform includes language calling for the elimination of Social Security offsets. NEA leaders and staff served on the platform committee and were able to push the committee to include in the platform language reading,

"We will end the penalty within the current Social Security system for public service that exists in several states."

Inclusion of this language in the platform is a major victory for NEA and all those pushing to repeal these unfair offsets. Ultimate victory in reaching our goal will depend on the election of a President and Congress committed to supporting public education and protecting retirement security for public employees.

NEA also submitted comments to the Republican drafting committee that included a call for GPO/WEP repeal.

Contact your Representatives in Congress.
Tell Congress that those who have dedicated their lives to public service deserve better! Act now to repeal GPO/WEP.

Federal Legislative Update
August 2008

August 4, 2008

08/04/08

News From Capitol Hill ...

Tell the Senate: Support School Construction and Rural Education

When Congress returns from the August recess, the Senate is expected to take up an economic stimulus package that includes money to repair and modernize schools This money will not only help ensure students a safe, modern learning environment, but will create thousands of jobs in the process. The bill also includes an extension of the Secure Rural Schools program, which has expired.

Contact your Senators During the August Recess
Tell the Senate  to pass an economic stimulus bill with school construction and rural education funding.

Victories for Children and Public Education in the 110th Congress, 2nd Session

Congress begins the August recess this week, and is scheduled to return after Labor Day and the Republican Convention for an abbreviated session before adjourning for the election. With your help, NEA has achieved a number of victories for children and public education in this session:

• Higher Education: After five long years, Congress finally passed legislation to reauthorize the Higher Education Act. The final bill includes many positives for higher education, including:
  
  
  • Increasing the purchasing power of Pell Grants by raising the maximum award to $6,000 (from $4,310), followed by increases of $400 in subsequent years to reach $8,000 in academic year 2014-2015.
    
    
  • Addressing the growing crisis of affordable textbooks by balancing students' abilities to manage costs through advanced planning with respect for faculty's legitimate academic freedom concerns.
    
    
  • Creating the Patsy T. Mink Fellowship Program to help minorities and women enter the professoriate.
    
    
  • Authorizing scholarships, support programs, and counseling for community college students to help them stay in school and, when possible, enroll in a four-year school.
    
    
  • Protecting collective bargaining rights.
    
    
  • Rejecting any mention of "merit pay."

• School Modernization: The House of Representatives passed NEA-supported legislation providing 6.4 billion in federal grants to help states and local school districts repair and modernize public schools. The Senate could take up a stimulus bill in September with school modernization funding (see above).
  
  
• Tax Revenue for Education: Congress passed housing legislation without an NEA-opposed provision that would have jeopardized available local funding for schools and other important public services. Removal of this provision from the final bill was an uphill battle and a very important victory for public education.
  
  
• Medicaid for Students with Special Needs: In June, President Bush signed a bill that includes an NEA-supported delay of scheduled Medicaid reimbursement cuts for school-based, transportation, and/or rehabilitation services. This hard-fought victory allows students with medical needs to keep getting the school-based services they need.
  
  
• Medicare: The House and Senate voted to override the President's veto of the NEA-supported Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (H.R. 6331). The bill will result in much improved access to affordable, high quality medical care and pharmaceutical services for Medicare beneficiaries in rural and urban areas. In particular, the bill delays a scheduled cut in doctor fees that would have likely caused many doctors to refuse to treat Medicare patients.
  
  
• Unemployment Compensation: Congress passed and the president signed into law legislation to extend unemployment benefits for an additional 13 weeks for people who have exhausted their benefits.

Still on the Agenda: Remind Congress of these Important Priorities

Despite these victories, there is still a lot to be done to ensure great public schools for every student. Members of Congress are scheduled to be back home in August. Take this opportunity to remind your representatives of these important priorities:

Education Funding : Congress has begun work on a bill to fund education programs for fiscal year 2009, which begins October 1, 2008. NEA priorities include increases for key education programs, including Title I, IDEA funding, and Pell Grants.

Social Security Offsets : The 110th Congress held major hearings on repeal of the GPO and WEP in the House and Senate with the Senate hearing marking the first time a GPO/WEP hearing was ever held in a Senate Committee with jurisdiction over the issue. Congress needs to move the bill to repeal these unfair offsets forward for an immediate vote.

Educator Tax Relief : The $250 tax deduction for educators' out-of-pocket expenses beyond the 2008 tax year will expire again at the end of the 2008 tax year. Congress needs to extend this important tax relief.

Rural Education : Even if the Secure Rural Schools program is extended as part of a supplemental/stimulus package, the program still needs to be reauthorized so that it does not continue to expire every year.