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October 26, 2007
Good news, bad news on Congressional front
While Congress moved forward this week on two bills of importance to public schools and students, the expectation remains that President Bush will veto both measures. On Tuesday night, the Senate overwhelmingly passed its version of the Labor-Health and Human Services-Education Appropriations bill that includes more than a $1 billion increase for Title I and $450 million more for IDEA (special education). The House-passed bill (H.R. 3043) includes larger funding increases for education, and differences will need to be reconciled in conference committee before heading to the president's desk.
Although the Senate cleared the measure 75 - 19, it looks doubtful at this point that the House will reach the two-thirds majority needed to override the expected veto. Follow the process and take action in supporting your local schools by visiting NSBA's Advocacy web site.
On Thursday, the House passed a new version of the SCHIP bill (State Children's Health Insurance Program) that President Bush previously vetoed. Of special interest to school boards and taxpayers is that the bill would extend to January 1, 2010, a moratorium preventing the administration from taking any action on a newly proposed rule that restricts school districts’ ability to seek federal reimbursement for Medicaid services to eligible children. As with the approps bill, the vote is still short of what will be needed to override another potential veto. Learn more on why this reimbursement is so crucial to schools on NSBA's Advocacy web site.
Posted October 26, 2007 2:55 PM |
Advocacy & Legislation
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