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The 109th Congress officially convened on January
4. However, the real legislative activity will begin after the presidential
inauguration and the release of the President's budget proposal.
This legislative update highlights two important issues - high
school reform and the budget outlook for this year and into the
future.
High School Reform:
On January 12, President Bush made a key policy speech at a high
school in Falls Church, VA, in which he outlined the Administration's
high school reform initiatives. These proposals are geared toward
ensuring that every high school student graduates with the skills
needed to succeed in higher education and in the workplace.
Here are some of the President's plans:
- High School Intervention and State Assessments: This program
would provide $1.5 billion in Fiscal Year 2006 (FY06 = School
Year 2006-07). $1.2 billion would be used for high school interventions,
such as reading help for struggling high school students and an
early intervention program that would help incoming ninth-grade
students at risk of falling behind. Under the early intervention
program, high school teachers would analyze eighth-grade test
data and design a program, in consultation with parents, to help
students catch up. The program would be flexible and tailored
to the needs of the individual student.
- $250 million would be used to develop state assessments, extending
math and reading assessment requirements under No Child Left Behind
- currently in grades 3-8 and one year in high school - to grades
9-11.
- Striving Readers: To combat reading deficiencies among middle
and high school students, the President will request that Congress
expand the Striving Readers initiative, first funded at $25 million
in FY05, to $200 million. These funds would go to help more than
one hundred school districts "train teachers in research-based
methods so they can provide effective interventions for middle
and high school students struggling in reading."
- Mathematics and Science Partnership: To improve the mathematics
achievement of secondary school students, Bush would provide $120
million for school districts to implement research-based professional
development programs that help math teachers strengthen their
teaching skills.
The Budget Outlook:
Fiscal Year 2006 (FY06) may begin one of the toughest budget cycles
in recent memory. With rising federal deficits, large tax cuts initiated
in 2001, military actions, and the impending retirement of the Baby
Boomers, the country is facing an extremely difficult fiscal situation.
The President proposes to cut the deficit in half over the next
five years and to make the recent tax cuts permanent, without raising
revenues. To achieve these goals, Congress will have some serious
choices to make.
Two of the legislative avenues that could be used to reach the
President's goals include:
- Cut entitlement programs through the "Reconciliation"
process. In this process, congressional committees for oversight
of entitlement programs are directed to make cuts in these programs.
While most people think of entitlements as Social Security, Medicare,
and Medicaid, there are many other entitlements, such as child
nutrition (including school breakfast/lunch programs), state children's
health insurance, veterans' benefits, family support, and student
loans.
- Cuts in discretionary programs. Discretionary domestic programs
are everything that is not an entitlement, including education,
health, social services, environment, justice, and homeland security
and defense. It is unlikely that homeland security and defense
would be touched. However, there is already a great deal of discussion
about a multi-year freeze at current funding levels of all other
discretionary domestic programs.
The first step in the budget process is the release of the President's
budget proposal on February 7. Next, Congress passes a Budget Resolution,
a document that includes Congress's spending priorities and the
total dollar amount available for domestic discretionary programs.
The Budget Resolution is also where Congress may direct the various
committees to cut entitlements. Once this process is completed,
the appropriations committees, based on the Budget Resolution, direct
specific spending amounts to the various federally-funded programs.
We'll be monitoring every step of the budget and appropriations
processes and will be talking to legislators about the importance
of the programs on our legislative agenda and the children and families
that benefit from them.
Stay tuned for the next legislative update. |
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