Speaking Out! 5/24/2010

House to Take Up Jobs/Extenders Package This Week

This week the House will take up its jobs/extenders package. The bill (HR 4213) includes several priorities for child and family advocates, such as:

• a six month extension of enhanced Medicaid payments (FMAP) to states;
• continuation of the federal Unemployment Insurance program through the end of this year;
• continuation of the COBRA health benefits subsidy for the unemployed through the end of this year;
• a 12-month extension of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Emergency Fund (TANF EF); and
• summer youth jobs funding, estimated to provide 300,000 youth jobs.

Also a number of tax credits that expired at the end of 2009 are included in the bill as well as a four year fix to Medicare physician payments. The original fix was five years, but it was lowered to four to reduce the cost of the bill.

House leaders are still building support for the bill, but the legislation may prove challenging for a number of House members, particularly Blue Dogs and freshmen and sophomore members, who are concerned about the size of the bill and its cost. While an official cost estimate has not been released by the Congressional Budget Office, the bill is likely to cost in the $200 billion range and includes approximately $56 billion in offsets.

Even if the House passes the bill, it is unclear if it would clear the Senate by the 60 votes necessary.

The timeframe for House action is before the Memorial Day recess.

Senate to Begin Debate This Week on Supplemental Appropriations Bill

Senate debate on the combined disaster-war supplemental bill is scheduled to begin today at 3 pm. The Democratic leadership hopes to pass the bill before the Memorial Day recess. Currently, the measure provides a total of $59 billion in spending for the military and other emergency spending that also includes $13.4 billion in mandatory funding.

Of particular interest is the inclusion of $23 billion to help state and local governments avoid layoffs for teachers and other education-related personnel. The measure, introduced by Senator Harkin (D-IA) last month, would prevent 300,000 jobs from being cut when stimulus funds run out. This funding will likely be offered as an amendment to the Senate measure.

The House is slated to take up the bill after the Memorial Day recess.

House Holds Hearing on Successful School Turnarounds

As part of a series of hearings related to the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the House Committee on Education and Labor held a hearing regarding successful school turnaround. On Wednesday May 19, a group of superintendents, principles, and private consultants testified before the committee, sharing their personal stories of successful turnarounds and giving the committee recommendations for changes in the ESEA. Although their experiences and positions were varied, several common themes emerged from their testimony. The group agreed upon the importance of the following principles as necessary components of successful school turnarounds:

• the importance of the use of proven research in determining school policies
• the need for frequent assessment of students to provide constant feedback on performance to teachers and administrators
• the need for continued professional development of teachers and administrators in an atmosphere of collaboration and teambuilding
• the need to give local schools and administrators the flexibility to determine their own policies and make their own decisions
• the importance of creating a positive school culture that incorporates parents, students, and teachers into a collaborative learning community

As a result of the hearing, the committee concluded that the four models for successful school turnaround outlined in the current ESEA are far too limiting. Furthermore, the act’s emphasis upon shutting down schools and firing teachers as a response to school failure has proven ineffective and extremely costly. In response to these conclusions, the committee chairman, George Miller, vowed to consider the recommendations of the panelists and attempt to incorporate their research-based models for successful school turnaround into the upcoming reauthorization of the ESEA.

House Passes Resolution Declaring September as Childhood Obesity Awareness Month

Representatives Marcia Fudge (D-OH) and Kay Granger (R-TX) introduced House Resolution 996 declaring September as National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. The bipartisan resolution is supported by 75 national organizations, including Voices for America’s Children.

With more than 1 in 3 American children at risk for being overweight or obese, this resolution will help continue shining the spotlight on the health of our children.
The House of Representatives passed the resolution on Thursday, May 20.

Rep. Fudge is also the co-chair of the recently created Congressional Task Force on Childhood Obesity.

“Why Reading by the End of the Third Grade Matters”

The Annie E. Casey Foundation this month launched a 10-year campaign to increase the reading proficiency of all students by the 3rd grade. This pledge is timely, as it follows the alarming results for student reading on the Department of Education’s “Nation’s Report Card.” Third grade is a crucial age to target, the Annie E. Casey Foundation says, because by the 4th grade children aren’t simply learning to read–they’re reading to learn. The foundation plans to work with other foundations to invest and support this initiative.

The report, “EARLY WARNING! Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters,” is available online.