 |
LEGISLATION
FEDERAL AGENCIES
IN THE STATES
LEGISLATION
109TH CONGRESS IS HISTORY
On December 5, the 109th Congress finally adjourned without passing
9 of the 11 Appropriation bills to fund the government for Fiscal
Year 2007. Instead, a C.R. (Continuing Resolution) was passed
to fund government agencies at the 2006 levels until February
15, 2007. Although little or no action on legislation of concern
to the disability community was taken, Congress did pass and
the President signed into law the "Combating Autism Act
of 2006" (S 843) which authorizes $945 million over five
years for autism research, early detection, and intervention.
Congress also extended for one year the Mental Health Parity
Act of 1996, which calls for the end of discrimination against
those who suffer from mental or substance abuse disorders. Other
legislation of interest, including the reauthorizations of the
Workforce Investment Act, the Higher Education Act, and Head
Start; the Americans with Disabilities Restoration Act; and bills
amending No Child Left Behind must be reintroduced in the 110th
Congress.
110th CONGRESS IS TO BE SWORN IN ON JANUARY 4, 2007.
* The President's State of the Union Address is scheduled for January
23.
* The in-coming Chairmen of the House and Senate Appropriations
Committees. Rep. David Obey (D-WI), and Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV)
have announced their intention to enact a year-long Continuing
Resolution, minus all earmarks.
THE HOUSE
Immediately following the swearing in ceremony on January 4, the
House leadership plans to introduce legislation to update ethics
rules, raise the minimum wage, promote stem cell research, make
college education and prescription drugs more affordable, further
implement the 9/11 Commission recommendations, and cut subsidies
to the oil industry. Not all of these proposals are expected
to pass. However, the President has indicated his willingness
to consider raising the minimum wage.
Because of the criticism that the House in the 109th Congress
met only on Tuesdays thru Thursdays, the new Democratic leadership
announced that votes in the 110th Congress will be held five days
a week. In addition, breaks will be limited to a week in February,
two weeks in April, a week in May, and a week in July. The four
week August recess is unchanged. Adjournment is scheduled for October
26.
Rep. George Miller (D-CA) will chair the Committee on Education
and the Workforce. Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (R- CA)
will serve as Ranking Member
THE SENATE
In an announcement on November 16, Sen. Ted Kennedy, incoming Chairman
of the Senate HELP (Health, Education, and Pensions Committee)
promised to continue to work in a bipartisan way with Republicans
on the Committee. Sen. Kennedy identified the Committee's priorities
as increasing the minimum wage, removing barriers to stem cell
research, reducing the cost of health care and making it available
to all Americans, enacting a higher education reauthorization
that makes college affordable, funding and reauthorizing the
No Child Left Behind Act, reauthorizing the Head Start federal
preschool program, reauthorizing the Workforce Investment Act,
and fully funding IDEA.
FEDERAL AGENCIES
EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) Administrator Stephen L.
Johnson, wrote to Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Mendez
to tell them he is revising the controversial proposal for the
Toxics Release Inventory which would have raised the threshold
for reporting releases of toxic chemicals in detail from 500
to 5,000 pounds and would allow companies to report every other
year instead of annually.
TOUGH CHOICES OR TOUGH TIMES: The Report of the New Commission
on the Skills of the American Workforce (www.skillscommission.org)
On December 14, an independent commission published a report proposing
changes to make the nation more competitive globally. The report
recommends authorizing school districts to pay companies to run
their schools, enrolling eligible students in college after the
10th grade, and paying teachers up to $100,000 annually in return
for giving up pensions and switching to 401(k) retirement plans.
The most controversial recommendation is that, depending on their
scores on standardized tests at age 16, students are divided into
two classes:
- those who would stay in high school after 10th grade, spend
the 11th and 12th grades taking advanced courses and enroll in
college as sophomores and juniors.
- those who pass exams demonstrating academic competency could
graduate from high school after the 10th grade and enroll in
trade schools or community colleges.
The report expects implementation to take 15 years.
IN THE STATES
TABOR (Taxpayers Bill of Rights) provisions
which, among other proposals, would require schools to spend at
least 65% of their money on direct services in the classroom) were
defeated Maine, Nebraska, and Oregon and suspended for 5 years
in Colorado.
STATE REGULATIONS ON IDEA
Although many advocates rely on federal law and regulations, school
administrators rely on state regulations to implement the requirements
of IDEA. Because the process for issuing regulations varies from
state to state, it is essential to work with other state groups
committed to improving the education for students with disabilities
1) to compare the current state regulations with the federal
ones, 2) to track the state's regulatory process, and 3) to provide
input on decisions which will be made. Hopefully, the state parent
training center will have information on the topic. Each state's
regulatory process should be posted on its department of education's
web site. Another useful source of information is the National
State Policy Database (NSPD) from which federal and state special
education laws and regulations can be downloaded. http://nspd.rrfcnetwork.org/search/searcher.php
LDA News from Washington is a periodic publication of The Learning
Disabilities Association of America, Inc. containing news of interest
to the volunteer and administrative leadership of National LDA
and its State and Local Affiliates written by LDA's Washington
Representative, Justine Maloney. LDA members wishing to be added
to the email list may contact LDA. |
|
