[Dec-advocacy] news update

[Sarah Hadden]

Welcome to the DEC Advocacy List. The Division for Early Childhood 
(DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children is a non-profit 
membership organization advocating for individuals who work with or on 
behalf of children with special needs, birth through age eight, and 
their families. For more information about DEC, please contact the DEC 
Office at: The Division for Early Childhood, 27 Fort Missoula Road, 
Suite 2, Missoula, MT 59804. Phone: 406-543-0872, Fax: 406-543-0887, 
e-mail: dec at dec-sped.org. If you would like to either join or be 
removed from the DEC Advocacy List, email Sarah Hadden at 
dsh5gn at virginia.edu. Additional information about governmental 
relations activities can be obtained by visiting the DEC website: 
http://www.dec-sped.org/


Sarah Hadden
DEC Governmental Relations Committee

6/21/06


Good afternoon. I have updates related to education funding. Last week 
(6/13) the House Appropriations Committee voted to cut funding for 
education programs by $400 million. IDEA grants did receive an increase 
of $150 million. However, this increase fails to cover the increasing 
costs of educating students with disabilities. If this appropriations 
bill were to be signed into law, the federal share of educating 
students with disabilities would decrease from the current 17.8% to 
17%. While the bill provides an overall increase for IDEA, funding 
levels for Section 619 and Part C remain the same as they were in FY 
06. In addition, this bill eliminates funding for the Javits Program 
for Students with Gifts and Talents, while cutting funding for Even 
Start.  I am attaching a copy of the  proposed funding levels in the 
House FY 2007 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Bill for anyone 
wanting more detail.   

The full House was originally scheduled to consider the FY 2007 
Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill prior to the August recess. 
However, current thinking is that it will probably not come to the 
floor until the fall. CEC  members are once again urged to contact 
their representatives to advocate for increased education funding. As 
always, you can do this though the CEC’s Legislative Action Center: 
http://capwiz.com/cek/home/

Sarah Hadden
DEC Governmental Relations Committee

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