[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/

5/24/06

Good morning. On May 18th, the House of Representatives passed a budget 
resolution for education,  health, and labor programs. The resolution 
provides an additional $4.1 billion above the President's proposed 
budget. However, the funding levels approved in this resolution are 
still $3 billion below previous funding levels.
Reps. Mike Castle (R-DE), Nancy Johnson (R-CT) and Dave Reichert (R-WA) 
included a non-binding amendment, which would promise an additional 
$3.1 billion to education, health and labor programs. House Republican 
leadership has pledged to provide an additional $3.1 billion by 
offsetting it from other mandatory programs.  You may recall that the 
Senate already approved its budget resolution which included the 
Specter-Harkin amendment that increased funding by $7 billion.

Congress will begin the appropriations process after they return from 
the Memorial Day recess (May 27-June 4). Members should be in their 
home districts during this break, thus it is an ideal time to contact 
your Senators and Representatives  to advocate for increased funding 
for IDEA. You can also easily send a letter from the CEC Legislative 
Action Center  (http://capwiz.com/cek/home/).

Sarah Hadden
DEC Governmental Relations Committee




 


 

  
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