Funding Amendment - call for sign ons to a Dear Colleague

The overall education funding for the fiscal year (FY) 07 is slated to be cut – but we are hoping for a Specter – Harkin amendment to restore funding to FY05 levels.

Contact your Senator’s Office ask him/her to sign the Specter-Harkin “Dear Colleague” letter requesting an additional $7 billion for the Labor, Health & Human Services and Education appropriations bill (the federal education funding bill). A “Dear Colleague” letter is a request by a member to other members asking for their support.

Capital Switchboard 202-225-2121 Tell them your members name, they will connect you to the office.

The following Senators have already signed the Dear Colleague letter, call and thank them for supporting additional funding for the appropriations bill.
Republicans
DeWine
Snowe
Lugar
Collins
Chafee
Smith
Coleman
Roberts
Hatch
Burns
Murkowski


Democrats
Harkin
Akaka
Baucus
Bayh
Biden
Bingaman
Boxer
Cantwell
Carper
Clinton
Dayton
Dodd
Dorgan
Durbin
Feingold
Feinstein
Inouye
Jeffords
Johnson
Kennedy
Kerry
Kohl
Landrieu
Lautenberg
Leahy
Levin
Lieberman
Lincoln
Menendez
Mikulski Murray
Nelson,
Nelson
Obama
Pryor
Reed
Rockefeller
Salazar
Sarbanes
Schumer
Stabenow
Wyden

Higher Education Act

The House will extend the Higher Education Act until June of 2007. The Higher Education Act, last fully reauthorized in 1998 (PL 105-244), governs all federal aid to students and their colleges, including student loans, Pell and other grants, and campus-based aid such as Perkins loans and work-study programs. The extension is the fifth to be considered during the 109th Congress. The current extension expires Sept. 30.

Call Washington Week

September 18 - 22, 2006

IRA is a member of the Committee for Education Funding (CEF), a group of over 100 national education groups urging members in the House and Senate to support a $7 billion increase in the education funding. The $7 billion increase would bring FY07 to FY05 levels. (Programs affected: Title I, IDEA, research and other reading programs)

Federal spending on education has been declining since FY05. In 2005 total federal education spending was $56. 5 billion and Title I was $12.739 billion.

In FY06 total federal spending (excluding hurricane relief ) was $55.9 billion. Title I spending was $12,713 billion, a funding loss of $26.4 million to the largest federally funded program to disadvantaged schools.

The proposed education budgets for 2007 call for less education spending than for 2006. That is why IRA and CEF members are joining together to highlight the need for additional funds. Education groups from all over the country will be participating in “Call Washington Week.”

A final vote on the appropriations bill is not expected until after the November elections.

CEF has designated September 18 – 22 Call Washington Week.

Toll-free 1-800-459-1887*

During the week of September 18 – 22 calls can be made to 1 – 800 – 459-1887.
Ask to speak to your Representative or Senator. This number will allow you to contact both the House and Senate. (If you don’t know who your representative is, the people at the switchboard can tell you. Or visit www.congress.org where you can insert your home address and identify your member.)

Placing a call
State your name and where you live including your zip-code.

Ask the Senator to support an increase of $7 billion in the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and related Agencies Appropriations bill S.3708 (Senate funding bill number)

Ask your Congressman in the House to support an increase of $7 billion in the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and related Agencies Appropriations bill HR. 5647 (House funding bill number)

Email
www.house.gov
www.senate.gov



* The toll-free number is provided courtesy of the American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker organization whose work for social justice, peace and humanitarian service includes campaigns for a moral budget and a fair minimum wage. AFSC welcomes groups to circulate and use the toll free number in support of non-partisan budget goals and without linking the alert to a website soliciting donations or actions which may support partisan lobbying or work.