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Facts In Action
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National
Policy News:
Agreement
on House and Senate Versions of Appropriations Bill
The
Republican Senate and House conference committee has reached an
agreement on the House and Senate versions of the Labor, Health,
and Human Services and Education Appropriations bill. The conference
report includes an $817 million increase in the Child Care and Development
Block Grant as well as a $1.1 billion increase in Head Start.
Before
this version of the bill becomes final, both the House and the Senate
must pass it. However, it is possible that President Clinton will
still veto the bill because appropriations are lower than his administration
had requested (see Facts In Action, March 2000). If he does
so, the Administration and Congress will negotiate a final bill in
the fall.
Sufficient
federal funding is critical to state early education programs, but
Congress considers many other proposals that also impact quality
and accessibility. The following bills are currently being considered
in Washington:
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Rep. Joe Hoeffel (D-PA) and Rep. Jim Maloney (D-CT) introduced
as part of a larger bill (H.R. 4564) a provision to make $125
million in grants available nationally to help low-income urban
and rural areas meet national education goals - including school-readiness.
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In April, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) introduced H.R. 4206, the Early
Learning and Opportunity State Grants Act of 2000. The bill would
create grants to states to support early care and education services
for children ages zero to three years old.
- On
June 20, President Clinton signed into law P.L.106-224, the Agriculture
Risk Protection Act, which tightens monitoring of the Food Program,
and requires announced and unannounced visits to participating
programs.
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Action
Steps
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Contact the White House and ask President Clinton to stand
firm on funding for early care and education, including Head
Start and the Child Care and Development Block Grant. Contact
President Clinton at (202) 456-1414 or email him at president@whitehouse.gov.
Take advantage of the August congressional recess to see your
members of Congress face to face. Contact their local offices
to inquire about public or "town hall" events they
may have planned, or to invite them to visit your early education
program.
While you are talking to your representative and senator about
the FY'01 federal budget, you may also want to register your
opinion on one or more of the above bills.
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For
more information:
about child care allocations in the Senate and the House appropriations
bills, contact the Children's Defense Fund at (202) 628-8787, or
by email at cdinfo@childrensdefense.org.
Facts in Action, August 2000
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| Goodbye from the printed version of Facts in Action. |
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