Caught up a bit with education-related news over the weekend… Jeff Budget and Appropriations: As you know, H.R. 2740 — a minibus spending package that includes the FY 2020 spending bills for Labor-Health and Human Services-Education, Defense, State-Foreign Operations, and the Energy and Water Development — made it to the House floor last week. They have been working their way through a slew of amendments, with (according to CEF) only a few pertaining to education funding — and, as far as I can tell, none with any significant relevance to adult education. It would be interesting to hear from any of you about any other programs you follow. The House will continue voting on amendments this week, starting tomorrow, June 18. CEF believes it is unlikely any amendments will pass that will reduce funding overall for the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services. The bill text and all amendments are here: https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/2740/amendments <https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/2740/amendments> Floor remarks from House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) here: https://appropriations.house.gov/news/statements/delauro-floor-remarks-on-appropriations-minibus-hr-2740 <https://appropriations.house.gov/news/statements/delauro-floor-remarks-on-appropriations-minibus-hr-2740> They are expected to vote on the minibus mid-week. It will likely pass the on a largely partisan vote. On the Senate side, there are no bills. Negotiations to raise the overall FY 2020 spending levels are ongoing. This is needed in order to prevent automatic sequestration cuts due to the Budget Control Act of 2011. The House already raised their top line amount, which is enabling them to get their appropriations bills moving, but the Senate has failed to do so, and thus haven’t begun marking up any spending bills at all. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL) told CQ last week that unless there is a budget caps deal soon, the Senate will likely proceed with what’s know as a deeming resolution to set their top line spending levels, sometime after the July Fourth recess. However, while that would allow Senate appropriations committees to start writing some bills, it doesn’t mean that the Senate doesn’t still have to come up with a bipartisan deal with Senate Democrats and eventually with the House to raise the caps, and then get the President to sign off on it, before the end of September. Otherwise we are looking at another possible shutdown crisis. The big snag, you’ll be shocked to hear, appears to be the White House. This article in the Washington Post from over the weekend gives the story: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/gop-in-disarray-as-budget-impasse-threatens-shutdown-deep-cuts--and-default/2019/06/15/6a61e6dc-8ded-11e9-8f69-a2795fca3343_story.html <https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/gop-in-disarray-as-budget-impasse-threatens-shutdown-deep-cuts--and-default/2019/06/15/6a61e6dc-8ded-11e9-8f69-a2795fca3343_story.html?utm_term=.033927cba2fc>)Well worth a read, if you’re interested in this stuff: Senate Republicans appear to be very frustrated with Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, who, according to the Post, wants to either continue FY 2019 spending levels into FY 2020, or strike a one-year deal, instead of a two-year deal that has typically been agreed to in the past. It’s worth reading the article if only for the great quotes from Sen. Shelby about Mulvaney. Hearings of Possible Interest: On June 4, the House Education and Labor Subcommittee on Civil and Human Rights held a hearing titled, "Examining the Policies and Priorities of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service." One of the topics discussed was the Administration's efforts to impose work requirements for certain public benefit programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Opening Statement from Chair Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR): https://edlabor.house.gov/imo/media/doc/SB%20OS%20060419.pdf <https://edlabor.house.gov/imo/media/doc/SB%20OS%20060419.pdf> A recording of the hearing can be accessed here: https://edlabor.house.gov/hearings/examining-the-policies-and-priorities-of-the-us-department-of-agricultures-food-and-nutrition-service_ <https://edlabor.house.gov/hearings/examining-the-policies-and-priorities-of-the-us-department-of-agricultures-food-and-nutrition-service_> Legislation of Possible Interest: A very selective list. Criteria used for selection: stuff I happened to have noticed. May be important, or of interest, or neither. TANF Funding Extension. This is likely old news for most of you, but FYI, early this month the House passed a bill to extend funding for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program (H.R.2940). The bill would extend funding through the end of FY2019, which ends on September 30. The bill was adopted on a 357-55 bipartisan vote and sent to the Senate. It needs to be considered before the program's current extension expires on June 30. https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/2940?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22walorski%22%5D%7D&s=3&r=10 <https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/2940?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22walorski%22%5D%7D&s=3&r=10> Bill to Increase Maximum Pell Grant Amount. H.R. 3101 was introduced early this month by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) to increase the maximum Federal Pell Grant amount: https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/3101/text?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22H.R.3101%22%5D%7D&r=1&s=2 <https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/3101/text?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22H.R.3101%22%5D%7D&r=1&s=2> College Access. On June 13, Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) introduced S.1855, a bill to improve college access and college completion for all students. https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/1855?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22S.1855%22%5D%7D&s=1&r=1 <https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/1855?q={%22search%22:[%22S.1855%22]}&s=1&r=1> Sign-on Letters: Just passing this one along. This is not an NDD United letter, although similar to an NDD United letter that was pushed out this spring. > Begin forwarded message: > > From: Debbie Weinstein <DebbieWeinstein@chn.org <mailto:DebbieWeinstein@chn.org>> > Subject: Nat’l Orgs: Please sign letter to lift budget caps > Date: June 10, 2019 at 3:12:13 PM EDT > > Dear Human Needs Allies: > The House of Representatives has begun the work of approving FY 2020 appropriations bills, and there has been some real progress so far: for example, a $2.4 billion increase in child care funding (up 45 percent from this year); enough funding to fully renew rent subsidies for the 3.4 million households now served plus 9,000 new rental vouchers for homeless veterans and very poor families with children; and 7-8 percent increases for K-12 education for poor children and for special education funding. These advances have been approved in committee and are likely to be enacted by the full House. But instead of steps forward, human needs programs will face severe cuts if Congress does not change the law that sets harsh limits on appropriations for the next two years. > To protect vital services and meet needs, we need your organization's help. Please sign a letter from national groups urging Congress to raise the budget caps. The deadline for signing is Monday, June 24. > To read and sign the letter, click here <https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdocs.google.com%2Fforms%2Fd%2Fe%2F1FAIpQLScmMu5IdW34JW7vpa9rJmc-oUTJNRoNDdH0KIIACRMGmm2Cqw%2Fviewform&data=02%7C01%7Ccohen%40acg-consultants.com%7C04226e1b126540c82ee308d6f33185b7%7C614785f296d34d26804ed0aa5843d4d3%7C0%7C0%7C636963791365503657&sdata=9SMh3lJvZ1J%2Fj%2B5ft2BpFAv%2FzMdRgI5nAYrgfZRjLH0%3D&reserved=0>. > A failure to raise the caps will result in sharply reduced funding for domestic and international discretionary programs (together known as “non-defense” or NDD) from $597 billion in FY 2019 to $543 billion in FY 2020, a $54 billion drop, or 9 percent, not counting inflation. That, however, understates the impact, because certain programs must receive increases, including the 2020 Census and veterans’ health care services, meaning other programs will be cut even more deeply. > The House has set its total for domestic/international appropriations at $631 billion. President Trump has proposed keeping the $543 billion cap in place; the Senate has not yet set a total. We need a united front in calling for at least the House level. That’s what this letter does. > Since FY 2010, NDD programs were cut 4.7 percent, counting inflation. Over the last two years, because Congress agreed to lift the caps, we’ve started to do better. > We must not go backwards. > With your help, we can show that organizations representing millions of people nationwide want Congress to lift the caps and invest in the programs people need. > You can read and sign the letter here <https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdocs.google.com%2Fforms%2Fd%2Fe%2F1FAIpQLScmMu5IdW34JW7vpa9rJmc-oUTJNRoNDdH0KIIACRMGmm2Cqw%2Fviewform%3Fusp%3Dsf_link&data=02%7C01%7Ccohen%40acg-consultants.com%7C04226e1b126540c82ee308d6f33185b7%7C614785f296d34d26804ed0aa5843d4d3%7C0%7C0%7C636963791365513661&sdata=meCmbtFdLOLewtj7tflv4G7JJ515lnE4EmdJFF2EHLU%3D&reserved=0>. > And here’s another important way to help: please also share this letter with your national partners. > Many thanks, > > Deborah Weinstein > Executive Director > Coalition on Human Needs > dweinstein@chn.org <mailto:dweinstein@chn.org> Jeff Jeff Carter Cell: (202) 374-4387 | @jeffcrtr Senior Policy Advisor National Coalition for Literacy www.national-coalition-literacy.org <http://www.national-coalition-literacy.org/> jcarter@literacypolicy.org <mailto:jcarter@literacypolicy.org> Immediate Past President, Committee for Education Funding Executive Director Physicians for Social Responsibility 1111 14th St, NW, Suite 700 Washington, DC 20005 www.psr.org <http://www.psr.org/> | jcarter@psr.org <mailto:jcarter@psr.org>

Thanks for this update, Jeff. If memory serves, this is similar to the strategy that was employed last year, when funding for Labor-H-Ed was included in a minibus with Defense. Another bill that warrants attention is https://appropriations.house.gov/sites/democrats.appropriations.house.gov/files/HR3055%20Summary_0.pdf, which makes appropriations for Commerce, Justice, and other agencies. The Commerce appropriation includes funding for the Census Bureau. Two things to note: 1. The bill as it came out of committee includes robust funding for the 2020 Census and for the Bureau as a whole ($8.45 billion). This level of funding will support the Bureau in ensuring a full and fair count.  => Contact your Congressional Representative(s) to encourage them to support the proposed funding level for the Census Bureau and the 2020 Census. 2. Division A, Section 534 of the bill prohibits the inclusion of questions on the 2020 Census that were not included in the 2018 End-to-End Census Test (that is, the "dress rehearsal" that took place in Providence, RI). If included in the final bill that gets passed, this would effectively prevent the Census Bureau from including a citizenship question on the 2020 Census. => Rep Jeff Duncan (R-SC) plans to offer an amendment that would strip this section from the bill, thus allowing the citizenship question to be included on the 2020 Census. If you oppose the inclusion of the citizenship question, please contact your Congressional Representatives to urge them to vote "NO" on this amendment and any other amendments that would permit the inclusion of such a question. It's possible H.R. 3055 will become part of the minibus that Jeff describes below. According to Census Taskforce members, the House Rules Committee may take up H.R. 3055 as soon as Tuesday afternoon, so prompt action is advised on this. Thanks! Deborah Deborah Kennedy President, National Coalition for Literacy http://www.key-words.us http://www.national-coalition-literacy.org ---- On Mon, 17 Jun 2019 12:02:18 -0400 Jeff Carter <mailto:jcarter@literacypolicy.org> wrote ---- Caught up a bit with education-related news over the weekend…   Jeff Budget and Appropriations:  As you know, H.R. 2740 — a minibus spending package that includes the FY 2020 spending bills for Labor-Health and Human Services-Education, Defense, State-Foreign Operations, and the Energy and Water Development — made it to the House floor last week. They have been working their way through a slew of amendments, with (according to CEF) only a few pertaining to education funding — and, as far as I can tell, none with any significant relevance to adult education. It would be interesting to hear from any of you about any other programs you follow. The House will continue voting on amendments this week, starting tomorrow, June 18. CEF believes it is unlikely any amendments will pass that will reduce funding overall for the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services. The bill text and all amendments are here: https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/2740/amendments Floor remarks from House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) here: https://appropriations.house.gov/news/statements/delauro-floor-remarks-on-appropriations-minibus-hr-2740 They are expected to vote on the minibus mid-week. It will likely pass the on a largely partisan vote.  On the Senate side, there are no bills. Negotiations to raise the overall FY 2020 spending levels are ongoing. This is needed in order to prevent automatic sequestration cuts due to the Budget Control Act of 2011. The House already raised their top line amount, which is enabling them to get their appropriations bills moving, but the Senate has failed to do so, and thus haven’t begun marking up any spending bills at all. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL) told CQ last week that unless there is a budget caps deal soon, the Senate will likely proceed with what’s know as a deeming resolution to set their top line spending levels, sometime after the July Fourth recess. However, while that would allow Senate appropriations committees to start writing some bills, it doesn’t mean that the Senate doesn’t still have to come up with a bipartisan deal with Senate Democrats and eventually with the House to raise the caps, and then get the President to sign off on it, before the end of September. Otherwise we are  looking at another possible shutdown crisis. The big snag, you’ll be shocked to hear, appears to be the White House. This article in the Washington Post from over the weekend gives the story: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/gop-in-disarray-as-budget-impasse-threatens-shutdown-deep-cuts--and-default/2019/06/15/6a61e6dc-8ded-11e9-8f69-a2795fca3343_story.html?utm_term=.033927cba2fc)Well worth a read, if you’re interested in this stuff: Senate Republicans appear to be very frustrated with Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, who, according to the Post, wants to either continue FY 2019 spending levels into FY 2020, or strike a one-year deal, instead of a two-year deal that has typically been agreed to in the past. It’s worth reading the article if only for the great quotes from Sen. Shelby about Mulvaney. Hearings of Possible Interest: On June 4, the House Education and Labor Subcommittee on Civil and Human Rights held a hearing titled, "Examining the Policies and Priorities of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service." One of the topics discussed was the Administration's efforts to impose work requirements for certain public benefit programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Opening Statement from Chair Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR): https://edlabor.house.gov/imo/media/doc/SB%20OS%20060419.pdf A recording of the hearing can be accessed here: https://edlabor.house.gov/hearings/examining-the-policies-and-priorities-of-the-us-department-of-agricultures-food-and-nutrition-service_ Legislation of Possible Interest: A very selective list. Criteria used for selection: stuff I happened to have noticed. May be important, or of interest, or neither. TANF Funding Extension. This is likely old news for most of you, but FYI, early this month the House passed a bill to extend funding for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program (H.R.2940). The bill would extend funding through the end of FY2019, which ends on September 30. The bill was adopted on a 357-55 bipartisan vote and sent to the Senate. It needs to be considered before the program's current extension expires on June 30. https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/2940?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22walorski%22%5D%7D&s=3&r=10 Bill to Increase Maximum Pell Grant Amount. H.R. 3101 was introduced early this month by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) to increase the maximum Federal Pell Grant amount: https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/3101/text?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22H.R.3101%22%5D%7D&r=1&s=2 College Access. On June 13, Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) introduced S.1855, a bill to improve college access and college completion for all students.  https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/1855?q={"search":["S.1855"]}&s=1&r=1 Sign-on Letters: Just passing this one along. This is not an NDD United letter, although similar to an NDD United letter that was pushed out this spring.   Begin forwarded message:   From: Debbie Weinstein <mailto:DebbieWeinstein@chn.org> Subject: Nat’l Orgs: Please sign letter to lift budget caps Date: June 10, 2019 at 3:12:13 PM EDT   Dear Human Needs Allies: The House of Representatives has begun the work of approving FY 2020 appropriations bills, and there has been some real progress so far:  for example, a $2.4 billion increase in child care funding (up 45 percent from this year); enough funding to fully renew rent subsidies for the 3.4 million households now served plus 9,000 new rental vouchers for homeless veterans and very poor families with children; and 7-8 percent increases for K-12 education for poor children and for special education funding.  These advances have been approved in committee and are likely to be enacted by the full House.  But instead of steps forward, human needs programs will face severe cuts if Congress does not change the law that sets harsh limits on appropriations for the next two years.   To protect vital services and meet needs, we need your organization's help.  Please sign a letter from national groups urging Congress to raise the budget caps.  The deadline for signing is Monday, June 24. To read and sign the letter, click https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdocs.google.com%2Fforms%2Fd%2Fe%2F1FAIpQLScmMu5IdW34JW7vpa9rJmc-oUTJNRoNDdH0KIIACRMGmm2Cqw%2Fviewform&data=02%7C01%7Ccohen%40acg-consultants.com%7C04226e1b126540c82ee308d6f33185b7%7C614785f296d34d26804ed0aa5843d4d3%7C0%7C0%7C636963791365503657&sdata=9SMh3lJvZ1J%2Fj%2B5ft2BpFAv%2FzMdRgI5nAYrgfZRjLH0%3D&reserved=0. A failure to raise the caps will result in sharply reduced funding for domestic and international discretionary programs (together known as “non-defense” or NDD) from $597 billion in FY 2019 to $543 billion in FY 2020, a $54 billion drop, or 9 percent, not counting inflation.  That, however, understates the impact, because certain programs must receive increases, including the 2020 Census and veterans’ health care services, meaning other programs will be cut even more deeply. The House has set its total for domestic/international appropriations at $631 billion.  President Trump has proposed keeping the $543 billion cap in place; the Senate has not yet set a total.  We need a united front in calling for at least the House level.  That’s what this letter does. Since FY 2010, NDD programs were cut 4.7 percent, counting inflation.  Over the last two years, because Congress agreed to lift the caps, we’ve started to do better.  We must not go backwards. With your help, we can show that organizations representing millions of people nationwide want Congress to lift the caps and invest in the programs people need. You can read and sign the letter https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdocs.google.com%2Fforms%2Fd%2Fe%2F1FAIpQLScmMu5IdW34JW7vpa9rJmc-oUTJNRoNDdH0KIIACRMGmm2Cqw%2Fviewform%3Fusp%3Dsf_link&data=02%7C01%7Ccohen%40acg-consultants.com%7C04226e1b126540c82ee308d6f33185b7%7C614785f296d34d26804ed0aa5843d4d3%7C0%7C0%7C636963791365513661&sdata=meCmbtFdLOLewtj7tflv4G7JJ515lnE4EmdJFF2EHLU%3D&reserved=0. And here’s another important way to help:  please also share this letter with your national partners. Many thanks, Deborah Weinstein Executive Director Coalition on Human Needs mailto:dweinstein@chn.org Jeff Jeff Carter Cell: (202) 374-4387 | @jeffcrtr Senior Policy Advisor National Coalition for Literacy http://www.national-coalition-literacy.org/ mailto:jcarter@literacypolicy.org Immediate Past President, Committee for Education Funding Executive Director Physicians for Social Responsibility 1111 14th St, NW, Suite 700 Washington, DC 20005 http://www.psr.org/ | mailto:jcarter@psr.org _______________________________________________ National Coalition for Literacy Members mailing list mailto:Members@lists.national-coalition-literacy.org To unsubscribe: http://lists.national-coalition-literacy.org/mailman/listinfo/members_lists.national-coalition-literacy.org