Here is the latest CEF update. Sorry I’m little late passing this one along. Jeff > Begin forwarded message: > > From: Joel Packer <jpacker@cef.org> > To: Joel Packer <jpacker@cef.org> > Subject: Thursday Update and Meeting Notice > Date: June 4, 2015 at 4:09:33 PM EDT > > > > > > CEF Gala Award Nominations: We are still accepting nominations for awards for this year’s Gala. If you would like to nominate someone for one of our awards, please submit his form <https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B19p6j32JwToRmtqd0d5ckplbW8/view?usp=sharing> by COB on June 12 to Anais Duran (ADuran@cef.org <mailto:ADuran@cef.org>). Please note that nominations should be based on what the individual has done to help support increased investments in education. You can nominate the same person for more than one award. The process then is the Gala Committee will meet to discuss the nominations and make recommendations for issuing awards to the CEF Board. The Board then submits to the full membership the names of proposed awardees, which are then voted on at a CEF membership meeting. We plan to vote on any proposed awardees at the CEF meeting on June 26. If necessary, we might extend the nomination form deadline, if the gala committee decides we need more nominations. As a reminder, we have already approved giving an award to FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel for her leadership on increasing funding for the E-Rate. > > To see a list of all previous CEF awardees, click here <https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B19p6j32JwTod1RBSTRDOURzaFk/view?usp=sharing>. > Meeting Notice: Tomorrow, Friday, June 5, we will have a quarterly CEF working meeting. We’ll meet at the university of California building – 1608 Rhode Island Ave., NW – first floor auditorium. Instead of having an outside speaker, we will have time for CEF committees to meet to discuss things such as the Gala, upcoming research briefings, a CEF promotional video, CEF budget issues, advocacy ideas, and more! I’ll also provide my usual legislative update. PLEASE TRY and ATTEND. CEF can’t function without active participation of members in our committees and coalition. Click here for the agenda. As you can see ,m there are two time slots for committees to meet, so attendees can go to two different committee meetings. While we will have a speaker phone for the update portion of the meeting, we will not provide speaker phones for the committee meetings section, so I apologize to our out-of-town members. Here is the agenda <https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B19p6j32JwToLWxZd0tFUUFCdnM/view?usp=sharing> and here is the updated meeting schedule <https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B19p6j32JwToVDZveFc0Wms3Y2M/view?usp=sharing>. During the committee meetings, we’ll be discussing the Working Plan <https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B19p6j32JwToS0lfMTBoNF9YNGs/view?usp=sharing>. Call-in #: 1-877-885-3221 PIN: 247-4788# > > CEF Board Meetings: In an effort to increase transparency within CEF, the Board has agreed to share Board minutes with the membership. At tomorrow’s meeting, Noelle will summarize this week’s Board meeting. \here are the minutes from the March meeting <https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B19p6j32JwToS0lfMTBoNF9YNGs/view?usp=sharing>. > FY 2016 Appropriations: > House: The House yesterday passed the FY 2016 Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) Appropriations bill (H.R. 2578) <http://appropriations.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=394238> on a vote of 242-183 (just 12 Dems voted for passage). For a list of House-passed amendments to the bill, please visit:http://appropriations.house.gov/UploadedFiles/06.03.15_FY_2016_Commerce_Justice_Science_Bill_-_Floor_Adopted <http://appropriations.house.gov/UploadedFiles/06.03.15_FY_2016_Commerce_Justice_Science_Bill_-_Floor_Adopted_Amendments.pdf>. > > The House yesterday and today debated but did not finish action on H.R. 2577 – Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016. Here is a link to the amendments <https://lo.bvdep.com/PeopleDocument.asp?PersonId=-1&LDIPeopleId=940737&Save=1> acted on. The House will complete action on the bill on Tuesday, June 9. > > As of now, the Appropriations Committee has not yet announced any subcommittee or full committee markups for next week, though State-Foreign Ops is expected to be taken up by full Committee and Agriculture by Subcommittee. > Senate: Next week, the Defense bill is scheduled for subcommittee markup on June 9 and the Commerce-Justice-Science bill is scheduled for subcommittee markup on June 10. Presumably both bills will be taken up by the full Committee on June 11. > > Senate Democrats have now made public that they intend to filibuster the motion to proceed to all 12 appropriations bills: Senate Dems ready to blockade all spending bills <http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/senate-democrats-to-block-spending-bills-118641.html?hp=lc2_4>(Politico) “At a closed-door Democratic leadership meeting Tuesday night, Reid (D-Nev.) vowed that his caucus wouldn’t allow a single appropriations bill to get a floor vote, sources familiar with the meeting say. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), one of Reid’s top lieutenants, told their House counterparts that they’re asking colleagues to filibuster and prevent Republicans from even calling up the spending measures.” > > Also see: Senate Democrats vow to block Defense spending bill <http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/244038-senate-democrats-vow-to-block-defense-spending-bill> (The Hill) > “Republicans should be absolutely crystal clear about one thing: Democrats will not vote to put a defense appropriations bill on the floor that uses accounting trickery and budget gimmicks to fund our troops,” Schumer added. > > “He said that Senate Democrats will block motions to proceed to any appropriations bill “until Republicans have sat down at the table and figured out with us how we’re going to properly fund the Defense Department and key priorities that help families, fuel economic growth and keep us safe and strong at home.” > ESEA: According to conversations I had with staff today, they are still negotiating the Committee report, but no official date has been set for when it will be filed. The bill might still get to the floor in June, but that is dependent on how long the Defense authorization bill takes (NDAA), and whether the Senate tries to take up appropriations bills. > Michael Yudin Confirmed: On Tuesday, the Senate confirmed by voice vote, Michael Keith Yudin to be Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Department of Education. Still pending conformation is Ericka M. Miller to be Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education (she has been reported from committee and is awaiting floor action). > STEM Education Act: I missed this when it happened, but on May 20, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee reported without amendment, H.R. 1020, the STEM Education Act of 2015 <http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d114:H.R.1020:@@@D&amp;summ2=m&amp;> (as passed by the House). Here is the CRS summary: > Requires the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to continue to award competitive, merit-reviewed grants to support: (1) research and development of innovative out-of-school STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) learning and emerging STEM learning environments; and (2) research that advances the field of informal STEM education. > > Requires supported activities to include research and development that improves understanding of learning and engagement in informal environments and design and testing of innovative STEM resources for such environments to improve STEM learning outcomes and increase engagement for elementary and secondary school students and teachers and the public. > > Amends the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 to allow award of NSF Master Teaching Fellowships to mathematics and science teachers who possess a bachelor's degree in their field (currently limited to those with a master's degree). > > Requires fellowship grants to be used, in the case of Master Teaching Fellowships for teachers with bachelor's degrees in their field who are working toward a master's degree, to: (1) offer academic courses leading to a master's degree and leadership training to prepare individuals to become master teachers, and (2) offer programs both during and after matriculation to enable fellows to become highly effective mathematics and science teachers and to exchange ideas with others in their fields. Limits fellowship support during such a master's degree program to one year. > > Includes elementary or secondary school computer science teachers as mathematics and science teachers for purposes of the program of teacher recruiting and training grants known as the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program. > > 8. Highly Qualified Teachers: Thanks to Jane West for sharing this with me: The long awaited report on the distribution of highly qualified teachers who are teaching while in preparation programs and their distribution among high need students is available (with state-by-state data) here: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/opepd/ppss/reports.html#tq <http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/opepd/ppss/reports.html#tq> > 9. The American Alliance of Museums is currently seeking to hire a Director of Communications. See the attached job posting for details. > > > > > > Joel Packer > CEF Executive Director > JPacker@cef.org <mailto:JPacker@cef.org> > 202-383-0083 > 202-255-0915 (cell) > www.cef.org <http://www.cef.org/> > www.Twitter.com/edfunding <http://www.twitter.com/edfunding> > >