AAACE has signed on. Jean Fleming In a message dated 1/15/2015 12:50:25 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, jeffcrtr@gmail.com writes: NCL is a signer (removing the NDD caps is consistent with our policy of supporting efforts that may lead to more funding for adult ed), and I encourage other members to consider singing on if you haven’t already and are so inclined... Jeff Begin forwarded message: = *****Apologies for Cross-Posting***** EXTENDED DEADLINE! SIGN ON BY JANUARY 19 TO HELP STOP SEQUESTRATION COMPLETE THE FORM _HERE_ (http://nlihc.org/takeaction/ndd2106) Help us get to 3,200 organizations again by sharing this email with other organizations in your community! Attached is a list of signers as of Wednesday, January 14th. Please note that this list has not been updated with signatures since and has not been scrubbed for duplicates. Dear Colleague, Thanks to your support in 2013, NDD United was successful in securing partial and temporary sequestration relief for discretionary programs in FY 2014 and FY 2015. In fact, our work and partnership with the Aerospace Industries Association’s “Second to None” campaign was named one of the top 10 lobbying victories of 2013 by The Hill! Now sequestration is upon us again as the temporary and partial relief that Chairman Ryan and Chairman Murray negotiated in the Bipartisan Budget Act expires at the end of FY 2015. With the very real threat of the return of these cuts full-bore in the upcoming FY 2016 budget cycle absent congressional action, it is time for our community to unite again to protect funding for federal programs that keep Americans safe, healthy, and secure. In the 114th Congress, our unity will be more important than ever as threats to nondefense discretionary programs abound. Our best chance to prevent further cuts and have any chance of restoring funding for these programs is to speak with one voice. And so, we encourage all national, state, and local organizations to sign on to this _letter_ (http://www.publichealthfunding.org/uploads/NDDUnited.SignOn.Feb2015.pdf) urging Congress to build on the Bipartisan Budget Act and stop sequestration. Below are the text of the letter and instructions to _sign on_ (http://nlihc.org/takeaction/ndd2106) . The letter is also available online _here_ (http://www.publichealthfunding.org/uploads/NDDUnited.SignOn.Feb2015.pdf) . Due to the large number of signatures, we WILL NOT be accepting any edits. Organizations must sign on to the letter “as is.” And please help us spread the word by forwarding this email and encouraging other organizations in your communities to join us—especially state and local chapters, affiliates, and groups. In the past, our NDD United sign on letters have drawn as many as 3,200 organizational signatures from every state across the nation. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Emily Holubowich at _eholubowich@dc-crd.com_ (mailto:eholubowich@dc-crd.com) or Joel Packer at _jpacker@rabengroup.com_ (mailto:jpacker@rabengroup.com) . We look forward to your continued support for NDD United and our campaign to end sequestration, once and for all. We also hope you will save the date for our next NDD TOWN HALL where we will discuss the challenges and opportunities facing NDD programs in the 114th Congress and what NDD United plans to do about it: January 29, 2015 1:00 – 3:00 pm ET National Education Association Auditorium 1201 16th Street, NW Washington, DC 20036-3290 RSVP _here_ (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1EQKTciu6LFagBtl7P9uchH_pUQRy7kwBXM239xuSJto/viewform?usp=send_form) . More details to follow…. INSTRUCTIONS TO SIGN-ON PLEASE READ CAREFULLY 1. This sign-on letter is for national, state, and local signatures ONLY. Individual citizens CANNOT participate and WILL NOT be listed. 2. When adding your organization’s name, please write it EXACTLY HOW YOU WOULD LIKE IT TO BE LISTED ON THE LETTER. Please double check your spelling before you submit your form. Note that if your organization’s name begins with the word “The,” it will be listed with the other organizations that begin with the letter “t.” 3. Please confirm that you are in fact authorized to sign on for your organization by checking the appropriate box on the form. Only organizations with authorized individuals completing the form will be listed on the letter. 4. We have added a section of the sign on form that asks you to identify the nondefense sector with which your organization most closely identifies. While your organization may identify with more than one, please choose the one that is MOST applicable. This question is meant for administrative use and will not appear on the letter sent to Congress. 5. Due to the large number of signatures, we WILL NOT accept edits. Organizations must sign on to the letter “as is.” 6. To sign on, click _here_ (http://nlihc.org/takeaction/ndd2106) and complete the form. The DEADLINE TO SIGN ON IS JANUARY 19! We aim to get this letter to the Hill in early February. February 1, 2015 Dear Representative/Senator: The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 negotiated by Representative Paul Ryan and Senator Patty Murray provided partial, temporary relief from sequestration. With the expiration of this relief in fiscal year (FY) 2016, lawmakers should act quickly to stop sequestration from taking effect in the upcoming fiscal year. The undersigned XXX national, state, and local organizations— representing the hundreds of millions of Americans who support and benefit from nondefense discretionary (NDD) programs—strongly urge lawmakers to replace sequestration with a balanced approach to deficit reduction. In so doing, we ask that you consider the following: 1. NDD programs have already been cut too much. NDD programs play a vital role in the health and well-being of our lives and communities. Despite the vast array of important services provided through NDD programs—from education and job training, to housing and science, to National Parks and veterans services, to public health, safety and security—these programs have been cut dramatically and disproportionately in recent years as lawmakers work to reduce the deficit, even though experts across the political spectrum agree these programs aren’t a driving factor behind our nation’s mid- and long-term fiscal challenges. As a result of sequestration and other austerity measures enacted since 2011, NDD funding in FY 2014 was about 15 percent below 2010 levels, adjusted for inflation. Without action to stop sequestration, in FY 2016 NDD programs will decline to 3.1 percent of GDP — equal to the lowest level in at least 50 years. 2. NDD cuts have consequences. As illustrated in the NDD United impact report, _Faces of Austerity_ (http://www.nddunited.org/) , and other accounts from across the NDD sectors, real Americans are feeling the negative effects of the Budget Control Act’s austere spending caps and sequestration. These self-imposed cuts are dragging down our economic recovery, hampering business growth and development, weakening public health preparedness and response, reducing resources for our nation’s schools and colleges, compromising federal oversight and fraud recovery, hindering scientific discovery, eroding our infrastructure, and threatening our ability to address emergencies around the world. Simply put, these cuts are bad for the country and are not sustainable. 3. NDD programs make America strong. The fundamental job of the federal government is to secure the safety of its citizens at home and abroad. But America’s day-to-day security requires more than military might. NDD programs support our economy, drive our global competitiveness, and help Americans lead healthy, productive lives. Both the Budget Control Act and the Bipartisan Budget Act recognized that defense and nondefense programs contribute equally to the American way of life and that each deserves equal relief from sequestration. In FY 2016, lawmakers should adhere to this “parity principle” in any sequestration relief package. Deficit reduction measures enacted since 2010 have come overwhelmingly from spending cuts, with the ratio of spending cuts to revenue increases far beyond those recommended by bipartisan groups of experts. And there is bipartisan agreement that sequestration is bad policy and ultimately hurts our nation. Congress and the President must work together to end sequestration. Such sequestration relief must be equally balanced between nondefense and defense programs, as strong investments in both NDD and defense are necessary to keep our country competitive, safe, and secure. If you have questions about this letter, please contact the NDD United Co-Chairs, Emily Holubowich, Executive Director of the Coalition for Health Funding (_eholubowich@dc-crd.com_ (mailto:eholubowich@dc-crd.com) ) or Joel Packer, Executive Director of the Committee for Education Funding (_jpacker@cef.org_ (mailto:jpacker@cef.org) ) An electronic copy of this letter, as well as Faces of Austerity, is available at _www.nddunited.org_ (http://www.nddunited.org/) . Sincerely, = -- Jeff Carter Director, Adult Education Initiatives Digital Promise | _jeff@digitalpromise.org_ (mailto:jeff@digitalpromise.org) http://www.digitalpromise.org/initiatives/adult-learning -- President, National Coalition for Literacy (2014-2015) -- _jcarter@literacypolicy.org_ (mailto:jcarter@literacypolicy.org) or _jeffcrtr@gmail.org_ (mailto:jeffcrtr@gmail.org) Personal Twitter: @jeffcrtr | _literacypolicy.org_ (http://literacypolicy.org/) = _______________________________________________ National Coalition for Literacy Members mailing list Members@lists.national-coalition-literacy.org To unsubscribe: http://lists.national-coalition-literacy.org/mailman/listinfo/members_lists.national-coalition-literacy.org