NAEYC Children’s Champions

February 2, 2007

• Fiscal Year 2007 Appropriations to Finish with Some Good News
• Both House and Senate Pass Increase in Minimum Wage
• New Senate Caucus on Children, Work & Family
• Helping Families Pay for Child Care

Final Fiscal Year 2007 Appropriations to Finish with Some Good News and Congress Starts Work on Fiscal Year 2008
The 109th Congress failed to complete the fiscal year 2007 spending bill (October 1, 2006 – September 30, 2007) and so passed a Continuing Resolution to keep funding going until February 15, 2007. Thus, the new 110th Congress has to finish the spending decisions for the remainder of fiscal year 2007 as it starts work on fiscal year 2008. The bill (H.J. Res. 20) passed this week, and now must be passed by the Senate. Most programs would remain at the fiscal year 2006 funding levels, but the following programs would get increases: Head Start $103.7 million; Title I grants to school districts $125 million; IDEA Part B $200 million; and Pell Grant maximum awards would increase to $4,310. Unfortunately, child care did not receive an increase in the fiscal year 2007 appropriations bill.

The President will release his request for fiscal year 2008 on Monday, February 5. NAEYC will update you on Monday afternoon.

House and Senate Pass Increase in Minimum Wage
Both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate have passed legislation to increase the minimum wage over two years from the current $5.15 to $7.25 per hour. The Senate bill included a set of tax cuts for small businesses, and so the House and Senate must conference their versions before sending the minimum wage bill to the President for his signature.

New Senate Caucus on Children, Work & Family
Senators Dodd (D-CT) and Specter (R-PA) have formed the Senate Caucus on Children, Work and Family. The Caucus will convene bipartisan discussions between Senators and staff on a variety of related issues that impact children, families, and economic security.

Helping Families Pay for Child Care With Tax Credits
As income tax filing season gets underway, early childhood professionals can help families learn about Federal and state tax credits that can provide thousands of dollars in helping them offset the cost of child care and other expenses. The National Women's Law Center has launched a campaign with state advocates to help eligible families take full advantage of these credits. You can help families learn about these options by sharing the web link to the National Women’s Law Center’s materials: http://www.nwlc.org/details.cfm?id=2860&section=tax

NAEYC: Comments on Major Legislation in 2005

• CCDBG (Child Care & Development Block Grant)
• Head Start
• Higher Education