NAEYC Update

NAEYC Update December 21, 2005

FEDERAL BUDGET RECONCILIATION AND OTHER FUNDING BILLS STILL IN FLUX

Thank you to everyone who made calls and contacted Congressional offices to stop an unfair budget reconciliation bill that would cut child care, health care and student loans for low income children, and would reduce funds for child support collection enforcement. Your calls made a big difference by making the issues so clear, which made the vote very close.

Today, the Senate took up the budget reconciliation conference. Senator Kent Conrad of North Dakota, ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, successfully raised a Point of Order that in effect, it “amended” the bill by deleting a provision relating to Medicaid and hospitals. The vote on final passage was 51-50. Vice President Cheney made the tie-breaking vote. Five Republicans (Snowe of Maine, DeWine of Ohio, Collins of Maine, Smith of Oregon, and Chafee of Rhode Island), Independent Jeffords of Vermont, and all Democrats voted against the conference report.

Because the conference report was changed before final passage, it now goes back to the House of Representatives for another vote. This provides an opportunity to make sure that your Representatives really understands all the impacts of the bill for children and families. When the House voted last Monday at 6 am by a close vote of 212-206, they had not had much time to read and understand all the complex policy and funding changes in the 774-page conference report.

WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS?

We are not sure when the House will take up the reconciliation conference report. It could be this week, next week, or January. We will let you know when the House is taking up the bill so that you can reach Representatives in time.

For a clear summary of the impacts of the bill, please go to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities at http://www.cbpp.org/12-20-05bud.htm

Other news: As of 5:00 pm December 21, the Senate has not finished the Department of Defense appropriations bill, which has attached to it the relief funds for Katrina as well as the cut-across-the-board to all discretionary programs (exempting veterans programs). They have not yet voted on the Labor/Health and Human Services/Education appropriations bill.

Thank you again for all of your efforts. Best wishes for the holidays from NAEYC.