Ongoing Issues

Current Idaho Legislature Committees & Issues

Improving Head Start Act of 2007

	Summary of the "Improving Head Start Act of 2007" Final Conference Report HR 1429
	Summary of the Secretary's Panel on the Re-Designation of Head Start Grantees
	Letter from the Honorable Michael O. Leavitt, Secretary US Dept. Health & Human Services

Blair Hyatt
Executive Director
Pennsylvania Head Start Association
3700 Vartan Way
Harrisburg , PA 17110
717-526-4646
www.paheadstart.org

Dear Friends:

This Legislative E-Update has been sent to Head Start directors, the NHSA Board, Head Start State and Regional Association presidents, executive directors, and parents. Please share it with others in your network.

The United States Congress is in recess for its Spring District Work Period (March 17-28).  

As part of our continuing effort to help members of the Head Start community better understand the complexities of Congress and the legislative process, we’ve included the following information briefly describing the importance of the power centers of congress through congressional leadership and the committee system.

The United States Congress consists of two legislative bodies, the House of Representatives and the Senate. There are 435 members in the House of Representatives and 100 senators in the U.S. Senate. Members of the House of Representatives serve two-year terms, while senators serve six-year terms.

In the 2008 elections, all members of the House Representatives and one-third of the U.S. Senate are up for re-election.      

Centers of Power

Congress operates under the committee system – 435 members of the House Representatives and 100 Senators are assigned by their respective leadership to House and Senate committees. The committees have legislative authority over policy concerning areas of national interest such as education (e.g., Head Start), health, transportation, housing, energy agriculture, social security, and so on (see list of congressional committees below).

Congressional leadership is determined by the political party — Democratic, Republican, or Independent — that has the majority (made up of at least 50 percent plus one of the elected members of congress). The party that controls the leadership also, consequently, controls the chairmanship of the committees and the agenda of the respective chamber of congress. 

Congressional Leadership

 Political Party Breakdown of the Current 110^th Congress

The House of Representatives: 435 Representatives  

The Senate: 100 Senators

Senate

49 Democrats

49 Republicans

  2 Independents* 

House of Representatives

231 Democrats

202 Republicans

    1 Independent*   (The independents are included in the Democratic total.)

Legislative power in the 2^nd session of the 110^th Congress is held by the Democrats, who have the majority of elected members in both the House and Senate and who, therefore, control Congress.

Power Centers in Congress Concentrated in the Leadership

The top position of power in the Senate is the Senate Majority Leader. The majority leader is elected by the members of the political party that hold the majority. The majority leader controls the scheduling of legislation that is up for consideration, refers bills to committees, appoints a chairman and members to committees, and is the representative of his or her political party in the Senate. Similarly, the Speaker of the House of Representatives controls the scheduling of legislation for consideration; appoints a chairman and members to committees; and is the leader of the political party in the House.

Current Leadership in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives

                                                Senate

Majority Party                                                           Minority Party                                              

                                                Vice President

                                                Richard Cheney

Senate Majority Leader                                               Senate Minority Leader

Harry Reid (D-Nev.)                                       Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)

                           House of Representatives

Speaker of the House                                                  Minority Leader

Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)                                          John Boehner (R-Ohio)

House Congressional Committees

• Agriculture
• Appropriations
• Armed Services
• Budget
• Education and Labor
• Energy and Commerce
• Financial Services
• Foreign Affairs
• Homeland Security
• House Administration
• Judiciary
• Natural Resources
• Oversight and Government Reform
• Rules
• Science and Technology
• Small Business
• Standards of Official Conduct
• Transportation and Infrastructure
• Veterans’ Affairs
• Ways and Means
• Joint Economic Committee
• Joint Committee on Printing 
• Joint Committee on Taxation
• Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
• House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming

The Role of Congressional Staff in the Legislative Process

Critically important to the leadership’s success in the legislative process, is the role of congressional staff. The congressional staff serves an essential function to the members of congress on a wide range of issues. They are in some cases surrogate members of Congress and serve as top national policy advisors.  

Personal congressional staffs consist of the following positions:

·        Legislative Assistant - who is an expert on assigned legislative issues.

·        Press Secretary - who advises on matters related to the press and maintains communication with constituents and the general public.

·        Caseworker – who helps with requests from constituents and who assists constituents in navigating the bureaucracy of federal agencies such as Social Security, veteran’s benefits, and so forth.

Committee staff: serve as experts on technical issues and advisors before the committees; set hearing schedule; and bill mark-up and floor action.

Professional Associations

In Washington D.C. there are numerous associations and organizations, both public and private that influence legislation and public policy. These groups also educate Congress and the Executive Branch on public policy matters.

Examples of professional organizations that influence and educate the legislative and executive branches of government:

·        National Head Start Association (NHSA)

·        The American Medical Association (AMA)

·        American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)

·        The American Bar Association ( ABA )

·        The National Association of Realtors (NAR)

·        The National Bankers Association (NBA)  

·        National League of Cities (NLC)

·        National Association of Counties (NACO)

·        National Governors Association (NGA)

·        National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL)

·        United States Conference of Mayors (USCM)

Public Policy, Legislative, and Educational Resources

Here are some resources that will help you stay informed on current public policy and legislative issues.

C-SPAN Washington Journal

Topic: U.S. and Global Economy

Dear Friends:

 This Legislative E-Update has been sent to Head Start directors, the NHSA Board, Head Start State and Regional Association presidents, executive directors, and parents. Please share it with others in your network.

 U.S. Representative Loretta Sanchez, a Head Start Alumnus, Calls for Head Start Funding to Meet New Program Requirements

 Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, from California ’s 47^th Congressional District, reached out to the National Head Start Association for assistance and technical support in crafting a “Dear Colleague” sign-on letter that will be sent to the U.S. House of Representatives Budget Committee on March 12, 2008. The letter highlights the importance of Head Start and requests $7.8 billion for Head Start in the Fiscal Year 2009 Budget — the funding needed to ensure that important program improvements mandated under the law can be carried out. Head Start has, unfortunately, experienced an 11-percent real decline in funding from Fiscal Year 2002 through Fiscal Year 2008. As a result of these recent cuts, Head Start programs have been able to serve only 42 percent of the eligible population of children and families. Attached is the list of signatories to date.

Call to Action:

Please call or lookup your U.S. Representative and strongly urge him or her to sign-on to Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez’s Dear Colleague letter to the House Budget Committee requesting $800 million for Head Start in FY 2009. 

To contact your representative, calls the Capitol Hill switchboard at 202/224-3121.

The letter has a deadline of March 12, 2008. 

_________________________

Dear Colleague Letter to the House Budget Committee:

Honorable Loretta Sanchez

United States House of Representatives

Washington , DC ,  

Dear Chairman Spratt and Ranking Member Ryan:

As you prepare the Fiscal Year 2009 House Budget Resolution, please consider the Head Start program a top priority and include $7.8 billion for this critical program, $800 million above the President’s request.

We understand the serious constraints on the federal budget, but we believe it is unwise to consistently penalize one of the best performing federal programs with a budget figure lower than what is needed to keep pace with inflation.  Head Start currently only serves 42% of the children and families that are eligible for the program.  The program has also been subject to an 11% real cut in funding between FY2002 to FY2008.  Additionally, Congress made important reforms to Head Start by passing the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act which was signed into law this past December.  This law has the potential to further improve the quality of Head Start programs, but that potential will be at risk if Head Start continues to be under-funded. 

The purpose of Head Start is to improve the school readiness of low-income children by enhancing their cognitive, social, and emotional development in a learning environment that supports children's growth in language, literacy, mathematics, science, social and emotional functioning, creative arts, and physical skills.  Year after year, Head Start programs around this nation have served this purpose and transformed the lives of children and their families in dramatic ways.

Enrollment in Head Start can break the cycle of poverty that affects too many American families.  Children who are in the program are better prepared to learn and have higher self-esteem and more advanced social behavior when they enter school.  They also score higher on school readiness measures such as verbal achievement, perceptual reasoning, and social competence than children who did not attend preschool.  The most efficient way to reduce the achievement gap between certain affluent and disadvantaged students in the 12^th grade is to reduce the achievement gaps that exist in the 1^st grade.

Head Start also creates an economic benefit for the country; for every one dollar spent on Head Start, the country realizes almost nine dollars in benefits through participants’ increased earnings, decreased welfare dependence, and other factors. 

Head Start is an investment in our future that merits adequate funding so the program can continue to provide much needed education and health services to America ’s most vulnerable children.  Please include $7.8 billion for Head Start in the Fiscal Year 2009 House Budget.  Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez

1230 Longworth HOB

202-225-2965

 ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­AAPD Partners with Head Start

 The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) and the Office of Head Start (OHS) have just announced a partnership to help combat children’s tooth decay. According to the announcement, AAPD was awarded a five-year, $10 million contract by OHS to establish dental homes for one million children enrolled annually in Head Start. A dental home signifies that children’s oral health care is delivered by dentists to children through an ongoing relationship that is comprehensive, continuously accessible, coordinated and family-centered.

Healthy Smiles, Healthy Children: The Foundation of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry will also support the initiative through a sponsorship from Johnson & Johnson Healthcare products.

During an award ceremony held at the Edward C. Mazique Parent Child Center , a Head Start center in the nation’s capitol, Maryland Congressman Elijah Cummings recalled the tragic story of a child who died as a result of his family’s inability to address his dental problems due to their financial situation and then congratulated the partnership. 

For more information on the AAPD and Office of Head Start initiative, go to www.aapd.org.   

 Economy Not Headed into Recession According to President Bush

 With President Bush signing a stimulus bill into law in hopes of jump starting our nation’s sluggish economy, a number of economists still remain concerned about a looming recession.

A government report by the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, which monitors the nation’s housing market, reported a decline in homes prices for 2007. This bleak news involving the housing market combined with tightened lending practices and unstable energy prices indicates that the economy is very close to entering a recession.

In response to questions posed by members of the House Financial Services Committee, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke stated that he is willing to continue lowering interest rates to support the faltering economy. To date, the Federal Reserve has lowered rates by 1.25 percentage points, and a further cut is expected when the Federal Reserve meets again on March 18.

The Bush administration and the Federal Reserve anticipate that the economy will regain its strength as a result of steady interest rate cuts and the signing of a stimulus package. Congress, however, is considering a second stimulus bill.

­­______________________

 Upcoming Event

 March Forth for Child Care and Head Start

 On March 4, children’s advocates will work together to generate thousands of e-mails to Congress in support of increased investments in child care and Head Start. Now, it’s time to March Forth once again!

 On March 4, 2008, please join the national partner organizations below as we March Forth:

• American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
• Center for Law and Social Policy
• Early Care and Education Consortium
• Fight Crime: Invest in Kids
• National Association for the Education of Young Children
• National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies
• National Head Start Association
• National Women’s Law Center
• Service Employees International Union
• Voices for America ’s Children

 On that day, these organizations will be asking their members, friends, and colleagues to e-mail Congress requesting increased investments for child care and Head Start for FY 2009 — and we invite you to do the same. In order to keep these two vital supports for children and families on the congressional agenda, we must continue to show Congress why these increased investments are necessary.

 We’ll send a preliminary alert to our field here at NWLC requesting that individuals and organizations start gearing up to participate in March 4 activities. Included in that message will be a link to a March Forth resource page that will feature sample text and images you can use for your own alerts and web content.

 If you have any questions, please contact Melanie Ross Levin (mrosslevin@nwlc.org) at the National Women’s Law Center . 

 We look forward to Marching Forth with all of you!

 Dollar per Child

 Thank you to those of you who have already begun sending your donations for the 2008 Dollar per Child campaign.

Please continue to mail checks to NHSA Dollar per Child Campaign, P.O. Box 890080 , Charlotte , NC 28289-0080 . Be sure to note which program, state, or region your donation is representing.  

Dear Friends:

This Legislative E-Update has been sent to Head Start directors, the NHSA Board, Head Start State and Regional Association presidents, executive directors, and parents. Please share it with others in your network.

The National Head Start Association held its 24^th Annual Parent Training Conference in Indianapolis , Indiana , December 14-18, 2007. The gathering offered the participants, formal and informal opportunities for cross exchanges with colleagues in early child care and exposure to best practices and networking. The conference also included Special Tracks and Educational Sessions presented by practitioners in the education and public policy field.  

As you are aware, the Improving Head Start Act for School Readiness Act of 2007 was approved by Congress and signed into law by President Bush on December 12, 2007.  The remaining issue was Congress’ funding of Head Start. As Congress approached adjournment, it was clear that the funding bills necessary to fund federal programs, such as Head Start, would have to be incorporated into the catch-all Omnibus Appropriations funding bill for fiscal year 2008. At the Parent Conference, we learned that Congress acquiesce to the President’s threat to veto the Omnibus funding bill if it was significantly over his budget request.  

At the conference, we learned that funding in FY 2008 for Head Start would be drastically cut to $13.7 million from the proposed $154 million increase. We were further informed that funding for Head Start programs for FY 2008 will actually be cut by $10.6 million over FY 2007, resulting in a reduction for 2008 to $6.877 billion from $6,888 billion.  

Participants at the Parent Conference were informed of the proposed reduction in funding and its impact on Head Start programs back home. Instantly, they responded by writing letters to their congressional representative and two senators.    

Impact of the $10.9 million cut to Head Start Programs  

The impact of the funding for Head Start in the approved 2008 Omnibus Appropriations Bill by $10.6 million is a reduction from $6,888 billion in FY 2007 to $6,877 billion in FY 2008. This funding cut would be equivalent to reducing Head Start and Early Head Start services to 26,506 children in FY 2008, and each Head Start and Early Head Start child would receive 3 cents per day less in services. Moreover, this funding cut would actually mean that Head Start programs would have experienced a real cut of 11 percent since FY 2002 (inflation-adjusted). This cut means that a Head Start program receiving $1 in FY 2002 is only receiving 89 cents in FY 2008.

Over the course of the next two weeks NHSA will begin the review this funding reduction. In early January we will forward an assessment of the cuts’ impact on Head Start program along with our call to action. We invite you to attend and support NHSA’s Leadership Institute taking place in Washington , DC , on January 28 - February 1, 2008. The institute will afford you the opportunity to visit with your member of congress and question their lack of support for Head Start.  

Although Congress and the President have given children and families of Head Start a “lump of coal”, that will not deter us from celebrating the Holiday Season.    

NHSA and the staff wish you a most Joyous Holiday Season and look forward to seeing the Head Start community at its Washington, DC Leadership Institute in 2008

Dollar Per Child

Thank you to those of you who have already begun sending your donations for the 2007-2008 Dollar per Child campaign.   

Please continue to mail checks to NHSA Dollar per Child Campaign, P.O. Box 890080 , Charlotte , NC 28289-0080 . Be sure to note which program, state, or region your donation is representing. Thank you for all of your support.  

WSA LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

December 19, 2007

 Head Start Funding Cut by $10 Million

In an end of the year spending bill Congress cut Head Start funding by $10 million. This could potentially mean that 324 children could lose services next year or more services could end up being cut from already overburdened programs. The spending bill passed in the House today after a long and acrimonious debate about war funding. It will be signed by the President before the holidays.

Head Start Regulations

I have received a number of calls about how the regulations for the new Head Start bill will be handled by the Office of Head Start. What I know right now is that the Office of Head Start will be meeting with its senior management next month to talk about a process for moving ahead. The entire regulatory process could take up to two years to completely sort out.

It sounds like there is some interest in tackling the new income eligibility requirements and the birth to 5 conversion language in the legislation as a first step. There have also been some initial discussions about who should be a member of the re-competition panel as well (remember the legislation states that HHS must seat the panel within 3 months of the bill being signed). 

Executive Director

Washington State Association of Head Start and ECEAP
841 N. Central Ave, Suite 204
Kent, WA  98032
Phone:          253-373-9100
Fax:             253-373-1321

 
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