[AAACE-NLA] Re Public Policy Alert

[AWoodc3207@aol.com]

Adult Education & Literacy Colleagues:
 
Some good news and bad news:
 
Good News:  In the early morning hours of May 19, the House passed its  
Budget Resolution for FY 07 which contained an added $7.1 billion in allocations  
for health, education and social service programs matching an addition by the  
Senate in its Budget Resolution.   This is a result of advocacy  efforts of 
combined agencies in the health and human services field (some  of you may have 
been personally involved in them) and shows that these efforts  can work.
 
The Bad News:  Many of you probably already know this, too, but  this 
increase will need to be offset by cuts in other programs with the  "Entitlements" 
(medicare, medicaid, and other for the poor and elderly) being  the most likely 
choices.  I think we know that such cuts will hit our adult  learners and 
their families the hardest which should be a major concern to all  of us.  It's 
hard to concentrate on reading when your worried about  keeping food on the 
table, keeping critical home utilities from being shut off,  or obtaining needed 
medical care for self and family.
 
At the risk of preaching to the choir, I'm going to add that my  ProLiteracy 
America advisory that sent this news cautioned that this is  just one step and 
there are many more to go to the final appropriation  for adult basic 
education and literacy.  Some of the problems with the  House Budget were already 
being advised through sites I learned of from  this listserv.  They are excellent 
sources for keeping track of  congressional budget actions.
 
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities  (_http://www.cbpp.org_ 
(http://www.cbpp.org) )
 
Coalition on Human Needs (_http://www.chn.org_ (http://www.chn.org) )
 
My thanks to those on this list who were involved in the effort to  obtain 
this budget increase.  Let's all stay vigilant to ensure it's not  lost, or done 
on the backs of people who can least afford it.
 
Woody Woodcock
Central Alabama Laubach Literacy Council
Montgomery, Alabama
    
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.literacytent.org/pipermail/aaace-nla/attachments/20060520/a3d0ee70/attachment.html