NLA Info: Reading Bill Snagged

Tue Jun 23 11:38:11 EDT 1998

     Just to add to David's message, the July 1 deadline was imposed by 
     Congress.  My understanding is that it could also be changed, 
     extended, or removed altogether by Congress.  

     As the Globe article stated, there are two reading bills in the 
     Senate:  the Coverdell bill and the Jeffords bill.  Both would provide 
     an extra $210 million for literacy this year AND $260 million per year 
     for literacy in several subsequent years.

     The Senate has indicated it will bring up the Jeffords' bill only if 
     they know in advance that it will pass, and there are still several 
     senators that don't want that to happen.  In the meantime, the Senate 
     has passed the Coverdell bill, which is virtually identical to the 
     House-passed reading bill (the Goodling bill).  The catch is that the 
     Senate attached it to a bill that provides tax credits for private 
     school tuition -- a bill that the President has promised from Day 1 to 
     veto.  He has not vetoed it yet and, in theory, he could change his 
     mind and sign it, but this is highly unlikely.

     If a reading bill is not enacted, the current scenario neutralizes the 
     issue for the upcoming elections (i.e.  The Democrats can blame the 
     GOP for not passing the reading bill (the Jeffords bill), and the GOP 
     can blame the President for vetoing the reading bill (the Coverdell 
     bill).

     Key senators at this point are Trent Lott from Mississippi (the 
     Majority Leader), Tom Daschle of South Dakota (the Minority Leader) 
     Paul Coverdell from Georgia, Jim Jeffords of Vermont, and other 
     members of the Senate Labor Committee. 

     Alice Johnson
     National Institute for Literacy

______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: NLA Info: Reading Bill Snagged
Author:  nla at world.std.com at inet
Date:    6/23/98 8:02 AM

NLA Colleagues,

Today's Boston Globe carries an article indicating that Congress may not 
pass the $210 reading improvement bill.  The Senate needs to act this 
week, and then the House and Senate reading bills need to be reconciled. 
Not much time before July 1 to do that.

The article may be found on-line at

http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe/globehtml/174/ 
Bill_to_improve_reading_is_snagged_.htm

David J. Rosen
NLA List Moderator
<DJRosen at world.std.com>

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<wire_header>
<font size=+2><b>Bill to improve reading is snagged in Congress</b></font> 
</wire_header>

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<wire_source>
<font size=-1>
<b>By Associated Press, 06/23/98</b> 
</font>
</wire_source>

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<wire_body><img src=/globe/images/dropcaps/W.gif align=left>ASHINGTON - 
Congress may miss the deadline to spend $210 million on helping youngsters to 
improve their reading skills because of a dispute raised by attaching the 
measure to a bill President Clinton opposes.

Because of an agreement last year in budget negotiations, a literacy bill 
must be passed and signed into law by July 1 for the money to be spent on the 
reading program this fiscal year. Otherwise, the money will be spent on 
educating children with disabilities.

For the Republicans who control Congress, that is not all bad. They have been
accusing the Clinton administration of providing too little for states and local
school districts to meet federal requirements for educating the disabled. The 
Republicans call that requirement the biggest ''unfunded mandate'' in education.

But the administration has begun chastising Congress for its inaction.

Clinton campaigned on improved literacy in 1996 and proposed an ''America 
Reads'' bill early in 1997. Without a bill, there would be no new program to 
target early readers.

The administration has proposed no increases for helping disabled children on
grounds that broader initiatives aimed at cutting class sizes will help the 
disabled along with all other students.

''Americans everywhere are doing their part to teach our children to read: 
parents, teachers, librarians, volunteers, businesses, community groups,'' 
Education Secretary Richard Riley said last week at an appearance with Hillary 
Rodham Clinton. ''Even the children themselves are working very hard this 
summer. But Congress is sitting on a Senate bill that would give $210 million to
improve child literacy.''

Congress would have to do a lot in less than a week.

The House passed a reading bill last November. The Senate Labor and Human 
Resources Committee reported out a version last month. If the Senate acts this 
week, the two versions still must be reconciled. 
</wire_body>

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This story ran on page A08 of the Boston Globe on 06/23/98. 
 
&copy <a href="/globe/search/copyright.htm">Copyright</a> 1998 Globe Newspaper 
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