NLA Alert: Senate Subcommittee Level-Funds Appropriations

[Mary Kern]

Wednesday, September 2 the Ohio Coalition for Adult Basic and Literacy Education
faxed letters to Sen. Specter and Byrd expressing our concern over the proposed
appropriations for adult ed.  Contact was also made with Sen. Dewine's regional
representative. The response from Dewine's office is he  does not support cuts in
adult education funding (this includes level funding)  A letter or, if time
dictates, phone call from the senator's office with his concerns about adult ed
funding will be sent to the appropriate parties.
We in Ohio appreciate Senator Dewine's support.

Mary Kern, Southeast Regional Director
Ohio Association for Adult and Continuing Education

Ralei at aol.com wrote:

> On Tuesday, September 1, the Senate Education Appropriations Subcommittee
> voted to keep FY99 adult education funding at the same level as this year,
> despite increases that have been approved by the House Appropriations
> Committee.
>
> The full Senate Appropriations Committee will meet on Thursday, September 3 to
> consider these and other education appropriations. Because of a technical
> "scoring change" the full committee will be allocating an additional $700
> million for education programs over and above the amount approved by the
> Senate subcommittee. It is important that we do everything possible to
> convince the committee to use some of these additional funds for adult
> education.
>
> If adult education is to receive any funding increase in FY99, it is
> imperative that the  full Senate Appropriations Committee add funding to the
> amounts approved by the subcommittee. Calls are needed NOW---Wednesday,
> September 2---to members of the Appropriations Committee, asking that Senators
> support increases in four adult education programs: state grants, national
> programs, National Institute for Literacy, and Even Start.
>
> See below for the funding levels approved by the Senate subcommittee, compared
> to the levels voted by the House Appropriations Committee:
>
>                              Senate Approps Subcommittee       House Approps
> Committee
>
> Adult Ed State Grants:            $345 million                 $365
>
> America Reads                      0                            0
>
> Even Start                         124                          135
>
> Adult Ed National Programs         5                            7
>
> National Institute for Literacy    5.5                          6
>
> In addition to the above figures, the Senate subcommittee approved a $73
> million appropriation for VISTA (an increase of $8 million), without any
> specific allocation to support VISTA's literacy activities.
>
> The National Coalition for Literacy is advocating a $500 million appropriation
> for the state grants program, $6 million for NIFL, $150 million for Even
> Start, and $12 million to support volunteer and community-based literacy
> networks through the National Programs account. Achieving these levels---even
> over several years---will require FY99 funding levels AT LEAST as high as the
> House Appropriations Committee has approved.
>
> Members of the Senate Appropriations Committee are listed below. They may be
> reached by calling the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121. Please call on
> Wednesday if at all possible.
>
> Republicans:
>
> Ted Stevens  (AK)  [Chair]
> Thad Cochran  (MS)
> Arlen Specter (PA)  [Chair of Education Appropriations Subcommittee]
> Pete Dominici (NM)
> Kit Bond (MO)
> Slade Gorton (WA)
> Mitch McConnell (KY)
> Conrad Burns (MT)
> Richard Shelby (AL)
> Judd Gregg (NH)
> Robert Bennett (UT)
> Ben Nighthorse Campbell (CO)
> Larry Craig (ID)
> Lauch Faircloth (NC)
> Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX)
>
> Democrats:
>
> Robert Byrd (WVA) [Ranking Minority Member]
> Daniel Inouye (HI)
> Ernest Hollings (SC)
> Patrick Leahy (VT)
> Dale Bumpers (AR)
> Frank Lautenberg (NJ)
> Tom Harkin (IA)  [Ranking Member of Education Appropriations Subcommittee]
> Barbara Mikulski (MD)
> Harry Reid (NV)
> Herbert Kohl (WI)
> Patty Murray (WA)
> Byron Dorgan (ND)
> Barbara Boxer (CA)
>
> Even if your Senators are not on the Appropriations Committee, it is still
> important to call them. Ask them to communicate their support for adult
> education increases to members of the Appropriations Committee. The following
> Senators are on record as supporting the funding levels advocated by the
> Coalition for Literacy:
>
> Murray (D-WA)
> Collins (R-ME)
> Snowe (R-ME)
> Durbin (D-IL)
> Reed (D-RI)
> Levin (D-MI)
> Kennedy (D-MA)
> Dodd (D-CT)
> D'Amato (R-NY)
>
> Ask these Senators to take the lead in getting the Appropriations Committee to
> increase adult ed funding levels.
>
> Also, Senators Cochran (MS), Santorum (PA), and DeWine (OH) have indicated in
> the past that they would support adult education increases.
>
> Bill Raleigh
> Laubach Literacy
> (315)-422-9121 x354
>
> email: ralei at aol.com
>