[NLA] Heads Up ... Final Appropriations Push Starting 12/9

[Jon Randall]

THE FINAL ADVOCACY EFFORT OF 2002!

As soon as we finish work on the Breaux-Hatch NIFL Letter in the Senate,
we'll need to make one more appeal for federal funding this year. Although
the House and Senate won't be meeting again until January 7th, staff members
of Senators and Congresspersons will be trying to hammer out an agreement on
appropriations bills for the fiscal year that started October 1, 2002.

Before they left, the House and Senate passed a continuing resolution
funding the government at last year's levels through January 11th. If staff
can reach an agreement before they return, the first bill passed by the new
Congress will be a single omnibus appropriations bill that rolls into one
bill the contents of all remaining appropriations bills for FY'03.

Our effort during December will be critical. One of two possible scenarios
will play out. Either Congress will adhere to President Bush's spending cap,
which means that the only way some programs can be increased is if others
loose funding. The other and less likely scenario is that Congress will
decide to exceed the President's spending cap. In this case, we will want to
be one of the squeaky wheels that gets the grease. In the first and more
likely scenario, we must advocate so adult education funding is at least
preserved at last year's level. Either way, the stakes will be high.

Stay tuned for the alert on December 9th. The work each of us does on the
NIFL letters in the Senate - and what we did in the House - builds
visibility for adult literacy, which is critical in situations like the need
for this last-ditch appropriations push.

Best,
Jon


Jon Randall
Public Policy Committee Chair
National Coalition for Literacy
www.natcoalitionliteracy.org

NCL policy efforts are supported in part by funding from ProLiteracy
Worldwide

FedStrategics, LLC
strategic advocacy & public affairs consulting
to charitable organizations
www.FedStrategics.com

8413 Park Crest Drive, Silver Spring, MD 20910
Tel: (301) 588-5304   Fax: (301) 588-5353
jrandall at FedStrategics.com



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