The
huge Labor,
Health and Human Services and Education bill package includes almost $8
billion in new funding for education including increases in these areas:
Reducing Class Size with the third installment to hire and
train 100,000 new teachers over seven years to reduce class sizes in early
grades to 18 students per class: $450,000,000
Upgrade Teacher Skills and Quality with Eisenhower
Professional Development State Grants that help teachers improve their skills in
core academic subjects and reduce the number of uncertified and out-of-field
teachers: $250,000,000
Improve Reading and Math by increasing Title I Grants to
local education agencies which help disadvantaged students learn the basics and
achieve high standards: $639,000,000
School Renovation Grants would provide support for emergency
repairs, such as repair of roofs, plumbing and electrical systems, meeting fire
and safety codes: $1,000,000,000
21st Century After-School Programs offer families a safe
place for their children to learn during after-school and summertime hours: $547,000,000
Strengthen Accountability by accelerating state and local
efforts to improve the lowest performing Title I schools with reforms ranging
from intensive teacher training to required implementation of proven reforms to
school takeovers: $116,000,000
Comprehensive School Reform help schools develop or adapt
comprehensive school reform models that are based on reliable research and
effective practices: $40,000,000
Special Education Grants to States assist states in
providing a free appropriate public education to more than 6.3 million children
with disabilities nationally: $1,700,000,000
Pell Grants provide grant assistance to help low-income
undergraduate students attend college: $1,400,000,000 (an increase of $500 in
the maximum Pell grant)
Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants provide grant
assistance to low-income undergraduate students: $60,000,000
Federal Work-Study helps undergraduate and graduate students
pay for college through part-time work assistance: $77,000,000
Gear Up prepares low-income middle and high school students
for college by providing tutoring, counseling, and financial aid: $125,000,000
Both
the House and Senate have passed versions of the bill and passage of the
conference report will send the bill to President Clinton for his signature or
veto.
Since
Oct. 6, the U.S. Government has been operating under a series of 15
"continuing resolutions," special emergency legislation allowing
government agencies and programs to continue operations at spending levels set
by the previous budget. With the current resolution is set to expire tonight at
midnight EST, the lame duck session's first order of business will be to hustle a 16th continuing resolution
through both House and Senate and get it to President Clinton's desk.The federal government operates on a fiscal
year cycle, starting on Oct. 1 and ending on midnight Sept. 30. By
the end of the fiscal year, if Congress fails to pass regular appropriations or
continuing resolutions or if the President fails to sign or vetoes any of the appropriations
bills, nonessential activities of the federal government
may be forced to shutdown for lack of budget authority. Traditionally, most
continuing resolutions have been signed into law, which permits budget authority
to federal departments and programs until regular appropriations acts are
enacted.
So far, Congress has completed work on 12 out of 13 appropriations
bills. However, President Clinton has vetoed
three bills, sending them back to Congress for reconsideration:
Energy and
Water (Veto overridden by the House. The President signed the bill into
law on Oct. 11.)
Legislative
Branch (Reconsideration by Congress pending)
Treasury
(Reconsideration by Congress Pending)
The President has also indicated his intention to veto these spending bills:
Commerce,
Justice, State Department
District
of Columbia Operations
The current status and text of all 13 spending bills of the 2001 budget can
be viewed at the Thomas
Legislative Information System Web site: http://lcweb.loc.gov/global/legislative/appover.html
