Federal Legislative Alert
(Friday, March 14, 2008)
Contact Senators Landrieu and Vitter Today!!!
Ask Your Senators to Co-Sign Wyden-Coleman Letter on Mental Health & Addictive
Disorder Parity
Now that both the House and Senate have passed their respective
version of mental health and addictive disorder parity legislation
(H.R. 1424 and S. 558), ACA and other advocates are turning up
the pressure for enactment of as strong a parity bill as possible
this year.
Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Norm Coleman (R-MN) are working
on this from the “inside,” too. The Senators have
drafted a letter to Senate Majority Leader Reid and Minority
Leader Mitch McConnell urging the resolution of differences between
the two bills. The Senators write:
“It is long overdue to finish the work started by Senators
Pete Domenici and Paul Wellstone in 1996. Now that the House
and Senate have passed their bills, millions of Americans with
mental illness and addiction and their families are counting
on us to put aside our differences and come to a bipartisan agreement.
We should not let any of the differences between theses two landmark
pieces of legislation prevent the U.S. Congress from finishing
this important job.
“In sending this letter, we want to express our strong
support for the intent of both these bills and let you know that
we stand ready to work together to end the discrimination against
people suffering with mental illness and addiction.”
Counselors are encouraged to call their Senators to ask them
to sign on to the Wyden-Coleman parity letter. We need to demonstrate
to Senate leaders that their constituents want a strong parity
bill enacted. The deadline for signing on is March 17th 2008,
so please call your Senators by the end of the week!
Sen. Mary Landrieu Senator David Vitter
Phone: (202) 224-5824 Phone: (202) 224-4623
Fax: (202) 224-9735 Fax: (202) 228-5061
www.landrieu.senate.gov
www.vitter.senate.gov
For more information, contact:
Scott Barstow
Director of Public Policy and Legislation
American Counseling Association
5999 Stevenson Avenue
Alexandria, VA 22304
703.823.9800 x234
703.405.9711 (cell)
703.823.0252 (fax)
800.347.6647 x234
703.823.6828 TDD
sbarstow@counseling.org
www.counseling.org
ACA UPDATE: Anti-Bullying Bill Introduced - Aug. 5, 2007
This week, Representative Linda Sanchez (D-CA) introduced bipartisan legislation, the Safe Schools Improvement Act of 2007 (H.R. 3132), that would increase school safety and improve student achievement by comprehensively addressing the issues of bullying and harassment. A similar bill was introduced in the last Congress by Representatives Danny Davis (D-IL) and John Shimkus (R-IL).
H.R. 3132 would amend the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act (Title IV of the No Child Left Behind Act) to require schools and districts that receive SDFSA funds to ensure that their codes of conduct specifically prohibit bullying and harassment, and that states include bullying and harassment data in their state-wide needs assessments reporting just as districts include such data in their plans to address school safety. Current federal law provides important federal support ($346.5 million in 2007) to promote school safety, but does not comprehensively and expressly focus on issues of bullying or harassment.
Specifically, H.R. 3132 would allow funds under SDFSA to be used to train school counselors, among others, in “strategies to prevent bullying and harassment and to effectively intervene when such incidents occur.” Unfortunately, the bill would not authorize any new funds to carry out bullying and harassment prevention programs, as it is meant to operate within the existing SDFSA state/local grant program, ensuring an express focus on preventing bullying and harassment as part of school safety. Thus, it is essential to urge members of Congress to fully fund SDFSA to cover this and other vital school safety programs.
This bill addresses the recommendations contained in the policy statement recently released by members of the National Safe Schools Partnership, of which ACA is a member. The policy statement, Bridging the Gap in Federal Law: Promoting Safe Schools and Improved Student Achievement by Preventing Bullying and Harassment in Our Schools, reflect consensus based on research and long-standing experience among education, civil rights, health, youth services and law enforcement organizations.
Contact your Representative and ask him/her to co-sponsor (see a list of current co-sponsors here) and support H.R. 3132, which would allow school districts to use federal Safe and Drug-Free Schools funds to prevent bullying and harassment. To send a message to your Representative on this issue, go to: http://capwiz.com/counseling/home/.
For more information on this issue, contact Chris Campbell in ACA's Office of Public Policy and Legislation at (800) 347-6647 x-241 or by e-mail at ccampbell@counseling.org.
Anti-bullying Resources:
ACA UPDATE: House Passes Student Aid Bill: Includes Loan Forgiveness for Counselors! - July 12, 2007
This week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed sweeping legislation that would make some of the biggest changes in student-aid policy in a generation by slashing nearly $19-billion in government subsidies to lenders and using the savings to expand federal assistance to students, make college loans more affordable, and reduce the federal deficit. The bill, H.R. 2669, the “College Cost Reduction Act of 2007,” passed by a vote of 273 to 149.
The legislation, a "budget reconciliation" measure, would cut government subsidies to lenders by a little over half a percentage point and raise the maximum Pell Grant award by $500 over four years. It would also reduce by half the interest rate on federal student loans for undergraduates over five years, and make several changes aimed at helping borrowers who have taken on large amounts of debt, including providing loan forgiveness for counselors!
H.R. 2669 includes a manager’s amendment that specifically adds school counselors who work full-time in a low-income (i.e., Title 1) school to a list of individuals eligible for limited federal student loan forgiveness under the Higher Education Act. The amendment was sponsored by Rep. George Miller (D-CA) who chairs the House Education and Labor Committee. Under the House bill, an "eligible borrower" would receive up to a maximum of $5,000 in loan forgiveness for an outstanding Federal Stafford Loan or Federal Direct Stafford Loan, on a first-come, first-served basis, and subject to the availability of appropriations. "An eligible borrower" is defined as someone with NO outstanding balance on a FFEL or Direct Loan as of the date of enactment of the law, and who has been employed full-time for at least 5 consecutive, complete school, academic, or calendar years as a school counselor in a Title 1 school.
In addition, H.R. 2669 would provide loan forgiveness for eligible Federal Direct Loans borrowers who have been “public sector” employees for 10 years AND made 120 income contingent payments on their Direct Loans. The bill defines a “public sector” job as a full-time job in:
The Senate version of the bill--the Higher Education Access Act-- has cleared the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, but has not been addressed by the full Senate. The Senate bill contains enough critical differences that drafting an eventual compromise bill between the two chambers could be complicated. Those negotiations will probably take place this fall.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Currently, counselors cannot receive loan repayment as a result of the House vote. The House-passed language must also be approved by the Senate, signed into law by the president, outlined under regulations developed by the U.S. Department of Education, and funded by Congress before any money can be disbursed.
ACA UPDATE: Senate Spending Panel Approves $40 Million for School Counseling Program - June 22, 2007
Yesterday, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a spending bill for the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (Labor-HHS-ED) for fiscal year 2008. The Senate measure would fund the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program (ESSCP) at $40 million for next year. Although this amount is $5.35 million more than the current year’s allocation of $34.7 million, it is $21.5 million less than the figure approved by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on June 7th (see June 11th ACA Latest News).
It in unclear at this time when the full Senate will take up the Labor-HHS-Ed funding bill. Appropriations staff have said the bill will most likely reach the Senate floor in July. The timeframe for action after that is uncertain given the tight Congressional calendar and competing legislative priorities. The House Appropriations Committee still must approve its Labor-HHS-ED bill before it can advance to the House floor. The House Appropriations Committee mark up has been postponed indefinitely. Another possible monkey wrench is President Bush’s threats to veto any spending bill that exceeds his budget request. So stay tuned….
As the appropriations process moves forward, ACA will work to urge House and Senate members charged with reconciling their chambers’ spending bills to support the House-approved funding level of $61.5 million for ESSCP.
In the meantime, counselors are urged to take action by going to our Legislative Action Center: http://capwiz.com/counseling to send a message to your Senators and Representative to urge them to support the House-approved funding level of $61.5 million for ESSCP in the final Labor, Health and Human Services and Education appropriations bill for fiscal year 2008. For more information, contact Chris Campbell at 800-347-6647, ext. 241, or by e-mail at: ccampbell@counseling.org.
ACA UPDATE: House Panel Approves Big Increase for School Counseling Program! - June 8, 2007
Yesterday, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (Labor-HHS-ED) approved a spending measure that would boost funding for the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program (ESSCP) to $61.5 million for fiscal year 2008. This is a $26.85 million increase over last year, and the highest funding level yet for the program! (Last year, the same House panel—albeit under Republican leadership—approved only $22 million for the program.)
Funding the ESSCP at $61.5 million would, for the first time, allow support for counseling services in middle and high schools. Currently funded at $34.65 million, the ESSCP provides funds only for elementary schools (e.g., K-5) because the statutory trigger of $40 million has never been met. Funds beyond $40 million, the base amount for elementary programs, may then be used in middle and high schools. Under the House panel spending measure, $21.5 million would now be available for secondary schools beginning in school year 2008-09. To read the Subcommittee’s press release, go to: http://appropriations.house.gov/pdf/FY%202008%20LHHS%20Appropriations%20Subcommittee%20Markup.pdf
Next Steps
It’s important to keep in mind that passage of the Labor-HHS-ED spending bill by the House panel is merely the first step in the annual appropriations process. The full House Appropriations Committee is scheduled to approve the Labor-HHS-ED appropriations bill on June 14 th, with the bill scheduled to go to House floor for a vote the following week. The Senate will repeat the same process in the coming month (i.e., subcommittee mark-up, full committee mark-up, passage by the full Senate), and then the final bill must go to the president for his signature. The White House has stated that the president would veto any spending bills, which exceed his budget request. So stay tuned….
We are very pleased that the House Labor-HHS-ED Appropriations Subcommittee chose to ignore President Bush's request to eliminate all funding for the school counseling program, as proposed in his FY 2008 budget released in February. As the appropriations process moves forward, ACA will work to urge members of Congress to support a final funding level of $61.5 million for the ESSCP.
ACA has been spearheading the fight for more funding for the ESSCP, and we’ve joined other organization in lobbying members of the House and Senate appropriations committees responsible for education funding. However, your support is what made the difference. In the last four months, ACA members have sent nearly 1,500 e-mails and letters to members of Congress and the Administration urging them to increase funding for ESSCP. We are convinced that grassroots lobbying by ACA members and others helped save the program from elimination, and contributed to the potential, historic funding increase. Thank you, and keep up the good work!
Go to: http://capwiz.com/counseling to send a message to your Senators and Representative to urge them to support a funding level of $61.5 million for the ESSCP in the final FY 2008 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education appropriations bill.
Say Thank You
Members of Congress need (and like) to hear when they have done something good. If your member of Congress is on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor-HHS-Education (see list below), please take a moment to send him/her a thank you note for supporting the school counseling program. Go to the ACA legislative action center at www.capwiz.com/counseling to send a message now.
House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
Dave Obey (WI), Chair
Nita M. Lowey (NY)
Rosa L. DeLauro (CT)
Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. (IL)
Patrick J. Kennedy (RI)
Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA)
Barbara Lee (CA)
Tom Udall (NM)
Michael Honda (CA)
Betty McCollum (MN)
Tim Ryan (OH)
James T. Walsh (NY), Ranking Member
Ralph Regula (OH)
John E. Peterson (PA)
Dave Weldon (FL)
Michael K. Simpson (ID)
Dennis R. Rehberg (MT)
For more information, visit the ACA Public Policy web site at http://www.counseling.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=PUBLIC_POLICY, or contact Chris Campbell at (800) 347-6647 x-241 or e-mail ccampbell@counseling.org.
ACA UPDATE: Department of Education Announces Grants for the Integration of Schools and Mental Health Systems
The U.S. Department of Education, Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, announced in the March 26, 2007, Federal Register that it is accepting new applications for the 2006-07 school year for the Grants for the Integration of Schools and Mental Health Systems.
The Grants for the Integration of Schools and Mental Health Systems provide funds to state educational agencies (SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), and Indian tribes to increase student access to high-quality mental health care by developing innovative approaches that link school systems with the local mental health system. Funds may be used to enhance, improve, or develop collaborative efforts between school-based service systems and mental health service systems to provide, enhance, or improve prevention, diagnosis, referral, and treatment services to students; enhance the availability of crisis intervention services; provide training for school personnel and mental health professionals; and provide technical assistance and consultation to school systems, mental health agencies, and families.
Award Information
Applications Available: March 26, 2007.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 15, 2007.
Eligible Applicants: State educational agencies (SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), and Indian tribes.
Estimated Available Funds: $4,521,346.
Estimated Range of Awards: $150,000-$350,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $250,000.
Estimated Number of Awards: 18.
Application Information
To Request Application Package: Education Publications Center (ED Pubs), P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone (toll free): 1-877-433-7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call (toll free): 1-877-576-7734.
You may also contact ED Pubs at its Web site: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html, or you may contact ED
Pubs at its
e-mail address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov. If you request an application
from ED Pubs, be sure to identify this competition as follows: CFDA number
84.215 M.
You may also download the application from the Department of Education's Web site at: http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/grantapps/index.php
Applications for Grants for the Integration of Schools and
Mental Health Systems may be submitted electronically using
the Electronic Grant Application System (e-Application) accessible
through the Department's
e-Grants system at http://e-grants.ed.gov,
or in paper format by mail or hand delivery.
NOTE: Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 15, 2007.
To see a list of the FY 2006 Grants for the Integration of Schools and Mental Health Systems awardees, go to: http://www.ed.gov/programs/mentalhealth/fy2006awards.html.
For Further Information Contact: Dana Carr, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3E242, FB-6, Washington, DC 20202-6450. Telephone: (202) 260-0823 or by e-mail: dana.carr@ed.gov.
ACA UPDATE: National School Counseling Week - February 5-9, 2007
On February 1st, the U.S. Senate approved a resolution by unanimous consent designating the week of February 5 through February 9, 2007, as "National School Counseling Week". The resolution, S.RES.23 , was co-sponsored by Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Gordon Smith (R-OR).
ACA recognizes school counselors as they celebrate “National School Counseling Week.” School counseling programs are an integral part of the educational process that enables all students to achieve success. Counselors help parents, teachers, and administrators focus on ways to further the educational, personal and social growth of children. School counselors are actively committed to helping prepare each student to succeed in a diverse, changing world by providing counseling support that is responsive to each student’s talents, interests, and challenges.
In honor of “National School Counseling Week,” the ACA Office of Public Policy and Legislation wants to remind you about the following resources on our web site for school counselors:
Please contact Chris Campbell with ACA’s Public Policy and Legislation staff for more information at (800) 347-6647 x-241. For more information on federal issues impacting school counselors, visit www.counseling.org/public.
ACA UPDATE: Public Policy and Legislation Resources for Back to School! September 2006
For many counselors, students, and parents, this time of year means “back to school.” Navigating the policies that affect school counselors can be as daunting as the first day of school is to your students. The ACA Office of Public Policy and Legislation (PPL) is pleased to provide the following policy-related education resources for school counselors. All resources can be viewed online at:
http://www.counseling.org/PublicPolicy/TP/ResourcesAndReports/CT2.aspx.
(Note: some resources are Members Only—ACA username
and password required). Non-members can order resources
from ACA Member Services at (800) 347-6647,x222.
ACA UPDATE: ACA Part of Coalition Taking NCLB Reauthorization Proposals to Hill
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), commonly known as “No Child Left Behind (NCLB),” is due to expire in 2007. Congress must reauthorize—or revise-- the federal statute. NCLB is the major law establishing federal aid to elementary and secondary schools. NCLB-authorized programs provide services such as guidance counseling, mental health services, violence prevention activities, academic advisement, and professional development funding.
Although the NCLB is not expected to be formally reauthorized until after the 2008 presidential election, Congress has begun holding hearings and staff has begun discussions on the topic. In order to get a “jump-start” on reauthorization process, ACA lobbyist Chris Campbell, along with colleagues from the School Social Workers Association of America, and the Speech Language-Hearing Association, representing the National Alliance of Pupil Services Organizations (NAPSO), have begun meeting with key Congressional staff charged with the reauthorization of the NCLB. The purpose of the meetings is to discuss NAPSO’s principles for reauthorization of the NCLB and the important role of pupil services personnel.
NAPSO principles for the reauthorization of NCLB include:
To read the full document: NAPSO’s “Principles for the Reauthorization of ESEA,” go to: http://www.napso.org/pspNAPSOPrinciples.html.
ACA UPDATE: 2006-07 School Counseling Program Grant Recipients Named
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) has announced the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program (ESSCP) grant recipients for the 2006-2007 school year. For a complete list of the awardees, go to: http://www.ed.gov/programs/elseccounseling/awards.html.
For the 2006-2007 school year, ED is awarding just over $17 million in new ESSCP grant funds to 49 school districts in 21 states to improve elementary school counseling programs. Due to the program's statutory funding trigger, secondary schools (i.e., middle through high school) cannot benefit from the program unless total funding exceeds $40 million, with that base amount reserved for elementary schools. In addition, ED continues to fund the 46 school districts that were awarded grants in 2004 and 2005.
The Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program is the only federal program that helps school districts hire more school counselors, school psychologists, school social workers, and appropriately trained psychologists or psychiatrists. Although the program is small, it plays a critical and fundamental role in expanding students' access to necessary counseling services.
Funding for next year’s ESSCP (FY 2007) remains uncertain at this point. As mentioned in prior GR alerts, the House Appropriations Committee approved on June 13th a fiscal year (FY) 2007 spending bill for the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education would provide only $22 million for the ESSCP, a $12.7 million cut from this year’s allocation of $34.7 million. Last year, the same House panel voted to maintain level funding of ESSCP at $34.7 million. Cutting funding to $22 million would drastically reduce the number of grants available to support school counselors, school psychologists, and school social workers, and would continue to leave secondary school counseling programs without support.
The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor-HHS-Education is scheduled to consider its spending bill on July 18, with full Appropriations Committee consideration on July 20.
ACA has been working diligently to gain as high an appropriation as possible for the ESSCP program. It is imperative that counselors concerned about the program take action by contacting their members of Congress. Go to http://capwiz.com/counseling to send a message to your Representative and Senators to support a funding level of at least $34.7 million for the ESSCP in the FY 2007 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education appropriations bill.
For more information, contact Chris Campbell in ACA's Public Policy and Legislation office at 800-347-6647, ext. 241, or e-mail ccampbell@counseling.org.
For questions concerning the ESSCP, contact Loretta McDaniel at the U.S. Department of Education at (202) 260-2661. Also, visit ED's ESSCP web site at: http://www.ed.gov/programs/elseccounseling/index.php.
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