Federal Legislative Updates
News from Capitol Hill. . .
March 5, 2010
Tell Congress That Reforming Health Care and Saving Educators' Jobs Keeps Kids--And Our Economy--On Top
MESSAGE TO THE SENATE: MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE TO SAVE JOBS!
This week the United States Senate continued work on jobs legislation, taking up a bill that includes a number of provisions NEA has called for, including:
- An extension of federal Medicaid funding – to relieve budget pressures and prevent more cuts to education funding
- Private pension funding relief – to protect retirement security
- Extension of the educator tax deduction – to recognize the sacrifices made by educators across the nation who reach into their own pockets to pay for classroom supplies.
Your e-mails to Congress on these issues were invaluable in convincing Senate leaders to include these critical provisions in this latest bill.
But, still more needs to be done to save jobs. We need to continue the call for a jobs package that includes assistance to help states create/save jobs – including education jobs. An Education Jobs Fund will have an immediate economic impact, as saving an education job involves no wait time to draw up contracts or acquire materials. It will also help keep pre-k through postsecondary institutions fully staffed with teachers, faculty, and education support professionals – thereby ensuring that class sizes don’t swell and students can get the attention they need -- at a time when many students are experiencing great stress.
E-MAIL YOUR SENATORS TODAY! Remind them that much more needs to be done to save educator jobs and spur economic recovery. Urge the Senate to take immediate action on a jobs package that includes an Education Jobs Fund – to save and create hundreds of thousands of education jobs.
Additional Information:.
See how many education jobs the House-passed bill will save/create in your state.
See how much funding your state will lose once monies under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act expire, unless Congress provides more funding in a jobs/economic recovery bill.
Message to The House And Senate: Keep Pushing For Health Care Reform Done Right!
Following the February 25 White House Health Care Summit, President Obama has endorsed finishing health care reform with an up-or-down vote. House and Senate leaders are working to finalize the language of a health care bill in order to set up the measure for passage in both chambers before the Easter break. NEA believes action on a health care bill is critical. Our nation cannot afford to let health care costs continue to spiral out of control. We must continue to encourage policymakers to support a bill that makes quality health care more affordable and accessible for all working families.
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE AND SENATORS IN CONGRESS TODAY! Tell Congress to finish the job and deliver a health reform bill that meets the needs of America’s families.
Message to The House: Support National Classified School Employees Of The Year Awards
Representatives Titus (D-NV) and Woolsey (D-CA) in the U.S. House of Representatives have introduced a bill (H.R. 2377) to create National Classified School Employees of the Year awards. These awards would recognize the essential services that education support professionals – including paraeducators, clerical assistants, school bus drivers, custodians, food service workers, technicians, custodians, school nurses, and security professionals – provide to America’s public schools and institutions of higher education. The House could vote on this bill as early as the week of March 8.
