Feb 5: NACAC has sent
letters opposing the President's budget
to both the House and Senate Budget Committees. Visit NACAC's
Advocacy for Students
page to see NACAC's FY09 funding recommendations.
Jan 23: Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (D-CA) has sponsored a bill to hire and train school counselors for the neediest school districts, for the purpose of improving the drop-out rate. Use NACAC's Legislative Action Center to contact your members of Congress and urge them to co-sponsor this bill!
2007
Nov 14: President Bush has vetoed HR 3043, the FY08 education appropriations bill. The vote to override the veto has been scheduled for tomorrow. Use NACAC's Legislative Action Center to contact your Representative and urge them to support HR 3043 as critical investment in America's educated workforce and global competitiveness. Pass the alert on to your colleagues!
Nov 6: The FY08 education appropriations conference report is ready for floor consideration in both chambers. The conference report provides funds for a $4,435 Pell maximum (a $125 increase), $858 million for TRIO (a $30 million increase) and $318 million for GEAR UP (a $15 million increase). The conference report also provides $50 million for ESSCP, making those funds available to high schools for the first time.
The President has maintained his veto threat on this bill, although Congressional leaders have removed the Defense Department appropriations bill from the package. Use NACAC's Legislative Action Center to contact the President and urge him to sign this bill into law.
Oct 30: Conference negotiations for the FY08 education appropriations bill is underway. The President has threatened to veto the bill, which will likely be packaged with appropriations bills for the Departments of Defense and Veteran's Affairs. Use NACAC's Legislative Action Center to urge the President to sign the FY08 education appropriations bill into law.
Oct 23: The Senate will complete work today on the FY08 education appropriations bill, and next turn its attention to S 2205, the new version of the DREAM Act. A cloture motion has been filed for S2205, which will be voted on tomorrow. The motion must pass by 60 votes if debate is to continue on the Senate floor on the DREAM Act. Contact your Senators using NACAC's Legislative Action Center to share your opinion on the DREAM Act.
Sept 24: Use NACAC's Legislative Action Center to contact your members of Congress regarding FY08 education funding!
Sept 21: Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (D-CA) has sponsored legislation (HR 3439) to hire and train school counselors for the neediest high schools, for the purpose of preventing drop outs. Use NACAC's Legislative Action Center to contact your members of Congress in support of this initiative.
Sept 17: The Senate will debate the FY08 defense authorization bill today, for which Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) will offer the DREAM Act as an amendment (SA 2237). Visit NACAC's DREAM Act page to read about NACAC's advocacy for this legislation.
Sept 12: Read NACAC's press release on the passage of the College Cost Reduction Act.
Sept 6: The conference report for the College Cost Reduction Act (HR 2669) will be voted on in both chambers in the next few days. NACAC supports this legislation as critical to college access for low-income students. Read NACAC's letter to Congress urging their support for the conference report.
Aug 6: Congress has adjourned for the summer, and will reconvene on September 4. Use this time to contact your members of Congress using NACAC's Legislative Action Center in support of school counseling.
July 17: The FY08 education appropriations bill will be debated on the floor of the House today. Please use NACAC's Legislative Action Center to contact your members of Congress and urge them to vote yes on HR 3043.
July 13: The House Appropriations Committee marked up the FY08 labor-hhs-education bill on Wednesday, July 11. Three amendments were approved by the full committee, adding funds for special education, vocational education, and Safe and Drug Free Schools. Although the bill is under a veto threat from the President for exceeding his budget requests, the bill enjoyed strong bipartisan support in the full committee, with education subcommittee ranking member James Walsh (R-NY) noting that a bill under his chairmanship would look very similar.
Floor consideration for this bill is scheduled for Wednesday, July 18. Please continue to contact lawmakers using NACAC's Legislative Action Center in support of this bill.
July 9: The House will reconvene tomorrow (July 10). The House Appropriations Committee will take up the FY08 labor-hhs-education appropriations bill this week, and it is tentatively scheduled for floor debate next week. Use NACAC's Legislative Action Center to contact your member of Congress and urge them to support the House subcommittee's bill.
July 2: Congress is now on its Independence Day recess and will reconvene on July 9. Take this time to contact your members of Congress in support for education funding.
April 18: Last week, NACAC sumbitted recommendations to the Senate and House education committees on the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA), and the No Child Left Behind Act (aka the Elementary and Secondary Education Act - ESEA). NACAC's recommendations echo our policy principles of access to quality school counseling and college preparatory curriculum, and investment in need-based student aid.
March 22: ACTION ALERT. Use NACAC's Legislative Action Center to contact your members of Congress in support of Senator Reed (D-RI)'s FAFSA Act and its House companion, the College Aid Made EZ Act, sponsored by education committee chairman Congressman George Miller (D-CA) and Congressman Rahm Emanuel (D-IL). Both bills aim to improve college access by simplifying the student aid application process.
Jan 19: Do you have a new Senator or Congressperson? Use NACAC's Legislative Action Center to find your new members of Congress, and to write a quick introductory greeting. Take a few minutes to let them know your education priorities, and to invite them to contact you with questions on college counseling and admission-related issues. Use NACAC's letter to the freshmen class of the 110th Congress as a model.
Dec 21: Read NACAC's issue brief on the cost of college text books. Congressmen Buck McKeon (R-CA) and David Wu (D-OR) asked the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance to complete a study on how text books impact the total cost of college that is due May 2007.
Dec 15: The National Center on Education and the Economy recently released "Tough Choices or Tough Times," a report on education and the American workforce. The report calls for a radical restructuring of American secondary education, including a move toward a system resembling those in several European countries. The proposal calls for a 10th grade test that would allow students who pass the test to leave high school in pursuit of various options, including work, trade/vocational school, or education leading to a bachelor's degree. Read NACAC's comments on the report.
Nov 9: NACAC submitted written testimony today to the Department of Education, in response to a call for comment on an upcoming rulemaking session for HEA Title IV programs (student financial aid). NACAC's testimony covers ACG/SMART grants, student loan repayment options, and incentive-based compensation for admission professionals.
Oct 5: NACAC announced the 2007 recipient of its "Friend of College Access" award will be Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), for his work to secure additional funds for education in the FY07 budget. The announcement was made at NACAC's 62nd National Conference in Pittsburgh, PA.
Sept 22: Earlier this week, NACAC submitted comments to the Department of Education regarding the proposed guidelines for collecting and maintaining data on students' race and ethnicity.
Aug 15: Online registration for NACAC's 2007 Legislative Conference is now open. The deadline for registration is February 1, 2007. All interested NACAC members are invited to attend. Visit the Legislative Conference page for more information, or contact NACAC staff with questions.
Aug 1: NACAC sent comments to the Department of Education today regarding proposed changes to TRIO's Upward Bound program. NACAC's concerns are that proposed regulatory changes will needlessly restrict the population of students served by the program.
May 8: NACAC signed a letter today from more than 780 education, health, and labor organization to Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL), urging the restoration of cuts to education, health, and labor programs in the FY2007 budget.
April 5: NACAC's director of public policy David Hawkins testified yesterday at a public hearing of the the Department's Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance. Visit the committee's website to read yesterday's agenda, and David's testimony.
March 2: NACAC's 2006 Legislative Conference concluded yesterday with keynote speaker Congresswoman Betty McCollum, recipient of NACAC's Friend of College Access award. Visit NACAC's Legislative Conference page to view conference advocacy materials.
Feb 13: Read NACAC's 2006 summary of the Higher Education Act Reauthorization & Reconciliation package, analyzing the portions of the HEA that were reauthorized under the reconciliation package (PL 109-171).
9.23.05: NACAC Recognizes Congressman Ric Keller as "friend of college access" at NACAC's 61st National Conference. Click here to read the press release.