Government Affairs Update Week of September 17
Date Posted: 09/17/2010
Dear Friends,
The summer temperatures are cooling off here in Washington, DC, but our fall agenda at NHSA is heating up. Our calendar is packed with exciting events, like our Leadership Institute and visits with your nation’s leaders to let them know about the amazing work you do every day in your programs. Congress is just coming back into session, so we don’t have tons to report. But in this Government Affairs Update, we provide you with the following:
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
- Appropriations Update
- Congressional Calendar: What’s Next
- NHSA Leadership Institute Sessions
ADMINISTRATION UPDATE
- Overview of the Redesigned T/TA System
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
Appropriations Update
Lawmakers returned to the Hill this week after their August recess with the task of completing numerous bills, including appropriations, which has a looming deadline of October 1, 2010—the end of the current fiscal year.
- As you may recall, about 7 months ago, President Obama requested 8.2 billion for Head Start for FY2011. And as of this week, the House has only approved two of the nearly dozen spending bills, while the rest – including the Labor-H bill that gives us our funding - remain pending in the House Appropriations Committee. The appropriations process is moving at about the same pace in the Senate. The full Senate has yet to pass one measure and a few bills still haven’t even been voted out of their respective subcommittees. However, Labor-H has passed out of the subcommittee, as we detailed in an earlier update.
- Appropriators often have a hard time sticking to schedule, and this year seems no different. In addition to the end of FY2010 on the Congressional horizon, lawmakers are also in the midst of working the campaign trail for midterm elections in November.
- All of this means one thing: instead of passage of a FY 2011 appropriations law, we are extremely likely to see a continuing resolution (“CR”) to keep the funds flowing. As you might know, a CR would maintain FY 2010 funding levels until the CR expires. We do not yet know how long a CR (or a series of CRs) would last, but expect the first CR to expire sometime after the November elections. Whether FY 2011 appropriations bills will pass after that is not yet known.
We will keep you posted as we learn timelines and details, but now is the time to let your Members know how important Head Start and Early Head Start funding is. Contact them today!
Congressional Calendar: What’s Next?
As we mentioned above, Congress is back in session after its August recess. The rest of its schedule has tentative dates as they move forward and assess workload, pending issues, and priorities. The House has set its target adjournment date for October 8th and the Senate has posted its tentative recess dates as October 11th to November 12th.
Lawmakers have an overflowing agenda over the next three to four weeks. In addition to appropriations bills, several other measures are up for consideration. Among them, pre-2008 tax cuts are due to expire, President Obama’s new bill containing his proposed economic plan, and several other bills such as food safety legislation and a Senate-passed child nutrition bill.
NHSA Leadership Institute: Late Breaking Session, Award Breakfast on the Hill, and so much more!
Set your watches—T minus 2 days before “Mission Possible: Accessing Opportunities on Head Start’s Horizon,” this year’s NHSA Leadership Institute is here! Your “mission possible” begins September 20-23, 2010. Should you choose to accept it, your task is to join us at the L’Enfant Plaza Hotel in Washington, DC to learn about all hot Head Start topics. In addition, you will have the opportunity to participate in this year’s special enhanced Hill visits. These visits are vital to our Head Start mission.
***We are excited to announce we have added a late breaking session, “What You Need to Know about Continuing Resolutions and the Head Start Funding Cliff” to make sure you are up-to-date on the latest in terms of Head Start funding for FY 2011 and what impact it has on our nation’s programs. During this session, we will have a practical discussion where you will learn what a CR is and what the three-month, twelve-month, and FY 2012 prospects are for getting federal lawmakers to approve a CR that would sustain ARRA funds.***
Additionally, as part of our “Mission Possible” Leadership Institute, you are cordially invited to join us for breakfast on the Hill where we will be presenting two of our nation’s leaders retiring this winter, Senator Christopher Dodd and Senator George Voinovich, with the Lady Bird Johnson Head Start Heroes Award. You do not want to miss this breakfast honoring the amazing careers of these two Senators, who have both shown incredible support for Head Start and early childhood education.
Finally, on the evening of September 22, you have an opportunity to attend Head Start’s 45th Anniversary Celebration. Here, we will honor those who made our program the success it is today—our head start pioneers, parents, staff, and alumni.
Don’t delay—your Mission Possible awaits! Register today for the Leadership Institute and/or the 45th Anniversary Celebration by clicking here.
ADMINISTRATIVE UPDATE:
Office of Head Start: Redesigned Training and Technical Assistance System
As you likely know, the Office of Head Start (“OHS”) has reworked its Training and Technical Assistance System ("T/TA") and expected to implement it this fall. The new system will be comprised of three components: National Centers; State, Migrant and Seasonal Head Start, and American Indian/Alaskan Native Centers; as well as direct funding to grantees. There will be a team of six national centers who will be responsible for communicating best practices and providing informative and practical resources for programs consistent with information from OHS. Additionally, the centers will be available to provide training at state, regional and national meetings and institutes and will work to support and communicate with program staff in a variety of ways to enhance programmatic success.
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© National Head Start Association, 2010. All rights reserved.