Education

Legislative Report

November 09, 1981 5 min read
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as of 5 p.m. on Nov. 4

Senate House

APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE DEPARTMENTS OF EDUCATION AND HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FOR FISCAL 1982 (HR 4560). House completed action Oct. 6 on a bill that would provide $13,941 billion for the Education Department. Senate Appropriations subcommittee completed mark-up Sept. 23 on bill that would provide $13,981. Senate full committee action has been scheduled for Nov. 5.

Pending inAppropriationsCommitteePassedOct. 6H Rep 97-251

APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR AND OTHER AGENCIES FOR FISCAL 1982 (HR 4035). Would provide $136 million for the National Endowment for the Humanities, $149million for the National Endowment for the Arts, and $12 million for the Institute of Museum Services. Senate passed S Rep 97-166 Oct. 27. House passed H Rep 97-163 July 22. Conference committee met Nov. 4.

ConferenceconcludedConferenceconcluded

APPROPRIATIONS FOR INDEPENDENT AGENCIES FOR FISCAL 1982 (HR 4034). Compromise bill would provide $1.07 billion for the National Science Foundation, including $27.4 million for science education. (House passed H Rep 97-163 July 21; Senate passed S Rep 97-162 July 30. Conference committee met Sept. 11.)

ConferenceconcludedPassedSept. 15H Rep 97-222

APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR FISCAL 1982 (HR 4119). Would provide $22.7 billion for the Department of Agriculture, including $3.21 billion for child nutrition programs. The school lunch program would receive $2.04 billion, and the school breakfast program would receive $335 million. House passed H Rep 97-172 July 27. Senate passed S Rep 97-242 Oct. 22. Conference committee met Nov. 4.

ConferenceconcludedConferenceconcluded

SCHOOL BUSING (S 1760). Would prohibit federal judges from ordering busing for racial balance and would permit previously issued busing orders to be challenged in federal court. Sponsored by Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, which reported the bill to the full committee Nov. 3.

Pending inJudiciaryCommittee No action

LEGAL SERVICES CORPORATION ACT EXTENSION (S 1533, HR 3480). Senate bill would authorize funds for the Legal Services Corporation through fiscal 1984. House bill would authorize the corporation, which provides free or low-cost legal assistance to low-income people, through fiscal 1983.

S 1533reportedJuly 29S Rep 97-171HR 3480passedJune 18HR 97-97

TUITION TAX RELIEF (S 550). Would allow parents of private-school students a tuition tax credit of up to 50 percent of educational expenses, beginning with a $250 maximum credit next year. Sponsored by Robert Packwood (R-Ore.), and Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-N.Y.). Senate Finance subcommittee held hearings on June 3 and 4; full committee voted against including a tuition tax credit provision in the omnibus tax cut measure. House Education subcommittee held hearings on Sept. 22. No further action scheduled.

HearingsconcludedHearingsconcluded

FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING (HR 3231). Would authorize $87 million to encourage the teaching of foreign languages in schools and colleges, including $10 million for states to set up model foreign-language programs in local school systems. Referred to two education subcommittees: The Subcommittee on Elementary, Secondary, and Vocational Education took no action. The Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education--whose chairman, Paul Simon (D-Ill.), is the bill’s sponsor--held hearings July 14 and 15 and Sept. 25., and reported the bill to the full committee Oct. 7. The bill was ordered reported on Oct. 20.

No action

Orderedreportedout ofEducationand LaborCommittee

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION (SJ Res 41). Would forbid preferential treatment in education, such as the establishment of numerical quotas based on the race, sex, or national origin of students. Sponsored by Orrin Hatch (R-Utah). Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution held hearings on June 11 and 18, and on July 16, dealing with the impact and costs of affirmative action.

Hearingsto continueNo action

TRUTH-IN-TESTING (HR 1662). Would require the disclosure of standardized test information, including questions and correct answers, to test-takers. Sponsored by Ted Weiss (D-N.Y.). House Education and Labor Committee held hearings on testing on July 21 and 22 and Nov. 4 and 5.

No actionHearingsto continue

FAMILY PROTECTION (HR 3955, HR 311, S 1378). All three bills are versions of the Family Protection Act introduced in 1979 by Sen. Paul Laxalt (R-Nev.). All would allow voluntary prayer in public schools; would permit parents to release children from parenting courses; would require that parents be notified when unmarried minors receive birth control guidance from a federally-funded organization; would prevent the use of federal funds for educational materials that denigrate the role of women “as it traditionally has been understood"; would give local schools authority over the mixing of boys and girls in sports and other school activities; would repeal Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; and would prevent Legal Services Corporation funds from being used for court action involving divorce, abortion, homosexuality, or school desegregation. S 1378 is sponsored by Roger Jepson (R-Iowa). HR 311 is sponsored by George Hansen (R-Idaho). HR 3955 is sponsored by Albert Smith (R-Ala.).

Referred tocommitteeHR 3955referred tocommitteeHR 311referred tocommittee

bills enacted

CONTINUING RESOLUTION FOR FISCAL 1982 (Public Law 97-51). Joint resolution signed Oct. 1 would permit spending for federal programs to continue through Nov. 20. Bill would provide spending levels at the 1981 level, or the House-passed level, whichever is lower. (House and Senate passed HJ Res 325 Sept. 30.)

OMNIBUS BUDGET RECONCILIATION ACT FOR FISCAL 1982 (Public Law 97-35). Compromise bill signed August 13 will consolidate 28 education programs into a $589-million package of block grants to states; will deregulate Title I and cap its authorization at $3.48 billion each year through 1984; and will reduce funding levels for most other federal education programs. Child-nutrition programs will be reduced by $1.4 billion, including cuts in school-breakfast and nutrition-education programs. (House passed HR 3982 June 26; Senate passed S 1377 June 25. Both chambers passed conference committee report HR 97-208 July 31.)

TAX INCENTIVE ACT OF 1981 (Public Law 97-34). Omnibus tax cut bill signed Aug. 13 includes a provision allowing taxpayers to take a deduction, in addition to the standard deduction, for contributions made to schools and other nonprofit institutions. Twenty-five percent of the first $100 in contributions can be deducted in 1982 and 1983, increasing to 25 percent of the first $300 in 1984. The full amount of charitable contributions can be deducted in 1985. Another provision raises the deduction for businesses that donate equipment to schools. (House passed HR 4242 July 29; Senate passed an amended version of that bill July 31. House passed conference report H Rep 94-176 Aug. 3; Senate passed S Rep 97-215 Aug. 4.)

A version of this article appeared in the November 09, 1981 edition of Education Week as Legislative Report

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