Education-Related Panels in the 106th Congress

1999 Legislative Highlights

ESEA: The Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the main federal law for K-12 programs, is up for reauthorization this year. President Clinton and members of Congress are now writing plans to revamp or overhaul programs within the ESEA such as Title I, impact aid, the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act, and bilingual education. The Department of Education’s legislative proposal is expected to be released this month, and congressional Republicans are expected to announce their proposals in coming weeks.

Fiscal 2000 Budget: The House and the Senate have passed their respective, nonbinding budget resolutions, which call for increases in spending on K-12 education. In February, President Clinton released an appropriations proposal that would increase Department of Education spending for discretionary programs by 3.6 percent, from $33.5 billion to $34.7 billion. House and Senate appropriators will write their own spending plans in coming months, and GOP members hope to drastically increase funding for special education state grants. Fiscal 2000 begins Oct. 1, meaning final appropriations bills or a continuing resolution must be passed by that deadline.

‘Ed-Flex': The House and the Senate have passed competing versions of a bill to expand the Educational Flexibility Partnership Act, which releases qualifying states and districts from some federal rules in exchange for greater accountability. At issue is a GOP-backed amendment in the Senate version that would allow states to use $1.2 billion in fiscal 1999 funding for either class-size reduction--a priority of President Clinton’s--or special education programs. A conference committee will meet in coming weeks to work out a compromise bill.

School Construction: The House and the Senate are considering 11 plans to offer federal aid to help build new schools and modernize existing ones. In addition to the president’s five-year, $3.7 billion proposal to help districts pay the interest on construction bonds, several Republicans have proposed plans that would amend the federal tax code to help reduce construction costs.

‘Dollars to the Classroom’ Act: The House GOP omnibus education bill, HR 2, would encourage federal and state officials to channel 95 percent of federal K-12 funds to the classroom level. During the ESEA reauthorization, the GOP is expected to advance block-grant plans, including a plan that would combine funding for 31 education programs.