Following are brief descriptions and the status of bills to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act:
House Bills
HR 3616, the Impact Aid Reauthorization Act of 2000: Would reauthorize at $906.5 million the program designed to help school districts deal with the loss of tax revenue that results from a heavy presence of federally owned land and property, such as military bases.
Status: Passed by the House on voice vote, May 15.
HR 4141, the Education Opportunities To Protect and Invest in Our Nation’s Students (options) Act: Would reauthorize $2.4 billion in funds for school safety, technology, after-school, Title VI block grants, and other programs, with some restructuring. Also adds flexibility for states and districts to shift funds from one program to another.
Status: Passed by the House Education and the Workforce Committee, 25-21, on April 13.
HR 3222, the Literacy Involves Families Together (LIFT) Act: Would reauthorize at $500 million the Even Start initiative.
Status: Passed by the House Education and the Workforce Committee on voice vote, Feb. 16, 2000.
HR 2300, the Academic Achievement for All Act (“Straight A’s”): Would allow up to 10 states to convert most of their federal aid under the esea into block grants in exchange for new accountability measures.
Status: Passed by the House, 213-208, on Oct. 21, 1999.
HR 2, the Student Results Act: Would reauthorize $11.1 billion in funds for the Title I program for disadvantaged students; bilingual education; rural assistance; and other initiatives.
Status: Passed by the House, 358- 67, on Oct. 21, 1999.
HR 1995, the Teacher Empowerment Act: Would replace existing Goals 2000, Eisenhower professional development, and class-size-reduction programs with a more flexible $2 billion initiative aimed at improving teacher quality and hiring teachers to lower class size.
Status: Passed by the House, 239- 185, on July 20, 1999.
S 2, the Educational Opportunities Act: Would reauthorize the entire esea, increasing the authorization level to $24.9 billion. The legislation would maintain the general structure of most programs, although it would consolidate several, including President Clinton’s class-size-reduction program, into a broader teacher-quality initiative similar to HR 1995. The Senate bill would allow up to 15 states to participate in a Straight A’s pilot program. And, up to 10 states and 20 districts could participate in a so-called Title I “portability” pilot, whereby eligible students’ per-pupil allocation would follow them to the public school of their choice, or the funds could be used to pay for private tutoring services.
Status: Pulled from the Senate floor on May 9 following six days of debate. No clear schedule for resuming debate.
Links to bills courtesy of Thomas‘s legislative information site.
