ACTION NEEDED: Federal Appropriations

Last week, the U.S. Senate made the first procedural move to advance a number of non-controversial spending measures for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 as early as this week. At the moment, the grouping, or "minibus," includes Commerce, Justice, Science; Agriculture; Interior and the Environment; Transportation, Housing and Urban Development; and Military Construction, Veterans Affairs. While those bills are taking center stage, we learned that negotiations are active behind the scenes on the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-H) bill, which includes federal funding for education programs. A current likely scenario [in a fast-changing climate] is that the top-line number for the Labor-H bill will land somewhere between the Senate's level-funding approach and the House's proposed major increase, leaving some additional money for FY 2020. The most likely outcome is that the bulk of extra Labor-H funding would go toward the National Institutes of Health. Any other excess could go toward education and may likely increase the major formula grants to states, including special education.

CEC has developed a Call to Action so members can engage in a final push on FY 2020 spending through a letter-writing campaign. The template letter calls for spending increases to the following programs:

• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Grants to States Program (Part B)
• IDEA Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities Program (Part C)
• IDEA Preschool Program (Part B Section 619)
• IDEA National Activities (Part D)
• National Center for Special Education Research, within the Institute for Education Sciences

To join in this call to action, please follow this link.