Cassidy & Associates Higher Education Policy Update
May 2005
- Fiscal Year 2006 Budget and Appropriations
- Other House and Senate Activities
- National Service News
Fiscal Year 2006 Budget and Appropriations
The House and Senate both considered their Fiscal Year 2006 Budget Resolutions the week of March 14. The House Budget Resolution, H.Con.Res. 95, set a cap of $92 billion in funding for education. The Senate Budget Resolution, S.Con.Res. 18, set a cap of $97.3 billion in funding for education. The differences between the two resolutions were reconciled and passed by the House and Senate on April 28. Major provisions of the conference report included:
- Authorization of $97.3 billion in funding for education in fiscal year 2006.
- A $100 increase in the maximum Pell Grant to $4150.
- Reductions in mandatory spending of $12.7 billion over the next five years by the House Education and the Workforce Committee and $13.7 billion by the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. Much of these reductions will likely occur in student loan programs.
Other House and Senate Activities
The House of Representatives has been very active in moving forward with legislation reauthorizing education programs. The House recently passed H.R. 27, reauthorizing job training programs, and H.R. 366, reauthorizing vocational and technical education programs. Reauthorization of Head Start is also moving forward at the committee level. The Education and the Workforce Committee is also in the process of planning hearings on the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act in preparation for considering legislation.
The Senate also recently passed S. 250, reauthorizing vocational and technical education programs. Differences between the House and Senate bills bill now have to be resolved in a conference committee. One of the major differences between the two bills is the merging of Tech-Prep and Perkins funding, which occurs in the House bill but not in the Senate bill.
National Service News
David Eisner, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service recently testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education regarding the FY 2006 budget for the Corporation. The Labor/HHS/Education Appropriations bill, of which CNCS is now a part, is usually one of the last appropriations bill considered by Congress and likely will not be considered by the House of Representatives until mid to late June.
The Corporation also recently announced that $1.5 million in grant funds would be made available for “next generation” grants. According to the Corporation, Next Generation Grants will fund innovative strategies that effectively engage volunteers in service in the following two areas: engaging adults age 50+ in part-time and full-time service opportunities and improving the lives of disadvantaged youth through service and mentoring.
Cassidy & Associates is a government relations firm located in Washington D.C. For more information on Cassidy and its services, contact Lisa Bos at 202/585-2885 or lbos {at} cassidy(.)com
