From Capitol Hill
Help fight religious school exclusion! The "green schools" funding and other education spending in the House stimulus package—which passed the House and is now before the Senate—restrict funding to colleges "in which a substantial portion of the functions of the facilities are subsumed in a religious mission." Also, state stabilization funds for K–12 schools are only for public schools, not religious and private schools or their students. Section 13011 of the HR 1 bill (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) states that "no recipient of funds under this title shall use such funds to provide financial assistance to students to attend private elementary or secondary schools." E-mail your elected leaders by going to CAPE and selecting the Public Policy tab and then the Legislative Action link.
—House Minority document, Non-Economic Policy Concerns with the Democrat “Stimulus” Bill, 1/27/09
Arne Duncan, the new U.S. secretary of education, was the head of Chicago public schools for seven years. It’s amazing how many people of both political parties have good things to say about his collaborative leadership style. Formerly the secretary of education under George H. W. Bush and now a U.S. senator, Lamar Alexander (R-TN) told Duncan the following during Duncan’s confirmation hearing: "President-elect Obama has made several distinguished Cabinet appointments. From my view of it all, I think you’re the best. I hope I still think that a year from now." Others who had positive views of Duncan included the outgoing education secretary, Margaret Spellings, and Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), who chaired the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions hearings because of Edward Kennedy’s (D-MA) absence. The Senate approved Mr. Duncan as secretary by unanimous consent on January 20, just after the inauguration of President Obama.
Secretary Duncan, a private school graduate, plans to "work to expand preschool, build the ranks of quality teachers and support…charter schools and performance pay." —Maria Glod, "Education Nominee Is Warmly Received in Senate," Washington Post, 1/14/09
New bills of the 111th Congress that matter to educators:
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, S 1: This bill is sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and is designed "to create jobs, restore economic growth, and strengthen America’s middle class through measures that…enhance America’s energy independence, expand educational opportunities, preserve and improve affordable health care, provide tax relief, and protect those in greatest need." (placed on Senate Legislative Calendar)
Comprehensive Health Reform Act of 2009, S 4: This bill is also sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). It would "guarantee affordable, quality health coverage for all Americans." (placed on Senate Legislative Calendar)
Education Opportunity Act of 2009, S 7: This bill is designed to "expand educational opportunities for all Americans by increasing access to high-quality early childhood education and after school programs, advancing reform in elementary and secondary education, strengthening mathematics and science instruction, and ensuring that higher education is more affordable;" it is sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) as well. (placed on Senate Legislative Calendar)
IDEA Full Funding Act, S 88: Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) is sponsoring S 88, a bill that would "provide full Federal funding" for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. (referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions)
S 83: Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) is also sponsoring S 83 "to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to expand the Coverdell education savings accounts to allow home school education expenses." (referred to the Senate Committee on Finance)
Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, HR 11: Rep. George Miller (D-CA) is sponsoring this bill that "amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to declare that an unlawful employment practice occurs when: (1) a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice is adopted; (2) an individual becomes subject to the decision or practice; or (3) an individual is affected by application of the decision or practice, including each time wages, benefits, or other compensation is paid. Accrues liability, and allows an aggrieved person to obtain relief, including recovery of back pay, for up to two years preceding the filing of the charge." (passed by the House and received in the Senate) —Washington Watch
HR 246: This bill is sponsored by Rep. Gene Green (D-TX). It would "amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to exempt elementary and secondary schools from the fee imposed on employers filing petitions with respect to non-immigration workers under the H-1B program."
(S 1 through S 10 are usually symbolic and indicate priorities of the Senate. For more details on the bills mentioned above, visit The Library of Congress and do a search under the bills’ names or numbers.)
“Co-religionists.” In early January, 10 faith-based groups, including ACSI, were invited to speak with President-elect Obama’s transition team about the relationship between the federal government and faith-based entities that choose to expand their help to the needy with a portion of federal funds. The major concern of the transition team was the practice of hiring people of the same faith, or "co-religionists." We were able to explain the importance of hiring people who believe what the sponsoring religious groups believe—that is, to allow the religious vision, mission, values, and beliefs of the faith-based groups to remain intact. Laws that were passed during both the Bill Clinton and George W. Bush administrations permit this type of hiring.
News You Can Use
New version of Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. The federal government announced on December 17, 2008, that U.S. employers must begin using the newly revised version of Form I-9 by February 2, 2009. The Employment Eligibility Verification form must be filled out within three days after hiring each new employee. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will post the new version of the I-9 on February 2. You can order paper copies of Form I-9 by calling USCIS at 800.870.3676, and you can find an informational review copy at the end of the new regulations at the USCIS website. The largest change in the form is the type of documents that will be accepted during the verification process. Expired documents will not be valid.
Religious makeup of the 111th Congress. Protestants account for 54.7% of the new Congress, whereas only 30.1% of the lawmakers are Catholic. According to the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life’s study titled Faith on the Hill, Congress is now “much more religiously diverse than it was 50 years ago.” Other faiths represented are Mormons, Orthodox Christians, Buddhists, and Muslims. In the leadership of the legislative houses, there are three Catholics, three Baptists, one Methodist, one Jew, one Mormon, and one Presbyterian. To read the article, go to The Pew Forum and select Faith on the Hill.
“The Post Top 20...” in high school basketball. The number one girls’ team is Riverdale Baptist (15–2); the number one boys’ team is Montrose Christian (14–1). Both are ACSI member schools! —Washington Post, 1/27/09