EdAction in Congress May 9, 2021 - Education Votes

EdAction in Congress May 9, 2021 - Education Votes

EdAction in Congress May 9, 2021

President Biden and Vice President Harris have advocated for students and educators since day one.

We all want our students—Black and white, Native and newcomer, Hispanic and Asian alike—to attend safe and just public schools and higher education campuses that help them pursue their dreams and fulfill their true potential. Due to the activism of educators around the country, in the first 100 days of the Biden administration, we have seen historic investments in students and public schools along with action to make America stronger, safer, and healthier for all. President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have improved the lives of our students and families. And the work is just beginning. Read more.

For the People Act gives power to the people

The For the People Act (S.1), our nation’s first comprehensive democracy reform bill in decades, is expected to receive its first vote by a Senate committee this week. The House in March passed the companion bill (H.R. 1). Both take several steps to protect and expand voting rights, strengthen oversight of voting, and ensure ethical government.

More than 360 bills have been introduced in 47 states that would making voting more difficult. They include measures that would shorten the time for absentee and/or early voting, require voters show an ID at the polls, and purge voter rolls. Georgia’s legislature, for instance, passed a law making it a crime to give water or food to voters, who must often wait in long lines, within 150 feet of a polling place or within 25 feet of any voter in line.

The For the People Act would automatically register voters across America and restore voting rights to those who have completed felony sentences, among other steps. It would modernize our voting system, expose dark money in politics, and require presidential candidates to disclose their tax returns. Take Action.

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NEA members speak out on loan forgiveness and COVID 19’s impact on students with disabilities

NEA members met with Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona on the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program and testified before a House subcommittee about COVID-19’s impact on students with disabilities last week.

On May 7, Sean Manes, a New Jersey elementary music teacher, and James Stewart, a Maryland high school science teacher, participated in a roundtable with Cardona to share their experiences with the PSLF program.

Manes became eligible for PSLF in 2019, but didn’t receive it until 2020. His loan servicer was missing nearly four years of qualifying payments. NEA’s Office of General Counsel assisted Manes in successfully arguing that he had actually exceeded the requirement for loan payments. He received loan forgiveness and was refunded the extra payments.

Stewart already had a master’s degree in science and a teaching certificate, but wanted to continue his education to be the best teacher possible, and to set an example for his students. He borrowed $90,000 to finance a doctoral degree and today, his debt is in the six figures. Although he doesn’t regret his career or educational choices, he wishes he’d had a better understanding of the loans before he took them on.

Danielle M. Kovach, a third-grade self-contained learning and language disabilities from New Jersey, testified (virtually) on May 6 before the House Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee. Kovach described the challenges of the abrupt switch to virtual learning and her concerns about the long-term implications of the pandemic on her student. She thanked Congress for the COVID-relief packages that have helped schools and students weather the pandemic and asked that Congress fulfill its commitment to fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) at 40 percent of the excess cost. Take Action.

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Cheers

Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced the Food and Nutrition Education in Schools Act, which would provide federal funding for projects that educate students about healthy food practices.

Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Susan Collins (R-ME) and Reps. Sam Graves (R-MO) and Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) introduced, respectively, Senate Resolution 198 and House Resolution 362 honoring Teacher Appreciation Week 2021.

Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) and Marc Pocan (D-WI) led a letter to the House Appropriations Committee calling for a reduction of funding for the federal Charter Schools Program and increased oversight and accountability for the program.

Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Rep. John P. Sarbanes (D-MD) led a letter to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona urging him to use administrative flexibilities granted during national emergencies to fix the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.

EdAction in Congress May 9, 2021 - Education Votes

EdAction in Congress May 2, 2021 - Education Votes

EdAction in Congress May 2, 2021 - Education Votes

EdAction in Congress May 2, 2021

In his first 100 days, President Biden has made the single largest investment in students and public education ever. Scroll through this timeline to see what this administration is doing for students, educators, and communities across the nation.

Biden unveils American Families Plan in historic address to Congress

As President Joe Biden delivered his first address to Congress, two women—Vice President Kamala Harris and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi—sat on the dais behind the presidential podium for the first time in U.S. history. In another first, Biden unveiled a $1.8 trillion American Families Plan to fund critical programs and services for students, families, and communities—part of a series of what he calls “once in a generation” investments in our nation’s infrastructure, human as well as physical.

“We applaud President Joe Biden and his administration for prioritizing students and public education by proposing timely and necessary once-in-a-generation funding for services that help families and communities,” said NEA President Becky Pringle.

The American Families Plan includes universal prekindergarten for three- and four- year-olds; two years of tuition-free community college for all students, including Dreamers; bigger Pell Grants; and lower tuition at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), and other Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs). It would also address teacher shortages and the need to diversify the teacher pipeline—for example, by recruiting educators of color and supporting grow-your-own, teacher leadership, and residency programs.

The plan also aims to make health care and child care more affordable, capping the cost of child care at seven percent of income for low- and middle-income families. In addition, it would create a national program to provide paid sick leave and paid time off to care for family members.

To pay for these historic investments in America’s human infrastructure, Biden would reverse the biggest giveaways in the GOP’s 2017 tax bill, increase funding for the Internal Revenue Service, and eliminate long-standing loopholes that include taxing capital gains and stock dividends at much lower rates than the wages of working families.

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May 2-8 is Teacher Appreciation Week

Now more than ever, it is fitting that we celebrate educators—teachers and ESPs—and their unwavering fortitude, optimism, creativity, and love for students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bipartisan resolutions, introduced in both the Senate and the House, designate May 2-8 Teacher Appreciation Week. The resolutions note that educators have stepped up in new ways to support their students and communities during the pandemic, including by coordinating remote learning, supporting students’ mental health, providing meals to students in need, and distributing technology to students. In the Senate, they were introduced by Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Susan Collins (R-ME); in the House, they were introduced by Reps. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) and  Sam Graves (R-MO).

Throughout Teacher Appreciation Week, NEA will gather messages from across the country and pass them on. Text CELEBRATE to 48744 to get periodic texts celebrating teachers!

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Cheers and Jeers

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Rep. Andy Levin (D-MI) reintroduced the America’s College Promise Act (S.1396/H.R.2861), which would provide wo years of tuition-free access to community or technical college programs.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the Pandemic Electric Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program, which was begun last year to provide payments to children when schools were closed, will be continued over the summer and is expected to reach more than 30 million children.

Reps. Mark Pocan (D-WI), John Katko (R-NY), Andy Levin (D-MI), and Elise Stefanik (R-NY) reintroduced the Improving Training for School Food Service Workers Act (H.R. 2897), which would help make training available that maximizes hands-on opportunities during regular, paid working hours.

EdAction in Congress May 2, 2021 - Education Votes

EdAction in Congress April 25, 2021 - Education Votes

EdAction in Congress April 25, 2021 - Education Votes

EdAction in Congress April 25, 2021

Chauvin’s conviction reinvigorates push for systemic change

Derek Chauvin’s conviction is raising hopes that George Floyd will be remembered not just for his tragic death, but for reinvigorating the fight for desperately needed systemic change. “While the jury reached the right decision and did in fact convict former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin of George Floyd’s murder, we are again joining together to make sure all of us feel safe in our schools, neighborhoods and communities,” said NEA President Becky Pringle.

Going to school or returning home from an after-school job or visiting friends should not put students’ lives at risk. But sadly, in communities of color, this is the reality. A 2019 study published in a National Academy of Sciences journal found that 1 in every 1,000 Black men can expect to be killed by police.

The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act takes initial steps to end police brutality, protect civil rights and liberties, and change the culture of law enforcement agencies. These steps include ending racial and religious profiling and no-knock warrants, mandatory de-escalation training for police, prohibiting chokeholds and other potentially fatal maneuvers, and requiring police to use dashboard and body cameras. Justice for Black Lives, issued by NEA’s executive committee earlier this year, calls for many of the same steps. TAKE ACTION

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Make the District of Columbia the 51st state

Taxation without representation was the rallying cry for the American Revolution, yet 245 years later it endures in our nation’s capital. On April 22, the House voted 216-208 to correct this historic injustice and make the District of Columbia the 51st state. The denial of full representation in Congress—and therefore, full citizenship—in a city nearly half Black is egregious given our nation’s history of suppressing the Black vote. No other democracy denies its citizens equal representation because of where they live.

Denying residents of our nation’s capital full representation in Congress is unjust as well as dangerous. With over 700,000 residents, the District of Columbia has a larger population than Vermont and Wyoming. District residents pay the highest per-capita federal income taxes in the nation and in total, pay more in taxes than residents of 21 other states. Violent marauders roamed the halls of Congress for hours on January 6, yet the District of Columbia could not deploy the National Guard because it is not a state.

The Washington, D.C. Admission Act (S. 51/H.R. 51) preserves the constitutionally required district that houses the federal government, our monuments, and the National Mall. The neighborhoods and commercial areas where the people of the District of Columbia live and raise their families would comprise the 51st state. TAKE ACTION

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NEA members urge senators to support the Equality Act

Educators across the country shared their stories with members of Congress during a virtual lobbying day for the Equality Act, sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign. “We teach our students to treat each other how we want to be treated ourselves,” said NEA member Brian Kerekes, a high school math teacher from Florida. “Passage of the Equality Act puts that into practice. We are at our best when we respect, value and celebrate each other’s perspectives and what makes us unique.”

The Equality Act has already passed the House, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has promised his chamber will vote on it as well. The bill would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Fair Housing Act, and other federal laws to include sexual orientation and gender identity, giving LGBTQ Americans explicit protection from discrimination in key areas of life: employment, housing, credit, education, public spaces and services, federally funded programs, and jury service.

The current patchwork of laws—most states lack non-discrimination policies that include sexual orientation and gender identity—leaves many students and educators vulnerable to discrimination and sends the message LGBTQ Americans are second-class citizens. The Equality Act would help cultivate nurturing and supportive school environments for LGBTQ students while safeguarding LGBTQ educators, often key sources of support and encouragement for LGBTQ students. TAKE ACTION

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Cheers and Jeers

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) introduced the Families Belong Together Act to provide a path to citizenship for children and families forcibly separated at the U.S. border.

Sens. Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) reintroduced legislation (S. 1267) to extend two key statutory deadlines for the 2020 Census to help ensure an accurate count of the population, especially in Native, minority, and rural communities.

Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced the Summer Meals Act of 2021 (S. 1170) to ensure children maintain access to school meals when school is out.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack approved the extension of pandemic waivers and flexibilities through June 2022 to allow schools to continue serving free, healthy meals to all students.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) joined Democrats in voting to confirm Vanita Gupta’s nomination as Associate Attorney General heading the Civil Rights division at the Department of Justice.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) reintroduced the College for All Act (S. 1188) to make college tuition-free and debt-free for working families.

Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-MA) and Susan Collins (R-ME) reintroduced the Social Security Fairness Act (S. 1302), which would fully repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) that deprive 2.5 million educators and other dedicated public servants of Social Security benefits they have earned.

The Senate voted 94-1 to pass the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act (S. 937). ”The overwhelming bipartisan support to address hate crimes targeting Asian-Americans is proof that when we come together across race and place, we can make our country safer for all of us,” said NEA President Becky Pringle.

Josh Hawley (R-MO) was the only senator to oppose the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act (S. 937).

EdAction in Congress April 25, 2021 - Education Votes

EdAction in Congress March 28, 2021 - Education Votes

EdAction in Congress March 28, 2021 - Education Votes

EdAction in Congress March 28, 2021

Massacres in Atlanta and Boulder increase demands for gun control

Mass shootings in Atlanta and Boulder less than one week apart have yet again stepped up the demand for commonsense gun control measures. In the Atlanta shooting on March 16, eight people were murdered, including six women from South Korea and China. The killer drove to three different spas and seemed to be targeting women of Asian descent.

Ten people were killed in the March 22 shooting at a King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, including employees of Local 7 of the United Food and Commercial Workers union and a police officer responding to the emergency. We mourn all the victims and join with families, activists, and organizations across the nation in demanding measures to help end gun violence.

In the 2019 Monmouth University Poll, 83 percent of respondents supported comprehensive background checks for all gun sales, including 65 percent of NRA members and 76 percent of gun owners who are not NRA members. The Bipartisan Background Checks Act (S. 529/H.R. 8) would require a background check for every gun sold and most transfers. The Enhanced Background Checks Act (H.R. 1446) extends the initial background check review period from three to 10 days. TAKE ACTION

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Reauthorization of child nutrition programs moves forward

NEA provided our principles for strengthening child nutrition programs to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry in connection with the committee hearing last week on Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR).

CNR is supposed to occur every five years, but has not happened since 2010, when the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act was signed into law. That law remains in force although it expired in September 2015.  Most importantly, we believe healthy school meals should be provided to all students, at no cost to them, a step that would improve their health and classroom performance; eliminate the stigma of student meal debt; and relieve schools of cumbersome paperwork. Our other principles include:

• Providing ongoing professional development and training for school food service staff, at no cost to the employees, during regular, paid working hours. (These improvements are included in the Improving Training for School Food Service Workers Act.)
• Increasing access to “out-of-school-time” programs that provide meals and snacks at schools and other sites when children are not in school, such as summer.
• Directing communications about school meal debts directly to parents and guardians to ensure students are not stigmatized.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress created and expanded programs to address hunger in our nation. Members can build on those efforts during Child Nutrition Reauthorization. The goal should not be to return to pre-pandemic conditions, but to make sure all children have access to healthy, nutritious meals that prepare them for learning. TAKE ACTION

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House members focus on impact of wage disparities on #EqualPayDay 2021

March 23 was Equal Pay Day—the date this year by which women had worked enough extra days and weeks to earn the same pay that their male counterparts earned last year. The House Committee on Oversight and Reform recognized #EqualPayDay with a hearing on the long-term economic impact of gender inequality. “Routinely earning less than we deserve impacts us for life,” said Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) in her opening statement.

Lower wages result in reduced Social Security and pension benefits such that women earn, on average, approximately $900,000 less than men, she added. NEA provided comments for the record, noting that the gender pay gap exists “in all demographics, all parts of the country, and in nearly all occupations—including female-dominated professions like teaching and nursing.” Witnesses included soccer star Megan Rapinoe, who called out the NCAA for glaring disparities in how it has treated men and women competing in this month’s basketball tournaments, such as providing women athletes with substandard exercise facilities and refusing to allow them to use the March Madness brand.

Last week, NEA also sent the House Education and Labor Committee  a letter for its markup of the Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R. 7), which would, among other provisions, require employers to demonstrate that gender is not the reason they pay employees different wages and put in place robust remedies for discrimination. Our letter also offered support for the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (H.R. 1065), which would provide for reasonable workplace accommodations to reduce health risks to pregnant women and their babies. TAKE ACTION

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Cindy Marten, Education Department nominee, appears before key Senate

Cindy Marten, San Diego Unified School District superintendent and President Biden’s choice for deputy secretary of the Department of Education, spoke before the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee last week during a hearing on her nomination.

In her opening statement, she said: “The pandemic did not create the inequities in our education system, but it has highlighted just how much work remains to be done…If confirmed, I would work to deliver on the hope and promise of public education in America. I would work to create the conditions in every single classroom where all children grow and learn to become actively literate, contributing, participating members of society.”

Marten would work alongside recently confirmed Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel Cardona. Her vast classroom, administrative, and personal experience would make her an asset to the department. TAKE ACTION

 

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Cheers and Jeers

Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) for lifting up the need to diversify the teaching profession, during the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee’s hearing on Cindy Marten’s nomination to be Deputy Secretary of Education.

Reps. Betty McCollum (D-MN), Grace Meng (D-NY), Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), and Brenda Lawrence (D-MI) for their joint statement highlighting COVID-19’s disproportionate impacts on women in America. The statement was signed by 32 Democratic women in the House.

EdAction in Congress March 28, 2021 - Education Votes

EdAction in Congress March 14, 2021 - Education Votes

EdAction in Congress March 14, 2021 - Education Votes

EdAction in Congress March 14, 2021

American Rescue Plan makes biggest education investment in U.S. history, cuts child poverty in half

President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan into law on March 11, the day after Congress finally passed it. The $1.9 trillion stimulus package will provide critical funding for public schools, create and support millions of jobs, cut child poverty in half, make health care more affordable, and put this pandemic behind us.

“This historic legislation not only provides the resources to help every school building put in place the effective measures needed to keep students and educators safe; it also makes extraordinary investments that will lift countless children and families out of poverty and works to address the immense inequities that have systematically affected the most vulnerable students and communities of color,” said NEA President Becky Pringle. The bill provides economic relief, updates vaccination efforts, and helps educators and students return to in-person learning.

Over the past months, NEA members and activists wrote hundreds of thousands of messages and placed thousands of calls to their senators and representatives advocating for Congress to pass this package that will include the single largest investment ever in education funding, providing nearly $170 billion to public schools. READ MORE

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House votes for common-sense gun reforms

Last Thursday, the House passed two common-sense gun reform bills: the Bipartisan Background Checks Act (H.R. 8), which requires a background check for every gun sold and most transfers, and the Enhanced Background Checks Act (H.R. 1446), which extends the initial background check review period from 3 to 10 days. Like most Americans, NEA members overwhelmingly support universal background checks. Firearms are the leading cause of death for African American children, and the second leading cause of death for all American children. Help keep our students safe by urging your senators to support legislation requiring a background check for every gun sold. TAKE ACTION

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Updated Dream Act would help nearly 3 million

The House is preparing to vote on the American Dream and Promise Act (H.R. 6)—possibly, as early as this week. The bill would help more than 3 million undocumented individuals, including Dreamers brought to this country before age 18, recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and people granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for humanitarian reasons—populations that include nearly 40,000 educators, according to the Migration Policy Institute.

Dreamers could obtain conditional legal status if they have a high school diploma or GED, are enrolled in a high school or GED program, or are enrolled in an apprenticeship program. They would have ten years to transition from conditional status to a green card, and could do so by earning a college degree, completing at least two years of postsecondary education, serving in the military for two years, or being employed for at least three years. The bill would also make Dreamers eligible for federal financial aid. TAKE ACTION

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Senate Judiciary Committee to hold hearing on the Equality Act

This Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on the Equality Act (S. 393). The bill would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Fair Housing Act, and other federal laws to include sexual orientation and gender identity, giving LGBTQ Americans explicit protection from discrimination in key areas of life: employment, housing, credit, education, public spaces and services, federally funded programs, and jury service. The current patchwork of state laws—most lack non-discrimination policies that include sexual orientation and gender identity—leaves many students and educators vulnerable to discrimination and sends the message LGBTQ Americans are second-class citizens. The House has already passed the Equality Act. Now, it’s up to the Senate. TAKE ACTION

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Cheers and Jeers

Merrick Garland was confirmed as U.S. Attorney General by a vote of 70 to 30 with 20 Republicans joining their Democrat colleagues in approval.

 

Marcia Fudge was confirmed as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development by a vote of 66 to 34 with 16 Republicans joining their Democratic colleagues in approval.

 

The House passed the PRO Act (H.R. 842), which takes steps to reduce barriers to union organizing in the private sector, by a vote of 225-206 in which five Republicans supported the bill: Brian Fitzpatrick (PA), John Katko (NY), Chris Smith (NJ), Jeff Van Drew (NJ), and Don Young (AK).

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) reintroduced the RETAIN Act (S. 686), which would provide tax incentives to encourage retention of early childhood and K-12 educators serving the students most in need.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Chris Murphy (D-CT) introduced the Educational Equity Challenge Grant Act (S. 729) to create a $100 billion application-based grant program over the next ten years to help accelerate academic progress and address students’ social, emotional, mental, behavioral, and physical health needs related to COVID-19.

Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and Dan Newhouse (R-WA) reintroduced the Farm Workforce Modernization Act (H.R.1603) to provide a compromise solution that makes meaningful reforms to the H-2A agricultural guest worker program and creates a first-of-its-kind, merit-based visa program specifically for the agriculture sector.

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) reintroduced the Renew America’s Schools Act (S. 694), bipartisan legislation to support America’s schools in making critical infrastructure upgrades that improve energy efficiency and reduce costs.

20 Republicans opposed confirming Merrick Garland as U.S. Attorney General.

 

16 Republicans opposed confirming Marcia Fudge as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

EdAction in Congress March 14, 2021 - Education Votes