National Institute for Literacy

Policy Update

REPORT FROM WASHINGTON, D.C.

President Bush Proposes Level Funding for Literacy

The President and Congress Agree on Education as a Top Priority

- January 31, 1997 -

The 105th Congress, which was sworn in earlier this month and continues through 1998, faces an ambitious education agenda. Adult, vocational, and higher education measures soon expire, along with education for disabled children and elementary and secondary school reform legislation. All must be revised during the next two years. In addition, Congress may take up new initiatives around reading and literacy, training and workforce development, and educational technology.

Legislators with a long-standing interest in -- and solid track records of support for -- adult education and literacy now chair the committees responsible for most education policy.

In the House, Bill Goodling (PA), author of the Even Start Family Literacy program and last year's CAREERS bill, directs the Committee on Education and the Workforce. Bill Clay (MO) is the senior Democrat. The Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education, Training and Lifelong Learning, chaired by Howard "Buck" McKeon (CA), will craft the adult education and literacy legislation. The ranking subcommittee Democrat is Dale Kildee (MI).

In the Senate, Jim Jeffords (VT), recipient of the National Coalition for Literacy's "Hero of Literacy" award in 1996, will head the Labor and Human Resources Committee, which has jurisdiction over education legislation. Jeffords has long been a key advocate of increasing the national investment in education, including adult education. The senior Democrat on the committee is Edward Kennedy (MA).

Jeffords and new committee member Patty Murray (WA) were among the primary architects of last year's Workforce Development Act amendment that would have substantially increased literacy funding.

The appropriations committees, which set education funding levels, are chaired by Bob Livingston (LA) in the House and Ted Stevens (AK) in the Senate, with Dave Obey (WI) and Robert Byrd (WV) as the senior Democrats. The subcommittees that set adult education and literacy spending levels are headed by John Porter (IL) and Arlen Specter (PA), respectively, with Obey and Tom Harkin (IA) as the ranking Democrats.

While there may be disagreement over other major policy issues, education is one area in which both Republicans and Democrats have expressed a desire to work together. Due to the high volume of education bills that must be addressed, policymakers are likely to examine the entire spectrum of how education programs fit together and how they can be better connected in order to promote true lifelong learning.

House leaders plan to weave three themes through all pieces of education legislation, as follows:

Overviews of specific pieces of legislation of interest to the literacy field follow.

The Adult Education Act governs funds that flow from the federal government to the states for adult education activities, and includes National Literacy Act programs. Congress is likely to preserve adult education as a program separate from job training.

Because the President and Congress last year increased adult education funding to $345 million, one key issue likely to emerge this year is accountability for results. The bill may also address how education technology can be used effectively by adult education and literacy programs. Policymakers may also explore links with the new welfare law, particularly if it affects the adult education and literacy system as expected, by dramatically increasing the number of adults who enroll while limiting the amount of time they have to achieve results.

The first step in the process is for the President to submit an initial bill to Congress for consideration. This is likely to occur in late winter or early spring. Next, Congress will research adult education issues and needs, including a review of what has changed since the bill was last overhauled. This process will include public hearings in Washington, DC and several states, which will most likely include Vermont, Pennsylvania, California, and Massachusetts.

Last year, the Senate Workforce Development Act would have consolidated adult education and literacy programs with other education and job training programs into one large block, giving Governors great flexibility in how to spend adult education, vocational education, and job training funds. This bill was not enacted and is not likely to be revived. Instead, a separate vocational education bill will address some of the job training issues from last year.

The President's new high profile literacy proposal, America Reads, would ensure that all children can read well by the end of third grade. (A recent national survey of fourth graders found that 40 percent were not reading at a "basic" level.)

America Reads calls for a $1.75 billion investment over five years in a new national reading corps, primarily made up of volunteers. The corps would provide after-school and summer tutoring for children in grades K-3 in the 30,000 schools with the greatest need. AmeriCorps members and reading specialists would be hired organize, manage, and train the volunteers.

The bill would also provide new grants totaling $300 million for local, regional, and national organizations -- including volunteer and family literacy programs -- with track records of success in helping parents assist their children in becoming successful readers. Congress may consider revising this bill so that it includes assisting both children and adults who need to improve their reading skills.

The Higher Education Act helps low and middle-income students continue their education through Pell Grants, which total nearly $6 billion annually. As it revamps this bill, Congress may consider the President's proposal to increase Pell grants by 25 percent, up to $3,000 per year, and to open up the program to more low-income adults.

A key theme of the reauthorization will likely be how to control the escalating cost of higher education. Over the past 10 years, tuition at public colleges has risen by 23 percent; at private colleges, 36 percent. The reauthorization may include tax incentives that would encourage families to save money for college and that would make students' work-study earnings tax exempt. This legislation could also create new Skill Grants for students who want to continue their education but are not yet ready for undergraduate programs.

Rep. McKeon introduced an early version of the Higher Education Act, H.R. 6, in January and plans May hearings. The Senate begins higher education hearings next month, beginning with a field hearing in Burlington, Vermont on February 3 and continuing with testimony from Education Secretary Richard Riley in Washington, DC on February 27.

The President has proposed increasing educational access by making available a $1,500 tax credit for the first two years of higher education for some students, including those who maintain a "B" average and stay drug-free. This proposal may include up to $10,000 in tax deductions for tuition costs. Some in the literacy field are hopeful that the bill will be broadened to ensure that it does not leave behind youth and adults who are not yet ready for postsecondary education, including those who must earn a GED before they will be eligible to enroll in higher education.

HOPE scholarships are likely to be introduced on February 5 as part of the President's budget. Because it deals with tax issues, this proposal will be reviewed by the Senate Finance Committee, chaired by Bill Roth (DE), and the House Ways and Means Committee, chaired by Bill Archer (TX).