National Institute for Literacy
Policy Update
REPORT FROM WASHINGTON, D.C.
Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives approved its FY 2002 spending bill for federal labor, health and human services, and education programs, including many adult education and family literacy programs. Also yesterday, the Senate Appropriations Committee unanimously approved its version of the FY '02 spending bill.
The full Senate is expected to consider its bill next week. Once approved, the House and Senate will begin the process of negotiating a final funding level for FY '02. That final measure will then be sent to the President for approval.
The following table shows the Senate proposal, along with the House and President's proposals, in comparison to the FY '01 final budget for selected programs.
| Literacy Programs | Senate Proposed FY '02 | House Proposed FY '02 | Presidents Proposed FY '02 | Final FY '01 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in millions) | ||||
| State Grants for Adult Education | 540 | 595 | 540 | 540 |
| National Leadership Activities | 9.5 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 14 |
| National Institute for Literacy | 6.56 | 6.56 | 6.56 | 6.5 |
| Reading Excellence/Reading First State Grants | 705 | 900 | 900 | 286 |
| Early Reading First State Grants | 75 | 75 | 75 | -- |
| Even Start | 200 | 260 | 250 | 250 |
| Incarcerated Youth Offenders | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
| 21st Century Community Learning Centers | 1,000 | 1,000 | 846 | 846 |
The negotiations between the House and Senate will focus on those areas where they differ on funding levels. For example, the House approved a $55 million increase over FY '01 levels for state grants for adult education. The Senate, however, proposed level funding for this program. Negotiators will need to reconcile this difference before they are ready to send a final proposal to the President for approval. The state grants for adult education program supports formula grants to the states to fund Adult Basic Education (ABE), Adult Secondary Education (ASE), and General Education Development (GED) programs, as well as adult education professional development.
The House and Senate also differ on their funding proposals for Reading First. This new initiative, proposed by President Bush, will provide grants to states to help educational agencies implement comprehensive reading instruction grounded in scientifically-based reading research for children in kindergarten through third grade. The House would provide $900 million for this effort, which is equal to the amount the President requested for the program, while the Senate would only provide $705 million.
Another area of difference is in the funding proposed for Even Start, which supports local projects that blend early childhood education, parenting instruction, and adult education into a unified family literacy program. The House proposal includes $260 million for Even Start, which is a $10 million increase over FY '01 funding. The Senate proposal includes $200 million, which is a decrease of $50 million over FY '01 funding.
So far, Congress has finished none of the 13 annual spending bills for FY '02, which began October 1st. In late September, Congress approved a continuing resolution (CR) to keep federal agencies functioning at current funding levels. That CR will expire on October 16th, so the House and Senate approved a second CR through October 23rd. Congress will need to complete work on all 13 spending bills by then or approve a third CR.
More information on the FY'02 Federal Budget proposals is available on the following web sites.