Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Funding Increases for Children's Programs...
Did you know that Congress just passed major increases to Head Start, child care, child abuse prevention, Pell Grants, energy assistance for low-income families, and education for disadvantaged students?
Last week, the House of Representatives passed a bill to fund the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. The vote was 274 to 141. After many years of stagnation and cuts, these important programs for children will receive significant increases to benefit the health, education, and safety of millions of America's children.
The Senate also approved the Labor-HHS-Education funding and sent it back to the House for final approval. Now that the House has acted, the bill is finally on its way to the President's desk. He's said he will veto it.
Rejecting the President's veto is within our grasp - but only if we shine a light on how our Representatives are voting. The House's Labor-HHS-Ed vote on Tuesday was just 3 votes shy of the two-thirds needed to override, with 17 not voting. In fact, Congress just overrode a veto for water projects. So they will do it if they think their constituents care.
Here's an easy way to hold your Rep. accountable:
1) Write a letter to the editor - click here for a very handy way to send a letter to the paper of your choice, with sample points either to thank Reps. who have voted in favor of investing in people or to express disappointment, and to urge all to meet their district's needs by voting to override the President's veto. (To send a letter to the editor, click here:)
2) Send a copy to your Representative - click here to send a copy. That way, whether or not the letter is printed, your Rep. will know his constituents care how he/she votes on vital human needs funding. It's easy. When you're finished writing your letter, highlight and copy it. Once the letter is sent, you'll get the chance to paste the text into an email to your Representative.
Please send the letters today! We don't know exactly when the override vote will come up, but it could happen within a week. Today's report from Captain Obvious: Send the letters when they will do the most good - before the override vote!
Did you know that Congress just passed major increases to Head Start, child care, child abuse prevention, Pell Grants, energy assistance for low-income families, and education for disadvantaged students?
Last week, the House of Representatives passed a bill to fund the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. The vote was 274 to 141. After many years of stagnation and cuts, these important programs for children will receive significant increases to benefit the health, education, and safety of millions of America's children.
The Senate also approved the Labor-HHS-Education funding and sent it back to the House for final approval. Now that the House has acted, the bill is finally on its way to the President's desk. He's said he will veto it.
Rejecting the President's veto is within our grasp - but only if we shine a light on how our Representatives are voting. The House's Labor-HHS-Ed vote on Tuesday was just 3 votes shy of the two-thirds needed to override, with 17 not voting. In fact, Congress just overrode a veto for water projects. So they will do it if they think their constituents care.
Here's an easy way to hold your Rep. accountable:
1) Write a letter to the editor - click here for a very handy way to send a letter to the paper of your choice, with sample points either to thank Reps. who have voted in favor of investing in people or to express disappointment, and to urge all to meet their district's needs by voting to override the President's veto. (To send a letter to the editor, click here:)
2) Send a copy to your Representative - click here to send a copy. That way, whether or not the letter is printed, your Rep. will know his constituents care how he/she votes on vital human needs funding. It's easy. When you're finished writing your letter, highlight and copy it. Once the letter is sent, you'll get the chance to paste the text into an email to your Representative.
Please send the letters today! We don't know exactly when the override vote will come up, but it could happen within a week. Today's report from Captain Obvious: Send the letters when they will do the most good - before the override vote!
More information:
- The roll call votes on Labor-HHS-Education appropriations in July and Nov. 8 - so you know whether to be thankful or disappointed. (http://www.chn.org/pdf/2007/HouselhhsvoteJulNov8.pdf)
- A summary list showing how much the outcome of this vote matters - for health, education, home heating, Head Start, and more.(http://www.chn.org/pdf/2007/apropdifcongresspres.pdf)
- A helpful new report breaking down the impacts by state, from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. (http://www.cbpp.org/11-8-07bud.htm)
- A detailed table of important services funded in the Labor-HHS-Ed appropriations bill. (http://www.chn.org/pdf/2007/FY08LHHSEd07presconfapprops.pdf)
- Tips on how to write a letter to the editor. (http://www.chn.org/LTEtips.html)
// posted by Tammy Wachter @ 7:00 PM 
