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As the Senate Federal Stimulus bill is in the midst of heated debate in Washington, its counterpart House bill was passed in January. Here are the education funding figures from the House bill (remember, these figures and allocations can and probably will change after the Senate version is passed and a compromise is then worked out between the two houses).
HOUSE FEDERAL STIMULUS BILL (as it relates to services for children) PASSED 1-15-09/courtesy of ACNJ/Association for the Children of N J:
The bill that passed in the House Appropriations Committee on January 15 includes items that would directly affect children and families. The Association for Children of New Jersey will closely monitor the progress of this bill and the Senate version. Stay tuned to our website www.acnj.org for updates. If you would like updates emailed directly to you, SignUp at www.makekidscountnj.org.
Proposed spending in House bill that would most directly affect children and families:
Education:
ˇ $13 billion to the Title I program for school districts with disadvantaged students
ˇ $13 billion for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) grants to states
ˇ $600 million for IDEA grants aimed at infants and toddlers
ˇ $14 billion to a new School Modernization and Repair Program
ˇ $6 billion for higher education facilities modernization
State Fiscal Stabilization Fund to be used for education and other key services:
ˇ $38.8 billion over two years to make up for any recent cuts in state education funding, with remainder to go to Title I
ˇ $24.8 billion over two years to support other state services
ˇ $15 billion in state incentive grants based on improvement on certain education performance measures
Child Care:
ˇ Increase of $2 billion over two years in funding under Child Care and Development Block Grant, which states use to subsidize child care for children in low-income working families
ˇ $2.1 billion in additional funding to Head Start.
Job Training and Employment Services:
ˇ $43 billion for increased unemployment benefits and job training, which would:
o Increase unemployment benefits by $25 per week and extend the deadline for qualifying for emergency unemployment benefits through Dec. 31, 2009
o Provide $4 billion in additional funding for Workforce Investment Act training and employment services.
Food Stamps:
ˇ $20 billion for the Food Stamp Program, most of which would be used to increase maximum food stamp benefits by 13.6 percent
Medicaid:
ˇ Temporary increase in the share of Medicaid paid by the federal government, providing about $88 billion in assistance through Dec. 31, 2010.
Child Tax Credit:
ˇ Temporary lowering of the eligibility level so that more families with very low incomes could qualify for this credit of up to $1,000 per child
Supplemental Security Income (SSI):
ˇ The disabled people and poor elderly who receive SSI would get a one-time payment equal to the average SSI benefit of about $450 for individuals and $630 for married couples
Emergency Shelter Grant Program (ESG):
ˇ $1.5 billion in additional funding for ESG program, to be used only for homelessness prevention activities and not emergency shelters. Twenty-five percent of ESG funds go to states, the rest to municipalities.
Sources: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, www.cpbb.org
