From: Jamie Baxter
Subject: ALERT: Legislative Update -- 8/3/05
Dear TRIO community,
The House is in recess right now in Washington; however Members of Congress should be hard at work in their districts. We are urging all of you to contact your Member of Congress and find out when they have town hall meetings scheduled. These meetings are usually held in various places throughout the district.
It is very important that you find out when these meetings are scheduled and that you show up with as many TRIO supporters as you can gather (parents, teachers, business leaders, students, alumni, etc…). We still only have 159 signatures on the Payne/Cole Novice sign on list and we need 240 before September. Also, it is very important to stress to your member the TRIO community's opposition to the Foxx language.
If you would like to schedule a conference call with the Council staff to address these topics before your town hall meeting, please contact Jamie Baxter at 202-347-7430 or Jamie.Baxter@coenet.us. It is important that you are knowledgeable about the negative impacts the 10 percent set aside and the Foxx language (talking points are attached to this email) would have on the TRIO programs in your area when you attend the town hall meeting.
Please contact your Representative immediately to find out when these meetings are scheduled in your area! In addition, please see the legislative update below.
Legislative Update
- Presently there are 159 Members of the House of Representatives who have signed the Cole/Payne letter. We are aiming to have at least 240 Members on the letter by August 15.
- The Council has updated both the talking points on the Novice Provision and the talking points on the Foxx language. Both are attached.
- New information has been added to the Talking Points about the “Definition of Novice.” HR 609 creates a “single definition” for postsecondary institutions and the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR 75.225) requires that a “Novice” not have received federal discretionary funding in the previous five years.
When these two provisions are added together only one group of institutions significantly benefits from the Novice Provision - the over 2,200 postsecondary institutions that do not offer a degree. Most of these institutions are “for-profit” institutions such as beauty schools and automotive repair schools. Thus the combination of the two provisions would move money from degree granting public institutions to for-profit, non-degree granting institutions. It would most probably have the secondary effect of increasing the over-representation of low-income and first-generation students at non-degree granting institutions.
The definition of the 10% set aside by the Secretary - - Several legislative aides have argued that the “10% Novice” language applies not to the entire appropriation but only to the money available for a particular program. While the provision's language is not exact, more information about the specific language is also attached. We have developed a response to that issue for those for whom the issue arises.
CLICK HERE FOR FOXX AMENDMENT TALKING POINTS!!
CLICK HERE FOR NOVICE TALKING POINTS
Heather Valentine
Vice President, Public Policy
Council for Opportunity in Education
1025 Vermont Avenue, NW Suite 900
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: (202) 347-7430
Fax: (202) 347-0786