Senate Passes FY04 Omnibus Appropriations Bill

Senate Passes FY04 Omnibus Appropriations Bill
On January 22, by a vote of 65-28, the U.S. Senate passed H.R. 2673,
the conference report for the Agriculture appropriations bill, which
is the legislative vehicle for the fiscal year 2004 (FY04) omnibus
appropriations bill. Among the seven bills included in it are the
Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and District of Columbia
appropriations bills. It will now be sent to President Bush, and he is
expected to sign the measure into law. The FY04 omnibus bill would
provide $58.6 billion for education programs, which is a 5-percent
increase over FY03 spending levels. It also includes a $1.2 billion
increase for special education. Although there are increases in
funding, it is still $6 billion less than the spending authorized by
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, also known as the No Child
Left Behind Act (NCLB), and does not meet Congress's commitment to
provide 40 percent of funding for the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA). In addition, the omnibus bill includes a $14
million voucher demonstration program for the District of Columbia.
National PTA opposed the FY04 omnibus bill because of its inclusion of
a voucher program for the District of Columbia and its inadequate
funding for education programs under the NCLB and IDEA. Voucher
programs are not accountable to the public, and do nothing to improve
public schools, which are facing dire fiscal crises. Voucher programs
divert public funds to private schools that have not been proven
effective at raising student achievement, do not expand parents'
education options, and threaten civil rights. National PTA believes
public funds should be used to improve public schools.
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