House Co-Sponsors Needed for the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Improvement Act of 2001

Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program

Bills to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program introduced by Representative Marge Roukema (R-NJ) as the Elementary and Secondary Counseling Improvement Act (H.R. 1508) and Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) as the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Improvement Act (S. 620) were incorporated, as amendments, into much larger education legislation--the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) (H.R. 1).

A conference committee has been appointed to work out the differences in the House and Senate Versions. The Senate appointed Kennedy, Dodd, Harkin, Mikulski, Jeffords, Bingaman, Wellstone, Murray, Reed, Edwards, Clinton, Lieberman, Bayh, Gregg, Frist, Enzi, Hutchinson, Warner, Bond, Roberts, Collins, Sessions, DeWine, Allard and Ensign to the conference committee and the House appointed Boehner, Petri, Roukema, McKeon, Castle, Graham, Hilleary, Isakson, Miller, George, Kildee, Owens, Mink, Andrews, and Roemer.

The last meeting held by the Conference committee was September 25. Conferees are scheduled to meet again on October 23, but is unclear—even with pressure from President Bush—if a final compromise can be reached prior to adjournment.

BACKGROUND

On April 4, 2001, Representative Marge Roukema (R-NJ) introduced her version of the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Improvement Act of 2001 (H.R. 1508). H.R. 1508 is similar to the version of the bill (S. 620) introduced last week in the Senate by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA). (See Action Alert dated March 30, 2001.) Both H.R. 1508 and S. 620 basically reauthorize the current Elementary School Counseling Demonstration Act and expand it to secondary schools.

The program is in danger of disappearing. At present, it is not included in either S. 1, the Better Education for Students and Teachers Act (BEST), approved in early March by the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee, nor in H.R. 1, the Leave No Child Behind Act, introduced last month by Rep. John Boehner (R-OH), chair of the House Education and Workforce Committee.

The school counseling program is the only federal program specifically designed to help school districts hire qualified school social workers, and other mental health professionals, to initiate or expand comprehensive, team-based, counseling programs. Currently 58 school districts across the country are participating in this program with an additional 20-30 districts to be awarded grants this spring.

THE ISSUE AT HAND

Republican and Democratic cosponsors are needed for both H.R. 1508 and S. 620 to show bipartisan congressional support for the program. Supporters of small programs, including the school counseling program, are under significant pressure to refrain from trying to add them back to either H.R. 1 or S. 1. The Bush Administration and House and Senate Republican leadership are striving for consolidation of education programs to increase local flexibility and control. Only with a strong show of support for both bills will an amendment to add the program back have a chance of success.

TIMING

The House Education and Workforce Committee may take action on H.R. 1 as early as the last week in April or the first week in May. S. 1 may be taken up by the full Senate at the same time. So to be most effective, contacts with Members of Congress should be made within the next two weeks. Congress is scheduled to be in recess from April 7 - April 22, so you may even be able to talk with your Representatives and Senators about cosponsoring the bills when they are back home.

ACTION NEEDED

NASW needs its members to contact their Representatives and Senators and ask them to co-sponsor this legislation. If you have already contacted your Senators, there is no need to do so again, but please contact your Representatives. We have provided a draft letter on Congress Web, our new grassroots advocacy tool, for members to email, fax, or mail to their Members of Congress. Your advocacy on this issue is critical to helping save the school counseling program from extinction.

If you need further information regarding this issue, please contact Lakitia Mayo, NASW National Field Organizer at lmayo@naswdc.org.