GOVERNMENT RELATIONS ACTION ALERT
July 27, 2001
School Counseling and Other Social Work Priorities in Hands of House-Senate Conference Committee
CONTACTS NEEDED!
BACKGROUND
School Counseling: NASW's top legislative priority in the area of education continues to be the reauthorization and funding of the school counseling program. The discretionary grant program provides grants to school districts to establish or expand comprehensive counseling programs through the hiring of school social workers, school counselors, and school psychologists.
(A fact sheet on the program will be posted on NASW's webpage the week of July 30 -- http://www.socialworkers.org/advocacy/updates/default.htm).
Bills to reauthorize the program were 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). Roukema's bill expands the list of eligible providers to include child and adolescent psychiatrists. Both H.R. 1508 and S. 620 were incorporated, as amendments, into much larger education legislation--the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) (H.R. 1).
Professional Development: NASW was also successful in its advocacy on an amendment offered by Senator Voinovich (R-OH) on professional development for school social workers and other pupil services personnel. The amendment makes the recruitment of and professional development for pupil services personnel, which includes social workers, an allowable use of federal funds under Title II of the Senate-passed ESEA bill.
House-Senate Conference Committee: The House and Senate versions of ESEA are now before a House-Senate Conference Committee charged with working out the differences between the two bills. Conferees have begun to meet, but are not expected to complete their work until sometime in September. Once the conference committee finalizes a compromise bill, it will have to go back to the House and Senate for final approval, and if approved, then be sent to the President for his signature.
ACTION NEEDED
Targets: Contacts with Members of the House-Senate Conference Committee are especially critical. A list of conferees -- by state -- follows. If no one in your congressional delegation is a Member of the Conference Committee, contact your own Senators and Representative(s) and ask them to relay your views to a Member of the Committee.
Timing: Even though conferees are not expected to complete their work until they return from the August congressional recess in September, early contacts are beneficial, since congressional staff will be resolving as many issues as possible during the month of August.
Message: NASW is working on a number of issues with the conference committee, but are asking that your communications reference our top priorities. A sample letter follows. As always, the letter will be more effective if it contains information from your own experience and the situation in your state or district.
Contact Information:
Telephone, fax numbers, and email addresses for Members of House-Senate Conference Committee follow.
All other Members of Congress can be reached by telephone through the Capitol Switchboard (Senate: 202-224-3121 and House: 202-225-3121).
Fax numbers and email address can be accessed through NASW's Congress Web program (http://www.socialworkers.org/advocacy/congressweb.htm).
Surface mail -- Senators: The Honorable (first name, last name), United States Senate, Washington, DC 20510; Representatives: The Honorable (first name, last name), U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515.
TO ACCESS NASW'S CONGRESS WEB AND SEND YOUR ESEA (EDUCATION) CONFERENCE LETTER NOW:
Thanks For Your Advocacy!
HOUSE-SENATE CONFERENCE COMMITTEE - BY STATE
ALABAMA
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R)
Ph: 202-224-4124
Fax: 202-224-3149
Email: senator@sessions.senate.gov
ARKANSAS
Sen. Tim Hutchinson (R)
Ph: 202-224-2353
Fax: 202-228-3973
Email: senator.hutchinson@hutchinson.senate.gov
CALIFORNIA
Rep. Howard P. McKeon (R)
Ph: 202-225-1956
Fax: 202-226-0638
Email: tellbuck@mail.house.gov
Rep. George Miller (D)
Ph: 202-225-2095
Fax: 202-225-5609
Email: george.miller@mail.house.gov
COLORADO
Sen. Wayne Allard (R)
Ph: 202-224-5941
Fax: 202-224-6471
Email: Not listed.
CONNECTICUT
Sen. Christopher Dodd (D)
Ph: 202-224-2823
Fax: 202-224-1083
Email: sen_dodd@dodd.senate.gov
Sen. Joe Lieberman (D)
Ph: 202-224-4041
Fax: 202-224-9750
Email: senator_lieberman@lieberman.senate.gov
DELAWARE
Rep. Michael Castle (R)
Ph: 202-225-4165
Fax: 202-225-2291
Email: delaware@mail.house.gov
GEORGIA
Rep. Johnny Isakson (R)
Ph: 202-225-4501
Fax: 202-225-4656
Email: ga06@mail.house.gov
HAWAII
Rep. Patsy Mink (D)
Ph: 202-225-4906
Fax: 202-225-4987
Email: Not listed.
INDIANA
Sen. Evan Bayh (D)
Ph: 202-224-5623
Fax: 202-228-1377
Email: senator@bayh.senate.gov
Rep. Tim Roemer (D)
Ph: 202-225-3915
Fax: 202-225-6798
Email: tim.roemer@mail.house.gov
IOWA
Sen. Tom Harkin (D)
Ph: 202-224-3254
Fax: 202-224-9369
Email: tom_harkin@harkin.senate.gov
KANSAS
Sen. Pat Roberts (R)
Ph: 202-224-4774
Fax: 202-224-3514
Email: pat_roberts@roberts.senate.gov
MAINE
Sen. Susan Collins (R)
Ph: 202-224-2523
Fax: 202-224-2693
Email: senator@collins.senate.gov
MARYLAND
Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D)
Ph: 202-224-4654
Fax: 202-224-8858
Email: senator@mikulski.senate.gov
MASSACHUSETTS
Sen. Edward Kennedy (D)
Ph: 202-224-4543
Fax: 202-224-2417
Email: senator@kennedy.senate.gov
MICHIGAN
Rep. Dale Kildee (D)
Ph: 202-225-3611
Fax: 202-225-6393
Email: dkildee@mail.house.gov
MINNESOTA
Sen. Paul Wellstone (D)
Ph: 202-224-5641
Fax: 202-224-8438
Email: senator@wellstone.senate.gov
MISSOURI
Sen. Christopher Bond (R)
Ph: 202-224-5721
Fax: 202-224-8149
Email: kit_bond@bond.senate.gov
NEVADA
Sen. John Ensign (R)
Ph: 202-224-6244
Fax: 202-228-2193
Email: ensign@ensign.senate.gov
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Sen. Judd Gregg (R)
Ph: 202-224-3324
Fax: 202-224-4952
Email: mailbox@gregg.senate.gov
NEW JERSEY
Rep. Marge Roukema (R)
Ph: 202-225-4465
Fax: 202-225-9048
Email: rep.roukema@mail.house.gov
Rep. Robert Andrews (D)
Ph: 202-225-6501
Fax: 202-225-6583
Email: rob.andrews@mail.house.gov
NEW MEXICO
Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D)
Ph: 202-224-5521
Fax: 202-224-2852
Email: senator_bingaman@bingaman.senate.gov
NEW YORK
Sen. Hillary Clinton (D)
Ph: 202-224-4451
Fax: 202-228-0282
Email: senator@clinton.senate.gov
Rep. Major Owens (D)
Ph: 202-225-6231
Fax: 202-226-0112
Email: major.owens@mail.house.gov
NORTH CAROLINA
Sen. John Edwards (D)
Ph: 202-224-3154
Fax: 202-228-1374
Email: senator@edwards.senate.gov
OHIO
Sen. Mike DeWine (R)
Ph: 202-224-2315
Fax: 202-224-6519
Email: senator_dewine@dewine.senate.gov
Rep. John Boehner (R), Conference Committee Chair
Ph: 202-225-6205
Fax: 202-225-0704
Email: john.boehner@mail.house.gov
RHODE ISLAND
Sen. Jack Reed (D)
Ph: 202-224-4642
Fax: 202-224-4680
Email: jack@reed.senate.gov
TENNESSEE
Sen. Bill Frist (R)
Ph: 202-224-3344
Fax: 202-228-1264
Email: senator_frist@frist.senate.gov
Rep. Van Hilleary (R)
Ph: 202-225-6831
Fax: 202-225-3272
Email: van.hilleary@mail.house.gov
SOUTH CAROLINA
Rep. Lindsey Graham (R)
Ph: 202-225-5301
Fax: 202-225-3216
Email: Not listed.
VERMONT
Sen. James Jeffords (R)
Ph: 202-224-5141
Fax: 202-228-0776
Email: vermont@jeffords.senate.gov
VIRGINIA
Sen. John Warner (R)
Ph: 202-224-2023
Fax: 202-224-6295
Email: senator@warner.senate.gov
WASHINGTON
Sen. Patty Murray (D)
Ph: 202-224-2621
Fax: 202-224-0238
Email: senator_murray@murray.senate.gov
WISCONSIN
Rep. Thomas Petri (R)
Ph: 202-225-2476
Fax: 202-225-2356
Email: Not listed.
WYOMING
Sen. Michael Enzi (R)
Ph: 202-224-3424
Fax: 202-228-0359
Email: senator@enzi.senate.gov
Sample LetterDear Senator/Representative (last name):
As a (school) social worker and member of the National Association of Social Workers from (city, state), I am very concerned about the final resolution of legislation reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (H.R. 1). For today's students to achieve academic excellence, many need more than books and qualified teachers. They also need services provided by qualified professionals that can eliminate barriers to learning and help them become not only effective learners, but productive citizens. As the conferees craft a final compromise, I urge you to support the following.
Support the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program. The program provides discretionary grants to school districts to address issues that hinder students' abilities to learn. Now in 89 school districts in 34 states, the program has been effective in reducing visits to the principal's office, suspensions, expulsions, and the use of weapons and threats, and in increasing academic achievement, attendance, and feelings of safety.
Support the restoration of eligibility under Title II of the bill for professional development for pupil services personnel. Today's most successful schools rely not only on the classroom teacher for success, but school-based teams of teachers, principals, administrators, and pupil services personnel. It is essential that all school-based professionals not only be qualified and trained in their respective disciplines, but also in working effectively as a team.
Eliminate provisions that would permit students with disabilities to be suspended or expelled without requiring educational and related services to be continued in an alternate setting. Students who pose a threat to other students or school personnel should be removed immediately, but no student, with or without a disability, should be denied access to educational or necessary support services. Communities and schools must work together to address the needs of students who exhibit disruptive or violent behavior.
Eliminate provisions that would jeopardize the effectiveness of school-based health and counseling services. Involving parents in decisions affecting their children is critical, but not if that involvement will endanger the well-being of the child. Students must feel free to talk with school staff about problems without fear that their privacy, in cases which would threaten their well-being, will be violated. The majority of schools already have policies in place that respect the role of the parent, but also protect the privacy of the student.
Support full, guaranteed funding for IDEA and full funding for Title I. While it is true that money alone will not solve all the problems found in today's schools, it is also true that reforms without additional resources are doomed to fail. If the education of our children is truly a priority, we must be willing to allocate the resources necessary for students' academic and social success.
Sincerely,