On May 7th, President Obama released the first installment of his budget proposal for the fiscal year (FY) 2010, spelling out his fiscal priorities and recommendations. The roughly $3.7 trillion plan contains the nitty-gritty details the House and Senate Appropriations committees will need to put together their annual spending bills later this year. Read more...

On April 8th, the National Alliance of Pupil Services Organizations (NAPSO), of which ACA is a member, held a briefing on Capitol Hill for House Education Committee staff on the critical role that Specialized Instructional Support personnel play in supporting the academic success of all students. Read more...

On March 24th, Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined with Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) and Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) to reintroduce bipartisan legislation to improve mental health services on college campuses. Read more...

ACTION NEEDED: Call your Representative and urge him/her to show support for the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program (ESSCP) by signing onto the Langevin-Ehlers Dear Colleague Letter, which requests the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, to provide $61.5 million for this essential program in fiscal year (FY) 2010 for use in the 2010-2011 school year. Read more...

Nearly five months into the new fiscal year, Congress finally approved this week a massive $410-billion omnibus spending bill (H.R. 1105), which will fund most domestic discretionary government programs through September 30th. The bill is now headed to President Obama for his signature. Read more...

We are pleased to announce that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has approved the establishment of a new occupational category, or categories, for licensed professional counselors and marriage and family therapists working within the Veterans’ Health Administration (VHA).  Read more...

On Tuesday, February 17, President Barack Obama signed into law H.R. 1, "The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009," a measure intended to stimulate the economy through a combination of government spending and tax cuts. The legislation passed both the House of Representatives (by 246-183 vote) and the Senate (by a 60-38 vote) on Friday, February 13. Read more...

The Democratic-controlled Congress handed President Barack Obama an early health care victory as the Senate passed a long-awaited reauthorization of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The bill was passed by the Senate on January 30, 2009 by a vote of 66 to 32, largely along party lines. Read more...