Congress has adjourned for its month-long recess without taking any significant action on the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, which is up for renewal this year. 

Representative George Miller (D-CA)., the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, gave a speech on July 30th at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., in which he announced his plans to introduce a bill when Congress returns from its summer recess after Labor Day. Miller had been preparing to introduce a bill to renew the NCLB law before Congress left town in August. The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee has delayed consideration of its NCLB-renewal bill while lawmakers in that chamber work on their plans to reauthorize the Higher Education Act and alter federal financial-aid programs for college students.

With committees in both chambers waiting until September to produce NCLB bills, time is starting to run out for completing the reauthorization of the main federal law in K-12 education before the 2008 presidential-primary season, which is expected to slow down legislative activity in Congress.

New Education Legislation Introduced

Nevertheless, in a mad dash leading up to the August recess, members from both chambers introduced education, and school-based mental health related bills, several of which are highlighted below.

• Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA) introduced H.R. 3439, the Put School Counselors Where They're Needed Act. ACA and ASCA, and other groups, worked closely with Rep. Sanchez’s office to help write the legislative language that wouldcreate a $12 million demonstration project to fund additional secondary school counselors in troubled Title I schools to help reduce dropout rates.
• Rep. David Loebsack (D-IA) has introduced H.R. 3419, the Reducing Barriers to Learning Act of 2007, which would establish an “Office of Specialized Instructional Support Services” in the U.S. Department of Education, provide grants to state educational agencies to reduce barriers to learning, and clarify conflicting terminology, definitions, and roles of specialized instructional support personnel (i.e., pupil and reacted services personnel). This legislation is based on the recommendations made by the National Alliance for Pupil Services Organizations (NAPSO), ACA, and other pupil services groups.
• Rep. Phil Hare (D-IL) introduced H.R. 3407, the Positive Behavior for Effective Schools Act, which would allow state and local education agencies and schools to make greater use of early intervening services, particularly school-wide positive behavior supports, to create a school climate that is highly conducive to learning, reduces discipline referrals, and improves academic outcomes.  This bill also includes the NAPSO recommendation to establish an Office of Specialized Instructional Support Services in the Department of Education to administer and coordinate support services in schools.
• On August 3rd, Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-CA) introduced H.R. 3430, the Mental Health in Schools Act of 2007.  This legislation, which is similar to a bill introduced in the Senate (S. 1332), would broaden the scope of the Safe Schools-Healthy Students by providing an additional $200 million per year to schools districts to expand their current mental health programs. The Safe Schools-Healthy Students program currently focuses exclusively on helping children deal with violence.  H.R. 3420 would provide additional funding for services and supports for (1) students in need of immediate mental health supports, (2) students at-risk of behavioral mental health disorders, and (3) all students to promote positive mental health..

ACA is very pleased to offer support for these bills, which recognize the need for federal and state leadership in coordinating critical support services that enable students to be successful in school.  (To read ACA’s letters of support for these bills, go to: www.counseling.org/public, click on “Current Issues,” then “Recent Letters and Statements.”

To read ACA’s recommendation’s for the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind law, visit the ACA Public Policy web site at: http://www.counseling.org/Files/FD.ashx?guid=86d153a6-45b2-4493-ae63-3e923a97ab16.

To read the National Alliance of Pupil Services Organization’s (NAPSO) NCLB recommendations, visit http://www.napso.org/pspNAPSOPrinciples.html.

For more information on this issue, contact Chris Campbell, Assistant Director of Public Policy and Legislation, at (800) 347-6647 x-241, or by e-mail at ccampbell@counseling.org.