Encourage Senate
to Vote on IDEA Reauthorization This Year!
November 4, 2003 THE ISSUE AT HAND The Senate
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee is
preparing to file a committee report on S.1248, a bipartisan
bill that will reauthorize the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act. Once this report is filed, it will be up to
Sens. Frist (R-TN) and Daschle (D-SD) to schedule a Senate
vote on this bill. Once this vote has taken place, the Senate
and House will begin working on a compromise between the
two chambers’ versions of the bill (S.1248/H.R.1350). ACTION NEEDED It is especially
important that Sens. Frist and Daschle hear from their constituents
about this issue, since Sen. Frist will set the floor schedule
and Sen. Daschle will be able to push for business the Democrats
would like to see scheduled. However, also it is essential
that as many people as possible contact their Senators, and
urge them to voice their support for voting on IDEA reauthorization
this year to Sens. Frist and Daschle. You may
fax or e-mail a letter to your Senators regarding IDEA reauthorization
by visiting NASW’s Congress Web: http://www.naswdc.org/advocacy/grassroots/congressweb.asp You may
also contact your Senator via telephone. To find
the phone numbers, please visit www.senate.gov or call the Capitol Switchboard
at (202) 224-3121.
- Sen. Frist
(R-TN) (202) 224-3344
- Sen. Daschle
(D-SD) (202) 224-2321
Sample
Phone Script: “As a constituent
and social worker, I am calling to request that Senator _______
urge Senators Frist and Daschle to schedule a floor vote
on S.1248, the IDEA reauthorization bill.” BACKGROUND The Senate
HELP Committee passed S.1248, a bipartisan bill in a unanimous
vote of 21-0 on June 25. The House passed its version, H.R.1350
on April 30 by a vote of 251 to 171. Seven Republicans voted
against the bill, while 34 Democrats voted for the bill.
To see how your Representative voted, please refer to: http://clerkweb.house.gov/cgi-bin/vote.exe?year=2003&rollnumber=154 For
additional information regarding NASW’s position on IDEA,
including summaries of the two bills, please refer to: https://www.socialworkers.org/advocacy/issues/education.asp You
may also contact Ann Bradford, senior government relations
associate, at 202-336-8237 or abradford@naswdc.org |
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