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Sierra-Plumas Joint Unified School District
P.O. Box 157 ~ 305 South Lincoln Street ~ Sierraville, California ~ 96126
Tel. (530) 994-1044 ~ FAX (530) 994-1045

GOOD NEWS!

The House Appropriations Committee marked-up the Emergency Supplemental bill on Thursday and a one year extension of the Secure Rural Schools and Communities Act was included as was $400 million to pay for the extension. An amendment to eliminate all domestic spending was defeated. One giant step closer! The House is tentatively scheduled to take floor action next Thursday, March 22nd. A House vote on the measure is expected to be very close with factions within both parties adopting opposing positions regarding the various provisions included in the bill. Strong anti-war Democratic House members, for instance have declared their opposition because the bill does not go far enough to end U.S. involvement in Iraq. Republican supporters of President Bush have advocated against the bill because they believe it interferes with the President’s constitutional authority as Commander in Chief. The White House has threatened to veto the bill if approved in its present form. The floor debate next week will be intense.

On the Senate side, much has also happened this week. Senators Diane Feinstein (D-CA) and Larry Craig (R-ID), the Chairperson and Ranking Member of the Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee have asked that a one-year extension of the Secure Rural Schools and Communities Act be included in the Senate version of the Emergency Supplemental bill. Senate Appropriations Chairman Robert C. Byrd (D-WV) has announced that he plans to mark-up the bill on Thursday, March 22nd at 1:00 p.m. EDT.

On Wednesday this week, the Senate Budget Committee marked-up the 2008 Senate Budget Resolution. That Resolution was passed out of Committee with a “deficit neutral reserve fund provision” designed to fund a multi-year (until 2012) reauthorization of PL 106-393. Thus, the stage is set for either a one-year reauthorization or with luck a multi-year reauthorization in the Senate. If the Senate is able to insert a multi-year reauthorization, we believe there is an excellent chance that House conferees will support such action in the Conference Committee. But, let’s not get ahead of ourselves, the next two weeks are critical to our success.

Action Needed Now!

1. Contact your House Member and urge them to vote for the Emergency Supplemental bill as reported out of the Appropriations Committee. Ask them to defeat any amendment to remove PL 106-393 from the bill.

2. Contact the members of the Senate Appropriations and urge them to include a one-year extension of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Act in the Emergency Supplemental bill. A list of members and their contact information is included.

Thank You

Thank you to our Coalition Team on the ground in Washington, DC this week:

Jim Parsons – Alpine County Superintendent of Schools (California)

Tony Bieda – Director, Governmental Relations – Lane County (Oregon)

Greg Simmons –Board Member, Trinity County Office of Education (California)

We appreciate your commitment and dedication!

110th Congress – Senate Appropriations Committee

SENATOR STATE FAX

Richard Shelby (R) Alabama 202-224-3416

Ted Stevens (R) Alaska 202-224-2354

Wayne Allard (R) Colorado 202-224-6471

Daniel K. Inouye (D) Hawaii 202-224-6747

Larry E. Craig (R) Idaho 202-228-1067

Richard J. Durbin (D) Illinois 202-228-0400

Tom Harkin (D) Iowa 202-224-9369

Sam Brownback (R) Kansas 202-228-1265

Mitch McConnell (R) Kentucky 202-224-2499

Mary Landrieu (D) Louisiana 202-224-9735

Barbara A. Mikulski (D) Maryland 202-224-8858

Thad Cochran (R) Mississippi 202-224-9450

Christopher S. "Kit" Bond (R) Missouri 202-224-8149

Ben Nelson (D) Nebraska 202-228-0012

Judd Gregg (R) New Hampshire 202-224-4952

Frank R. Lautenberg (D) New Jersey 202-228-4054

Pete V. Domenici (R) New Mexico 202-228-3261

Byron L. Dorgan (D) North Dakota 202-224-1193

Arlen Specter (R) Pennsylvania 202-228-1229

Jack Reed (D) Rhode Island 202-224-4680

Tim Johnson (D) South Dakota 202-228-5765

Lamar Alexander (R) Tennessee 202-228-3398

Kay Bailey Hutchison (R) Texas 202-224-0776

Robert Bennett (R) Utah 202-228-1168

Patrick J. Leahy (D) Vermont 202-224-3479

Patty Murray (D) Washington 202-224-0238

Robert C. Byrd (D) West Virginia 202-228-0002

Herbert H. Kohl (D) Wisconsin 202-224-9787

News from Washington on the federal funding for Sierra County Schools