In advance of tomorrow's markup, the House LHHS Appropriations Subcommittee released its FY13 proposal today.
The bill is accessible
online and the education portion can be found on pages 94-115.
Here are some highlights:
- Department of Education – The bill funds the Department of Education at $70 billion, which is $1.1 billion below last year’s level and $2.9 billion below the budget request. The bill eliminates many duplicative, inefficient, or unauthorized education programs including Race to the Top. The bill also includes limitations that prohibit the Department of Education from moving forward with regulations that define “gainful employment” and “credit hour,” or dictates on how states must license institutions of higher education.
- Title I Program – Funded at $15 billion--the same as last year’s level.
- Pell Grants – The maximum Pell Grant award was increased to $5,635 due to an authorized mandatory cost-of-living adjustment.
- Special Education – Grants to states funded at $12.1 billion in the legislation--an increase of $500 million above last year’s level. This will provide a small increase in the federal share of special education funding, allowing better funding for required special education services.