Legislative Affairs

  • 1.  FY23 Appropriations Update

    Posted 12-07-2022 14:24
    Edited by ASBO USA 12-07-2022 14:25

    Congress has until December 16 to pass a federal spending package to avoid a government shutdown. Lawmakers already passed a stopgap funding measure (continuing resolution, or CR) in late September to buy time to complete their appropriations work, but it may not have been long enough.

    The Committee for Education Funding (CEF) reports that appropriations leaders need to negotiate top-line spending numbers for defense and non-defense program funding, but Democrats and Republicans have yet to reach an agreement. While officials are close to an agreement on defense spending, there is a lot of disagreement about non-defense programs. Democrats want substantially more non-defense funding than Republicans do, so right now both parties are at a standstill. In the meantime, Democrats are preparing bills that reflect the agreed-upon defense level and their preferred level of non-defense funding (which is $26 billion more than what Republicans initially proposed). This gridlock does not bode well for passing a spending package in less than 10 days, so Congress may need to pass another CR to complete their work.


    What we don't know is if another potential CR would only go until Christmas, until January or February, or (worst case) for the remainder of the fiscal year. We also won't know federal education funding levels for Title I, IDEA, and other programs until a final bill is released. However, based on how negotiations are going, we may be lucky just to see small increases for K-12 programs. Given that President Biden's original FY23 Budget originally proposed huge increases for education and that Appropriations Committee Democrats proposed slightly smaller but still large education increases in their proposals---if Congress ends up deciding to pass a full-year CR that only flat-funds programs, it will be a very disappointing outcome for education advocates and could impede much-needed investments in programs to support students, schools, and educational services. Whatever the final FY23 figures are will determine the federal funding districts receive for the 2023-2024 school year.

    In the meantime, ASBO International is working with AASA and other national organizations to advocate for several education- and nutrition-related policy provisions in the final omnibus bill such as increasing funding for Title I, IDEA, and REAP (rural schools) grants; expanding the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) to help high-poverty schools and districts feed students sustainably; increasing school meal reimbursement rates and streamlining paperwork and meal pattern requirements; continuing funding for the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) program to support student broadband connectivity and digital learning, and other priorities. (See some of our recent advocacy letters sent to the Hill here, here, and here.)


    For additional information on FY23 education funding, stay tuned to ASBO International's Legislative Affairs Community and register for ASBO International's upcoming webinar, "ASBO Federal K-12 Update: What to Expect from a Divided Congress," on Tuesday, January 31, 12:00-1:00 PM (ET).



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    ASBO USA
    asbousa@asbointl.org
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  • 2.  RE: FY23 Appropriations Update

    Posted 12-16-2022 08:49
    Last night, the Senate passed a week-long continuing resolution (CR) to avoid a federal shutdown and buy more time for lawmakers to finalize a federal FY23 spending package. The measure passed on a 71-19 vote in the Senate and had already cleared the House earlier this week, 224-201. Next, it will go to the president's desk for final signature.

    The Committee for Education Funding (CEF) reports that three of the four Appropriations Committee leaders have announced an agreement on top-line spending for defense and non-defense programs (but the amounts haven't been made public). However, House Appropriations Committee ranking member Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) disagreed; she and House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) oppose finalizing FY23 spending this year and want to wait until next year when the 118th Congress begins with its new Republican majority. Doing so would provide Republicans more leverage in spending negotiations to preserve defense funding increases and limit non-defense program funding. It isn't clear precisely what this agreement will mean for federal education funding, but funding will likely be significantly less than what the President requested and what House and Senate Appropriations Committee Democrats proposed in their bills earlier this year. Lawmakers may release an omnibus funding proposal on Thursday, December 22, which would go to the House and Senate for a vote almost immediately.

    Be on the lookout for additional education funding updates in 2023, and register for our upcoming webinar, "ASBO Federal K-12 Update: What to Expect from a Divided Congress," on Tuesday, January 31, 12:00-1:00 PM (ET).

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    ASBO USA
    asbousa@asbointl.org
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