THE OSE REPORT

California’s 3^rd Congressional District

AN ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER FROM CONGRESSMAN DOUG OSE

 Volume 1, Issue 10 Friday, October 22, 1999

Congress and President agree not to spend the Social Security Trust Fund

 I am pleased that the President has agreed to participate in a legitimate effort to protect the Social Security Trust Fund. Only 10 months ago, President Clinton proposed committing a revolutionary 62 percent of the budget surplus for the next 15 years to preserving Social Security. The Congress took it one step further. The most effective way to provide retirement security to every working American is to act now to preserve every single dime of the Trust Fund for Social Security and Medicare benefits. The President suggested using only 62 percent of the money to protect Social Security. However, the House and the Senate have remained rock solid in our commitment to preserve 100 percent of the Trust Fund for retirement benefits. I am pleased that today the President has finally relented and agreed that all of the taxes collected for Social Security purposes should be used for Social Security beneficiaries. Our goal of true retirement security is now in sight. Retirement security for all Americans can be achieved. This year, we paid for federal programs without touching a dime of the Social Security surpluses. This is the first time in 40 years that the Trust Fund hasn’t been used as a government slush fund. Repeating this accomplishment next year will help even more, and I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress and with the President in doing so. I also look forward to having the President’s specific proposals introduced in short order as H.R. 1, a bill we have reserved since January for exactly this purpose.

ACCOUNTABILITY AND FLEXIBILITY

On Thursday evening, I voted in favor of education legislation that gives states greater control and flexibility to better educate disadvantaged and underserved children. The legislation, known as H.R. 2, the Student Results Act, reauthorizes Title I, the largest federal educational program, and other programs targeting disadvantaged children. H.R. 2 passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 358 to 67. Every effort must be made to help students succeed. The passage of H.R. 2 gives parents, teachers, principals and local school boards the flexibility, accountability and choice to ensure all students reach their potential. For years our rural schools have been punished for having fewer students than their urban counterparts. This bill gives rural schools the ability to effectively compete for grants to meet student needs.

The Student Results Act contains several provisions, including:

A) Quality Instruction. For years, Title I has been used to pay for teacher aides, known as para-professionals. H.R. 2 freezes the number of aides that can be hired with Title I funds and raises the minimum qualifications that must be met by all teacher aides within three years. The bill also ensures Title I teachers are better qualified and parents are informed of the number of teachers and teacher aides hired with Title I funds.

B) Public Choice. The bill allows children, who attend schools classified as low

performing, to be given the opportunity to attend a higher quality public school in

the area.

C) Academic Accountability. Modifies existing accountability standards to ensure

all students—especially the most disadvantaged students—show increased

academic achievement at the school and state levels.

D) Rewarding performance. The Student Results Act rewards excellence by giving

states the option of setting aside up to 30 percent of all new Title I funding for use as

cash rewards to schools that make substantial progress in closing achievement gaps

between students.

E) Improving Rural Schools. The bill gives rural schools unprecedented flexibility to

consolidate federal funds. Districts with less than 1,500 students will be exempted

from several formula requirements, giving them the flexibility to target federal funds

to best meet district’s needs.

F) School Report Cards. School districts receiving Title I funding will distribute

information to parents and the public on the academic performance of each Title I

school. If districts already provide report cards for their schools, Title I information

can be included on those reports or provided by other means.

G) Parental Consent for Bilingual Education. School officials will be required to

seek the informed consent of parents prior to placement of their children in a native

language instruction program for limited English-proficient children funded under

Title I.

H) Testing for Students in English Language. Students who have attended school in

the United States for at least three consecutive years will be tested in reading and

language arts in the English language.

G) Research Based Approach. The legislation makes sure Elementary and Secondary

Education Act (ESEA) programs are based on current, scientifically-based research

and not unproven fads.

The Students Results Act provides approximately $9.33 billion per year, with more than $8.3 billion going to Title I. Today’s passage of The Student Results Act, the earlier passage of the Teacher Empowerment Act, and the Education Flexibility Act of 1999, which has been signed into law, complete the renewing of ESEA.

Ose Sponsored Legislation Passes the House

On Tuesday of this week, the House scored a major triumph for Working Disabled Americans. H.R. 1180, which I co-sponsored, extends the current period of eligibility for Medicare coverage to working disabled individuals so that they have an option to work and keep federal health care coverage. The bill also creates new options for states to allow individuals with disabilities to purchase Medicaid coverage. H.R. 1180 passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 412 to 9. This bill is a positive step towards empowering disabled Americans. We need to dispense with the antiquated view that disabled citizens are incapable of working. By providing them with a health care coverage safety net, we will give those workers with disabilities a sense of security in their jobs and broaden their options for health care and related services. "The overwhelming support in Congress for this bill is a good sign that we are making positive strides in improving the lives of the disabled in this country," said Steve Tingus, Public Policy Director for Assistive Technology with the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers in Sacramento. "H.R. 1180 will help people with disabilities reach their potential by alleviating their fear of losing health care coverage should they seek employment."

I am pleased to announce that a $500,000 community development grant for the Sunrise/Greenback area in Citrus Heights was included in the Veterans’ Affairs/Housing and Urban Development Agencies (VA/HUD) appropriations conference report, which passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 406-18. The conference report now goes to the Senate for consideration, and the president is expected to sign the report into law later this year. As one of the founders of Citrus Heights, I know how crucial the Sunrise Mall area is to the continued economic viability of the city. These funds will be used to improve the access, appearance and infrastructure of the Mall, so we can provide a modern, convenient shopping facility that will attract customers throughout Sacramento County.

"This is great news," said Citrus Heights Mayor Roberta MacGlashan. "Congressman Ose deserves all the credit for this, and we’re extremely grateful for his hard work and continued service to the people of Citrus Heights." Overall, the conference agreement provides $44.3 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and $26 billion for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD.) It includes funding for veterans’ benefits, housing programs, and various agencies dealing mostly with science, space, and the environment. It also includes $2.5 billion for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) designated as emergency spending and a $4.2 billion advance appropriation request for federal Section 8 housing programs for the next fiscal year.

• The 44.2 million Americans who receive Social Security checks will get their biggest cost of living increase in three years. Starting in January, their checks will grow by 2.4 percent – Sacramento Bee, Oct. 19, 1999.
• The Shays-Meehan campaign reform bill, which I supported, was defeated in the U.S. Senate. While a majority of Senators supported the bill, parlimentary procedures led to its ultimate defeat. Its sponsor, Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.), made a valiant effort to pass this reform bill that would have banned soft money, regulate sham-ads and require full-disclosure of campaign contributions.

6) SCHEDULING REQUEST

In the coming weeks, Congress will adjourn for the year. Beginning mid-November and through December, I will be holding office hours throughout the 3^rd District. Please fax your request to my District Director Tovey Giezentanner at 530/669-1395.

 I hope to see some of you at the U.C. Davis Campus this weekend.

DOUG