• FULL FUNDING FOR THE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION ACT (IDEA) - Issues related to full funding for special education services for K-12 public school children with disabilities, as defined by Congressional promises made in relation to original federal legislation, and possible transfer of program funds from discretionary to mandatory side of federal budget * FY 2013 HOUSE BUDGET RESOLUTION -Funding for Pre-K-12 public education programs, related children/youth issues, college student financial aid, and provisions for children's health, SCHIP, Medicaid; and child nutrition * FY 2013 SENATE BUDGET RESOLUTION -Funding for Pre-K-12 public education programs, related children/youth issues, college student financial aid, and provisions for children's health, SCHIP, Medicaid; and child nutrition * HOUSE FY 2013 LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, EDUCATION APPROPRIATIONS - To provide optimal federal funding for early childhood education and K-12 public education, to develop college and career readiness and academic proficiency for all elementary and secondary school students, and to fund related services for children and youth including health care, Medicaid and SCHIP * SENATE FY 2013 LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, EDUCATION APPROPRIATIONS - To provide optimal federal funding for early childhood education and K-12 public education, to develop college and career readiness and academic proficiency for all elementary and secondary school students, and to fund related services for children and youth including health care, Medicaid and SCHIP * FY 2013 PRESIDENT'S BUDGET REQUEST - Funding and greater flexibility for preK-12 public education programs, related children/youth issues, college student financial aid, local school district provisions for children's health, Medicaid, SCHIP, and child nutrition. * SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS FACILITIES AND TEACHERS/EDUCATORS POSITIONS - To seek supplemental/additional federal funds for preK-12 public school facilities improvement support; and to preserve preK-12 public school positions for teachers and educators, allowing for rehiring and hiring of personnel during this period of economic and budgetary difficulties in California, to ensure high quality education for students
• To Improve Health Care Quality, Affordability, Accessibility, and Services for All Children To Implement Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 * TO IMPROVE HEALTH CARE QUALITY, AFFORDABILITY, ACCESSIBILITY, AND SERVICES, FOR ALL CHILDREN To ensure that the final new comprehensive health care federal legislation is well-implemented, so that improved healthcare quality, affordability, accessibility and services for all children and youth, including preK-12 public school students, services such as early, periodic, screening, diagnosis and treatment (EPSDT), wellness and prevention services, and health coverage are at least equal to that now provided through Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) for low-income children * TO IMPLEMENT HEALTHY, HUNGER-FREE KIDS ACT OF 2010 - To ensure that the newly reauthorized Child Nutrition Act, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, is well-implemented at reasonable costs to local school districts with nutritionally healthy school meals that meet the needs of school children and families for federally subsidized school meals and other food assistance, during these difficult economic times; and that fosters optimal child health
• NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND CURRENT LAW IMPLEMENTATION - Regulations, guidance, waivers, and other implementation issues in diverse titles of the current Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) reauthorization and specific impacts on California preK-12 public school districts, including Title I funding fairness issues, funding flexiblity, consolidation of Title I schoolwide funds, while preserving school and district accountability, and meeting the academic achievement needs of all students * INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION IMPROVEMENT ACT (IDEA) IMPLEMENTATION AND PREPARATION Regulations, guidance, and other implementation issues of the latest reauthorized federal special education law, to improve services and results for children with disabilities in preK-12 grades of local public schools and districts, including specific California impact, to identify inconsistencies in issues related to the education of children with disabilities, between IDEA and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and try to resolve them constructively * COMPREHENSIVE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ACT REAUTHORIZATION PREPARATION Preparation of recommendations to retain, revise, improve, add or eliminate provisions in the upcoming reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the principal federal statute that affects K-12 public education, with California impact, and to increase awareness of Long Beach (CA) Unified-Fresno Unified (CA) learning partnerships achievement improvement models, and desirability of greater federal flexibilities * TO PROVIDE CONTINUING AFFORDABLE ACCESS TO FEDERAL STUDENT LOANS AND FINANCIAL AID DURING TIMES OF FINANCIAL TURMOIL IN U.S. To ensure continuing availability of and access to, federal college student financial assistance for local public school students, especially those who aspire to attend college, are from low-income families or underrepresented groups, who may be the first in their families to chart such an academic course, and who are taking a course of study while enrolled in elementary and secondary school to prepare them to succeed in college and career, especially during the now turbulent financial times experienced in U.S. communities and in the State of California * TO DEVELOP STRENGTHENED SUPPORT FOR EXPANDED LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES To provide strengthened support for expanded learning initiatives and opportunities in local school districts and communities, so that students who need additional time to learn, in order to succeed academically, will have access to such opportunities * TO UPGRADE HEAD START AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTERS AND FACILITIES - To provide policies and funds that support early childhood education and facilities needs including emergency repairs, basic maintenance, health, safety and seismic fitness improvements. Also, to make significant investment in new construction and major renovations only on local school district early childhood learning sites, while fostering pilot design and development of early childhood education facilities based upon and aligned with PreK-Grade 3 continuum policies, programs and services models. * S 2252 - REBUILD AMERICA ACT - To provide that the U.S. Secretary of Education allocate grants to states, and through them, subgrants to local school districts for costs of retaining, recalling, rehiring or hiring employees to provide early childhood, elementary, or secondary education and related services and for modernizing facilities for those levels of education
• Telecommunications Act of 1996 Instructional Television Fixed Service (ITFS)/Educational Broadband Service (EBS) "The Anti-Deficiency Act" - To Amend Section 254 of the Communications Act of 1934 * TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACT OF 1996 Ongoing revision of federal telecommunications law and implementation of new rulemaking, regulations and guidance for schools and libraries Universal Service "E-Rate" telecommunications discounts, by Congress, the Federal Communications Commission, Universal Service Administration Company, Schools/Libraries Division, including E-Rate issues affecting K-12 public schools, school districts, students and educators, that would permit more eligible schools and students to gain affordable access to advanced telecommunications, to balance support to schools for broadband and for telephone services * THE ANTI-DEFICIENCY ACT, TO AMEND SECTION 254 OF THE COMMUNICATIONS ACT OF 1934 To exempt funds received for the Universal Service Fund, including the "E-Rate" telecommunications discounts for K-12 schools and libraries, from certain provisions of Title I of the Communications Act, known as the Anti-Deficiency Act (ADA), regarding accounting rules, annually or permanently * NATIONAL EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY PLAN AND NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN IMPLEMENTATION - To build support and sustainability for implementation of advanced telecommunications facilities and services for preK-12 students and local school districts, including affordable broadband access and availability aligned with future college and career readiness educational goals and learning systems, using existing E-Rate mechanisms and other selected non-E-Rate funding, policy and programmatic opportunities * TO SEEK INCREASE IN CURRENT E-RATE FUNDING CAP - To permanently raise the current annual funding cap on the E-Rate program, that provides discounts to schools and libraries for affordable access to advanced telecommunications services, and to explore additional options to provide affordable telecommunications opportunities to students at home and school, with identified funding sources that do not diminish the presently available but oversubscribed E-Rate funds
• Food Safety for Child Nutrition Improvement Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act Child Nutrition Reauthorization 2010 Implementation * FOOD SAFETY FOR CHILD NUTRITION IMPROVEMENT Implementation, regulations/guidance for improved food safety for child nutrition and school meals for public elementary and secondary school students, especially in light of recent and repeated USDA recall of products sent to school districts for use in federally subsidized school meals; rising food prices for preK-12 public schools, students, and families, and specific food safety impacts on California's children * HEALTHY, HUNGER FREE KIDS ACT CHILD NUTRITION REAUTHORIZATION 2010 IMPLEMENTATION - To ensure positive and reasonable implementation of the recently reauthorized Child Nutrition, National School Lunch and School Breakfast Acts for preK-12 public school meals programs, with healthy nutritional standards and optimal support for students and local school districts
• Social Security Reform HR 1332: Social Security Fairness Act of 2011 * SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM Any proposal considered by the federal government for mandatory Social Security coverage of all public government employees, including K-12 public school personnel, and the impact of any other provisions on K-12 public school district personnel retirement benefits in California * HR 1332: SOCIAL SECURITY FAIRNESS ACT OF 2011 To amend Title II of the Social Security Act to repeal two provisions, government pension offset and windfall elimination requirements, that reduce earned Social Security benefits for retired teachers and other public employees, retirees or spouses in states such as California, where such employees contribute to state pension funds for teachers and/or other public employees, that are not covered by Social Security
• Hazard Insurance Requirements for Public Buildings * HAZARD INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS FOR PUBLIC BUILDINGS Any proposal considered by the federal government such as prior proposals by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to require public buildings to have comprehensive hazard insurance, including earthquake coverage, as a condition to receive FEMA Public Assistance after a natural disaster, since this would result in a disproportionate impact on California and its K-12 local public school districts

Duration: January 1, 2008 to May 31, 2012

General Issues: Budget/Appropriations, Health Issues, Education, Telecommunications, Food Industry (Safety, Labeling, etc.), Retirement, Disaster Planning/Emergencies

Spending: about $0 (But it's complicated. Here's why.)

It can be tricky to figure out how much an organization spent on a particular lobbying engagement. The law only requires lobbyists to report the amount they were paid for federal lobbying each quarter rounded to the nearest $10,000—and if it's less than $3,000 in a given quarter (or less than $13,000 for organizations with in-house lobbyists), they don't have to disclose it at all. Plus, some organizations include spending that doesn’t belong in the report—for instance, money spent lobbying state governments or other legal work.

Agencies lobbied since 2008: House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, Education - Dept of, Health & Human Services - Dept of (HHS), Agriculture - Dept of (USDA),, Health & Human Services - Dept of (HHS),, Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Education - Dept of,, Agriculture - Dept of (USDA), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Labor - Dept of (DOL),, Labor - Dept of (DOL), White House Office, Commerce - Dept of (DOC)