By the Way . . .
Congress Adopts Stop-Gap Spending Plan. On September 24, 2008, the House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution (CR) that will continue funding for most government agencies, including education at the same level as Fiscal Year (FY) 2008. A clear sign that election year politics has prevented Congress from reaching consensus on FY 2009 spending levels, the House passed H.R. 2638, which continues funding at 2008 levels through March 6, 2009. The Senate must act on the bill before it will go to the President for his final action. The resolution package also includes more funding for military construction and the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs. An additional $2.5 billion is provided for Pell Grants, in order to prevent cuts to student aid midway through the year. Additionally, it appears funding for the Secure Rural Schools Program was removed from the tax extenders bill. See http://appropriations.house.gov for more details regarding the proposals.