Beware of "Later"

Experienced advocates are warning us NOT to wait until the Senate's bill is released to take action on issues that are of concern to parents.

Many people that we have heard from expect the Senate bill to be released on Wednesday, June 11 (although no one is absolutely certain if it will be). The time to contact our senators with our concerns is NOW.

Some parents are being told not to worry, because it's still early in the process; that problems with the bill can be fixed later. This may NOT be the case. In fact, this is exactly what House Subcommitee Chairman Castle said twice, as he introduced H.R.1350 and when it passed the House.

Once a bill is introduced in the Senate, especially if it is a bipartisan bill, it may be extremely difficult to make any significant changes to be bill. Any debate that occurs in the Senate will probably focus on issues that were not agreed upon in the bipartisan bill - issues agreed upon in the bill will probably remain the same. Moreover, the debate could very well focus on one or two key issues to the exclusion of all others, since much time will be taken by introductory speeches and the like. Some think that mandatory funding and vouchers will be just those type of issues.

Therefore, we must make our concerns known NOW. Please keep writing and calling your Senators' offices to ensure that Congress hears our concerns before it's too late!

Please, keep your ears to the ground and let us know at Our Children Left Behind if you hear any news about the release of the Senate's bill. We will do the same.

Have a nice week.