November 4, 2011
Dear Chairmen and Ranking Members:
The Campaign to Invest in America’s Workforce, the Coalition for Health Funding and the Committee for Education Funding, representing the workforce investment, health and education communities, are jointly writing to urge you to recognize health, education, job training, children’s and social services programs as critical national priorities by providing the largest possible 302(b) conference allocation for the Fiscal Year 2012 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. The allocation should be consistent with the aggregate discretionary appropriation level of $1.043 trillion included in the Budget Control Act (BCA).
Additional investment in these domestic programs will boost the economy and reduce the deficit through prevention of costly chronic diseases, increased earnings, and reduced expenditures for unemployment and other social service programs.
The FY 2012 bill as approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee has a discretionary allocation (including cap adjustments) of $158.027 billion. The draft House proposal released by
Chairmen Rogers and Rehberg, by contrast has a comparable allocation of $153.414 billion, a level that is $4.613 billion below the Senate.
To view the full letter, click here