HSLDA News	July 13, 2001

Senate Selection Advances Education Proposal

U.S. President George W. Bush's education reform proposal has been awaiting the selection of an education conference committee, where differences between S. 1, Better Education for Students and Teachers Act, and H.R. 1, No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, will be reconciled.

Yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle named the members from his chamber who will serve on the education conference committee. Rather than selecting individual members from the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Mr. Daschle chose the entire committee, as well as Senator Joseph Lieberman, to serve as conferees.

"Home School Legal Defense Association is pleased with the Senate lineup," says Caleb Kershner, acting director of the National Center for Home Education. "The Senators who will really fight to keep home school protections in the negotiated bill are on the committee. HSLDA already has a strong working relationship with members of the HELP Committee, and we will lobby them to protect home school freedoms."

The House is expected to choose conferees sometime early next week.

The Senate Conferees are:

Democrats/Independent:
Ted Kennedy (MA)
Chris Dodd (CT)
Tom Harkin (IA)
Barbara Mikulski (MD)
Jim Jeffords (VT)
Jeff Bingaman (NM)
Paul Wellstone (MN)
Patty Murray (WA)
Jack Reed (RI)
John Edwards (NC)
Hillary Clinton (NY)
Joseph Lieberman (CT)
Evan Bayh (IN)