Senate Appropriations Committee Approves Labor-H Funding Bill

Last week the Senate Appropriations Committee approved legislation for funding the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education departments. The bill, known as the Labor-H bill, set the FY 2011 discretionary funding under their jurisdiction at $169.6 billion. While still awaiting a detailed summary, including specific funding levels for child welfare programs, a $1 billion increase for the Child Care and Development Block Grant and $990.3 million increase for Head Start/Early Head Start, consistent with the President's budget proposal, was approved. In addition, the bill includes $300 million for an Early Learning Challenge Fund, a competitive funding stream intended to cultivate coordinated early learning systems that was originally intended to pass with health reform. Even with both House and Senate Appropriations Committee bills complete, it is unclear if Congress will take a final vote ahead of the election recess in October. If a Continuing Resolution is substituted, all programs will remain at last year's funding levels.