The Consortium of State School Boards Association (COSSBA) has scheduled its first National Conference for March 30 to April 2, 2023, at the Tampa Convention Center. Conference registration will be available in November. COSSBA is a voluntary, nonpartisan federation of state school boards associations. COSSBA’s services include (but are not…
Effective July 1, 2022, the earnings limit for a board member employed by a school district increases from $8,000 to $20,000 per fiscal year. The $20,000 threshold does not include any stipend paid to the board member for performance of board duties. For example, a school board member who is…
Congressional Update House Releases Community Project Funding Guidance On Tuesday, March 23, the House Appropriations Committee formally published guidance regarding the process for Members of Congress to request “Community Project Funding”—the committee’s new term for appropriations earmarks. As previously shared, House appropriations leaders have sought to ensure the new process…
Governor Tim Walz has ordered all Minnesota flags to be flown at half-staff at all state buildings effective immediately until sunset on Saturday, March 27, 2021, to honor the 10 victims of the acts of violence perpetrated in Boulder, Colorado, on Monday, March 22, 2021. Minnesota joins states across the…
Congressional Update Earmarks Poised to Make a Comeback Since 2011, both the House and the Senate have observed a moratorium on so-called “earmarks”—spending for specific projects or priorities made at the direction of individual Members of Congress. Earlier this month, House Appropriations Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) unveiled plansto revive the practice,…
Governor Tim Walz has directed all flags at state and federal buildings in Minnesota to be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Friday, March 19, 2021, and from sunrise to sunset on Monday, March 22, 2021. Friday, March 19, will remember, mourn, and honor lives lost due to…
Congressional Update American Rescue Plan Enacted Since coming to office, President Biden has sought to prioritize his administration’s response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Chief among these efforts was a $1.9 trillion proposalreleased on the day of his inauguration, dubbed “The American Rescue Plan.” Since that time, Congress has set about…
Earlier today, the United States Senate passed its substitute version of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021. The measure passed 50-49 along party lines with one Senator absent from the proceedings. The $1.9 trillion total relief plan package includes a little more than $126 billion for public schools…
Congressional Update Senate Considers American Rescue Plan On Saturday, February 27, the House of Representatives passed the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021 (H.R. 1319), mostly along party lines, by a marginof 219-212. If enacted, ARP would provide nearly $1.9 trillion in assorted relief funding to help respond to and…
Congressional Update House Moves Forward with Pandemic Relief On Monday, February 22, the House Budget Committee passed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021—legislation modeled off of President Biden’s recent $1.9 trillion proposalto respond to the ongoing pandemic. The committee advanced the bill along party lines (19-14) as part of the “budget…