CONFEREES REACH PRELIMINARY ACCORD ON187 BUDGET FAVORABLE TO EDUCATION - EDUCATION SPENDING AND DEAF EDUCATION BILL UPDATES

Sep 28, 2026

Education budget conferees move toward a 1987 fiscal agreement that boosts education spending by more than $2 billion over the current level, targeting $33.45 billion for education, training, and social services. The plan blends House and Senate figures, keeping House reforms to the Guaranteed Student Loan program while reducing a new initiative by $300 million. It includes a $4.8 billion contingency fund tied to Reagan-requested unmet needs, contingent on funding and congressional approval. Separately, the House advances a bill to create a commission improving deaf education and requiring five-year reauthorization for federally funded colleges for the deaf.

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CONFEREES REACH PRELIMINARY ACCORD ON187 BUDGET FAVORABLE TO EDUCATION

Education budget accord and education spending increases

Contingency funding and negotiations

DEAF EDUCATION BILL CLEARS HOUSE

Commission structure and study scope

Bill differences between House and Senate versions

Reauthorization and eligibility requirements

Newsmaker

Denis Doyle’s move from AEI to Hudson Institute

UNIFORM STATE STANDARDS FOR COLLEGE ENTRANCE URGED BY SREB

Vo1。14,No。124 Friday,June 27,1986 # CONFEREES REACH PRELIMINARY ACCORD ON187 BUDGET FAVORABLE TO EDUCATION Scrapping an earlier Senate proposal to hinge increases in education spendingon a tax hike,House and Senate budget conferees yesterday neared agreement ona fiscal 1987 budget resolution that would boost education spending more than$2 billion beyond its current $17.7 billion level. "It looks like [education programs]did wonderfully,"said a House staffer whohad seen a preliminary version of the accord yesterday afternoon. Mirroring a House proposal submitted last week,the plan conferees were expect-ed to ratify late yesterday would allot $33.45 billion for education,trainingand social services programs in the"function 500"category,preliminary doc-uments show(HED,June 18)。 That figure represents a compromise between the $33.75 billion function 500budget originally passed by the House and the $33.25 billion the Senate passedin May(HED,May 16)。The new plan would adopt the House plan for reforms inthe Guaranteed Student Loan program,but allot $300 million less than the Houseoriginally proposed for a new education and training initiative(HED,June 13)。 Big BoostsThe conferees'latest proposal would include enough to replen-ish funds cut from education programs by the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings budget law,build in an increase for inflation and have enough left over to boost certainhigh-priority programs beyond that level."We will both claim something dif-ferent"about how the funds are to be allocated but will leave the final deci-sion to appropriations committees,said a Snate budget staffer. The staffer confirmed that Senate conferees as of late yesterday had abandonedplans to include education increases in a "reserve fund"that could be tappedonly if the president approves a tax increase to fund higher defense spending.Instead,the preliminary agreement includes a $4.8 billion"contingency fund"that could be used to fund“unmet critical needs”at President Reagan's re-quest,but only if he finds a way to pay for the spending and Congress agrees. "It sounds good,"said Gerald Morris,associate director of legislation for theAmerican Federation of Teachers,since the revised contingency fund is consid-ered a leverage tool for Congress to bargain with the president on taxes anddefense spending and would not hold education funding hostage to those issues. House and Senate staffers said conferees hoped to reach a final agreement lateyesterday and bring the plan to the House and Senate floors last night or todaybefore leaving for a two-week Independence Day recess.--Deborah L.Gold June 27,1986 DEAF EDUCATION BILL CLEARS HOUSE The House yesterday passed a bill1 that would create a commission to recommendways of 1mproving education of the deaf and would subject the two federallyfunded colleges for the deaf.to reauthorization every five years. The 12-member commission would study the quality of education available fordeaf students at all levels and would conider expanding federally supportedpostsecondary regional programs for the deaf.Modeled on a similar study twodecades ago that was credited with spurring advances in deaf education,thecommission's report would be due 18 months after Congress adopts the measure. The bill,offered by House Select Education Subcommittee Chairman Pat Williams,D-Mont.,is an amended version of the Deaf Education Act,S.1874,passed bythe Senate in May,a House education staff member said(HED,March 20)。 Under the Senate verson,the commission would study the extent of appropriateelementary,secondary and postsecondary educational opportunities available todeaf students;the advisability of expanding federally supported postsecondaryeducation for the deaf;recommendations to improve quality or cost effective-ness of providing deaf education;and research and outreach by the two feder-ally funded institutions for the deaf,Gallaudet College in Washington,D.C.,and the National Technical Institute for t

FAQs

What preliminary budget accord did House and Senate conferees near by late June 27, 1986?

They were close to a fiscal 1987 budget resolution agreement that would raise education spending by more than $2 billion above the then-current $17.7 billion level, allocating $33.45 billion for education, training, and social services.

How does the revised plan handle the Guaranteed Student Loan program and education initiatives?

It adopts the House reforms to the Guaranteed Student Loan program, but allocates $300 million less than the House proposed for a new education and training initiative.

What does the contingency fund arrangement depend on?

The preliminary agreement includes a $4.8 billion contingency fund that can address “unmet critical needs” at President Reagan’s request only if he finds a way to pay for the spending and Congress agrees.

What is the House bill doing regarding deaf education?

It would create a 12-member commission to recommend ways to improve education for the deaf, broaden the commission’s study across education stages, and require federally funded colleges for the deaf to be reauthorized every five years.

Sep 28, 2026

Upload by Emma Wilson