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Above Left Sen. Mike Johanns (left) meets with NSCA Government Relations Chair, Doug Hauserman. Above Right Rep. Lee Terry (Center) mets with Doug Hauserman and NSCA Presdient Elect, Rynette Friesen. |
NSCA President Elect, Rynette Friesen, and NSCA Government
Relations Chair, Doug Hauserman attended ASCA's Advocacy and Public Policy
Institue in Washington, DC in early March. In addition to learning about current happenings in
the profession and legislative issues at the national level, Doug and Rynette
made visits to all five of Nebraska’s Congressional Offices. NSCA is thrilled that both Sen. Johanns
and Rep. Terry took time out of their busy schedules to meet personally with
Doug and/or Rynette. In the other
three offices, NSCA representatives met the legislative assistants, a common
practice in congressional offices. During the visits Doug and Rynette provided information about the
profession and data from Nebraska schools showing how school counselors impact
students in a positive way.
In the offices of our three house members Doug and Rynette
also asked each congressman to sign on as a co-sponsor to three bills, Pathways to College Act, Increased Student Achievement Through Increased Student Support Act,
and Student Non-Discrimination Act. They also asked each House of
Representative Member to sign onto a letter that was circulating on the House
side in support of continued funding for the Elementary and Secondary School
Counseling Program (ESSCP) Grant. This grant remains the only federal grant specific only to school
counseling.
During their visits to the Senate Offices, they asked for
support of the Pathways to College Act and the Increased Student Achievement
Through Increased Student Support Act. Additionally during his visit with Sen. Johanns, Doug asked Sen. Johanns
to take the Republican lead and join Sen. Franken, D-MN, as an original sponsor
of the upcoming Senate version of the Student Non-Discrimination Act. School counselors are encouraged
to contact their Representative and our Senators to ask for their support of
these bills. For more information
on how to make that contact and to view a sample letter, please visit the
advocacy section on this website.
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