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2/4/2010

Early Education: Head Start to Nowhere?
HSLDA believes that the continuing growth of the federal government’s involvement in education is threatening local schools and parents who are trying to do what is best for their children.

1/25/2010

Health Care Momentum Slowing
Conflict caused by competing bills and the surprise election of a Republican senator in Massachusetts have slowed federal health care legislation to a near halt.

12/22/2009

All I Want for Christmas is…Government-Run Health Care
After months of negotiations and votes, the U.S. Senate’s final vote on the health care overhaul bill is scheduled for around 7:30 p.m. on December 24, Christmas Eve.

12/8/2009

Senate Tied up in Health Care Debate
The health care bill being debated in the U.S. Senate has designated $1.1 billion to fund expanded government home visitation programs. This provision poses a huge threat to parental rights and could be voted on at any time.

11/3/2009

Calls Needed—House of Reps. to Vote on Health Care
The U.S. House of Representatives will vote on its final version of the health care reform legislation sometime this week. HSLDA opposes this bill because it increases government intrusion into the home and could threaten parental rights.

10/28/2009

Attend the Fourth Annual CAP Training Day December 8
With parental rights and homeschooling becoming more and more threatened by the growing power of the federal government, it is imperative that homeschool families become involved in the congressional process.

10/13/2009

“Hate Crimes” Included in Troop Funding Legislation
On October 8, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a motion to include “hate crimes” in the National Defense Authorization Act to fund the troops.

9/22/2009

Senate Finance Committee Begins Mark-Up—Calls Needed
The Senate Finance Committee will start marking up its version of the health care bill September 22, 2009. Urgent calls are needed to the members of the committee asking that the creation of home visitation programs, in Subtitle I, be taken out of the bill.

9/17/2009

Call Now to Oppose Federal Funding for Early Education Programs
The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote today or tomorrow on H.R. 3221, the “Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009.” This bill should be opposed for numerous reasons.

9/16/2009

Enlisting Help
If you want to enlist in the U.S. military as a homeschool high school graduate, there are a few things you need to keep in mind.

9/15/2009

Health Care Debate Continues
HSLDA is very concerned about H.R. 3200, the House version of the health care bill, because we see it as a dangerous threat to parental rights.

8/11/2009

Congress Goes on August Recess without Voting on Health Care Reform
Congress left Washington, D.C. last week without voting on H.R. 3200, the health care reform bill. But HSLDA is still very concerned about the pending legislation.

7/21/2009

Calls Needed to Congress About National Healthcare Bill
Urgent calls are needed to the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate to oppose H.R. 3200, “America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009.” Although this bill does not directly impact homeschool freedoms, it would significantly impact parental rights and early childhood education.

7/20/2009

Why Government Should Stay out of Early Education
As government increasingly seeks to supplant the private and family spheres, there is yet another form of federal intrusion on the rise: institutionalized early education.

7/16/2009

CEDAW and Homeschooling Families
There is another UN convention that may be sent to the U.S. Senate for ratification, and would also threaten home educating families: the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women.

6/16/2009

UN Treaty Jeopardizes Homeschool Freedom in Britain
Sadly, HSLDA’s warnings concerning the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child have proven correct in England, where a new report urges restricting homeschooling on the basis of these “rights.”

5/11/2009

Is Congress Moving Toward Nationalized Standards?
A recent congressional hearing on education could foreshadow a serious threat to the freedom of homeschoolers nationwide and America’s constitutional tradition of limited government.

4/2/2009

Volunteer Service Legislation and Homeschool Freedom
HSLDA has reviewed H.R. 1388, and there is nothing in the bill as passed by both the House and Senate that would threaten the freedom of homeschool families.

3/30/2009

HSLDA Hosts CAP on the Hill Lobby Day
Seventeen HSLDA member families met with Federal Relations staff on Capitol Hill for the first Congressional Action Program Lobby Day in the 111th Congress.

3/17/2009

Ogden Confirmed as U.S. Deputy Attorney General
On March 12, 2009, David Ogden was confirmed by a 65–28 vote in the U.S. Senate to be the U.S. deputy attorney general.

3/2/2009

Homeschool Discrimination Fixed in Byrd Scholarship
As college financial aid offices look to help students afford tuition costs, some homeschoolers are finding out about another scholarship—the Byrd Scholarship—for the first time.

2/10/2009

Commission Announces Major Changes to Child Product Safety Rules
After meeting with Consumer Product Safety Commission officials, HSLDA is satisfied that new children’s product regulations will not harm family businesses.

2/6/2009

Justice Candidate a Threat to Parental Rights
Homeschool supporters should urge their senators to oppose the nomination of David Ogden for deputy U.S. attorney general. Ogden is a strong advocate of international law, including the UN Convention on the rights of the Child.

2/3/2009

Federal Regulators Delay Testing of Children’s Products
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has voted to delay enforcing a portion of new safety requirements regarding certain products for children 12 and under. Specifically, the agency decided to wait a year before requiring manufacturers and importers to test and certify some children’s products.

12/15/2008

Army National Guard Opens Doors to Homeschoolers
HSLDA has worked closely with top Army National Guard recruitment officers to ensure homeschool graduates receive equal consideration and have access to a full range of benefits when they enlist.

9/8/2008

Why Government Should Stay out of Pre-K
As big government increasingly seeks to supplant the private and family spheres, there is yet another form of federal intrusion on the rise: institutionalized early education.

8/19/2008

Join the 2008 Voter Registration Initiative
Generation Joshua and HSLDA are proud to announce an exciting opportunity for anyone who is interested in affecting the outcome of the 2008 election. Along with our national voter registration drive, we will be sponsoring a special voter registration in six key states—where students can win prizes for their efforts.

8/15/2008

Hoekstra Receives 110th Congress Friend of Homeschooling Award
On July 31, 2008, HSLDA’s Federal Relations staff presented Representative Pete Hoekstra (MI) with the 110th Congress Friend of Homeschooling Award.

6/30/2008

Homeschooler Among Top Award Winners in Financial Literacy Challenge
Eighteen-year-old Texas homeschooler Nicholas Bruno was one of 35 students who earned a perfect score on this year’s National Financial Literacy Challenge. His efforts earned him recognition at a Washington, D.C., awards ceremony and a college scholarship.

6/24/2008

Capitol Hill Testimony a Success!
On June 11, Will Estrada, HSLDA’s Director of Federal Relations, testified before the House Committee on Education and Labor in opposition to portions of H.R. 2343, the Education Begins at Home Act.

6/12/2008

Navy Recognizes SEAL Recruit’s Homeschool Diploma
In December 2007, Home School Legal Defense Association received word that the United States Navy had finally enlisted North Carolina homeschool graduate Brandon Diaz as its newest SEAL. This much-desired outcome followed on the heels of one last phone call to the Navy from Jeremiah Lorrig, deputy director of HSLDA’s Federal Relations Department.

6/12/2008

Education Begins at Home Act (H.R. 2343): Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
The Education Begins At Home Act (H.R. 2343) establishes a program that brings the government into homes by establishing and growing programs that would bring unelected government officials into homes to inspect the family environment.

4/6/2008

Federal Relations Department Hosts National Homeschool Leader Summit
On Wednesday, March 12, over 60 state homeschool leaders from 31 states, came to Washington, D.C., to take part in HSLDA’s National Homeschool Leader Summit, held every two years.

3/28/2008

Senator Comments on California Court Decision
U.S. Senator Sam Brownback today applauded the 2nd District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles, California, for its decision to rehear a case involving the rights of parents who choose to homeschool their children.

3/19/2008

Congressman ‘Disappointed’ by California Ruling
A prominent congressman on the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee released a statement calling a recent California court ruling an "assault" on the right to homeschool.

3/18/2008

Home School Issues: Regarding Rachel L.
HSLDA's Federal Relations Department has been working with many congressional offices as Congress responds to the California Court of Appeal decision on home education, In re Rachel L. HSLDA strongly believes that federal legislation to protect homeschooling would be very dangerous, as it would be a well-meaning attempt that could easily lead to federal control over homeschooling. Rather, we are encouraging a congressional resolution, and also are working with ParentalRights.org to protect the rights of all parents to direct the education and upbringing of their children through a constitutional amendment.

10/31/2007

Education Begins at Home Act (S. 667): Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
The Education Begins At Home Act (S. 667) establishes a program that brings the government into homes by establishing and growing programs that would bring unelected government officials into homes to inspect the family environment.

10/30/2007

New Director Named for Generation Joshua
Home School Legal Defense Association is pleased to announce that William Estrada has been chosen to head up Generation Joshua. It is always encouraging when we can fill key positions at HSLDA from within our ranks of co-laborers. After having taken the time to conduct an extensive job search, we concluded that the best person for this key position is Will.

10/15/2007

Oppose H.R. 3685, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA)
Congress is considering H.R. 3685, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), a bill that would forbid employers of over 15 persons from discriminating in employment or hiring against any person based upon that person’s “sexual orientation.”

10/4/2007

The Danger of National Standards
Nationalized curriculum and testing would take away local control over education by allowing unelected bureaucrats, not parents and local school boards, to decide what subjects should be taught in schools and how.

9/6/2007

HSLDA Co-hosts Joint Briefing on NCLB in Washington, D.C.
To help keep a major piece of federal legislation from encroaching on homeschoolers, HSLDA took part in a Washington briefing for congressional staffers and others.

8/9/2007

Homeschoolers Lobby Congress as Part of Congressional Action Program
Dozens of homeschooling parents and children visited Capitol Hill recently as part of HSLDA’s Congressional Action Program. The event not only proved educational for those who attended—it helped yield an important legislative victory.

6/11/2007

Victory Protects Grassroots Lobbying from Federal Control
Over the past five months, Home School Legal Defense Association and other organizations achieved an historic victory—one which would have been impossible without the help of hundreds of thousands of homeschoolers and other concerned citizens.

5/14/2007

Calls Needed Protect Grassroots Lobbying from Federal Control
We urgently need you to call your U.S. Representative to resist efforts to place federal control over grassroots lobbying activity. The House of Representatives is preparing to introduce its own lobbying reform bill, and it is very likely that attempts will be made to regulate grassroots lobbying.

5/2/2007

Federal Issue Update: Grassroots Lobbying
Home School Legal Defense Association has taken a position in opposition to congressional attempts to regulate grassroots lobbying. This first became an issue for us when the 110th Congress introduced Senate Bill 1 (S. 1), a major lobbying reform bill.

3/29/2007

Veterans Affairs: Another Victory for Homeschooling
On March 16, 2007, the Department of Veterans Affairs promulgated new regulations that now treat homeschools just like any other school, ending years of discrimination that questioned whether or not homeschooling was an “educational institution.”

3/26/2007

U.S. Marine Corps Opens Doors Wide for Homeschool Graduates
The U.S. Marine Corps has joined the U.S. Army in actively pursuing homeschooled students. A recent statement from the Marine Corps Recruiting Command Public Affairs Chief makes it clear that homeschoolers are eligible to enlist in all military programs, the same as a graduate from public school.

3/21/2007

HSLDA Restarts Congressional Action Program
Congressional Action Program lobbyists are back in full force. After the program’s three-year hiatus, Home School Legal Defense Association President Mike Smith and HSLDA Director of Federal Relations Will Estrada, reinstituted CAP earlier this year with the focus on training families to become citizen-lobbyists on Capitol Hill.

1/19/2007

Victory for Grassroots Lobbying--Bennett Amendment Passes Senate
The U.S. Senate approved the Bennett amendment by a vote of 55-43. American citizens will remain free to organize and contact their congressional representatives without being forced to comply with federal regulation and oversight.

1/12/2007

Urgent Calls Needed to Protect Grassroots Lobbying from Federal Control
We need you to call your U.S. senators to fight efforts to place federal control over virtually all grassroots lobbying activity. This means that all organizations and groups that encourage people to call their congressmen, including homeschool support groups, will be subject to registration and reporting to Congress.

10/30/2006

Federal Regulation: Parental Consent Required for Special Needs Evaluation
The National Center worked with HSLDA's litigation department to fix the regulations for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to correct a problem which has been affecting homeschool families for years.

9/25/2006

Bill in Congress to Make Public Education a Constitutional Right
As another reminder of attempts to take educational choices out of the hands of parents, legislation has been introduced in Congress proposing to amend the U.S. Constitution to make public education a “right.”

8/29/2006

We Need You to Help Register Voters Next Month
The elections are a few weeks away, but there is still time to register many new voters. Generation Joshua and the National Center for Home Education have designated Sunday September 10 and 17 as “National Voter Registration Sundays.” Please consider joining this effort to help sign up new voters at your church.

8/11/2006

Homeschoolers Protected in Federal Vocational Education Bill
In one of its last acts before the August recess, Congress approved the Carl Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006 (S. 250). HSLDA was successful in ensuring that protections for home-educated students remained in the bill sent to the President for his expected signature.

4/4/2006

National Center for Home Education—Legislative Briefing Report
The National Center for Home Education's 2006 Legislative Summit reached one of its high points on Thursday morning, March 30. Four Senators and eight Representatives spoke to our group of 75 homeschool leaders.

10/6/2005

Homeschool Non-Discrimination Act Introduced in Congress
On September 13, Senator Craig (R-ID) and Representative Musgrave (R-CO) introduced identical versions of the Homeschool Non-Discrimination Act in both houses of Congress. This bill seeks to eliminate several forms of discrimination which homeschoolers are currently experiencing.

7/19/2005

House Subcommittee Proposes to End College Discrimination Against Homeschoolers
The legislation will stop discrimination against homeschooled students who seek to enter college before the "normal" age of seventeen.

6/21/2005

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
The first draft of regulations for the re-authorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) corrects a problem which has been affecting homeschool families for years.

5/31/2005

New Tax Credit Legislation Will Benefit Homeschoolers
On May 18, 2005, Representative Mark Green (R-WI-8) introduced the SCHOOL Act (HR 2426). His legislation provides up to $3,000 in federal tax credits for individuals ($6,000 for married couples) who donate to scholarship organizations.

5/25/2005

Representative Opposes Military Discrimination against Homeschoolers
In a recent statement to oppose the recent discrimination against homeschoolers in the military, Representative Mark Souder (R-IN-3) took a stand on the House floor in support of homeschoolers.

5/20/2005

Homeschoolers Protected as House Education Committee Reauthorizes Head Start
On May 18, the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce approved legislation that would introduce greater competition into the federal Head Start early childhood program. HSLDA worked closely with the House Education Committee staff to ensure that this legislation would not adversely affect homeschooling families.

8/5/2004

Bill Which Prohibits Mandatory Early Education Still In Limbo in U.S. Senate
The U.S. Senate may complete the Head Start legislation this session, which was passed by the House on July 25, 2003, by a 217 to 216 vote.

8/3/2004

National Center for Education Statistics Releases New Numbers for Homeschoolers
National Center for Education Statistics: U.S. Department of Education

2/5/2004

URGENT
Preserve the Institution of Marriage
Congress will soon be deciding on the right text for a constitutional amendment setting forth that marriage must be between a man and a woman. It is critical that we get this text right.

Ten Things You Need to Know About the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child

Federal Legislation

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111th Congress

The 111th United States Congress is now in session. Watch here for new legislation that could affect homeschool freedom.

H.R. 1951—“Family Education Freedom Act of 2009”

H.R. 1717—Academic Partnerships Lead Us to Success (“A PLUS”) Act

S.J. Res. 16—“Parental Rights Amendment”

H.R. 2605: “Education Tax Deduction for All Act of 2009”

S. 101 and S. 83 —To Amend the Internal Revenue Code Relating to Homeschool Expenses

S. 100—Home School Opportunities Make Education Sound Act of 2009 (HOMES Act)

H.R. 3545—“Full-Service Community Schools Act of 2009”

H.R. 2205—“Education Begins At Home Act of 2009”

Amendment No. 1539 “Hate Crimes”

H.Res. 416—The U.S. and International Human Rights

H.R. 1755—Rural Early Education Access Act

H.J.Res. 29—Right to Public Education Amendment

H.R. 702—Providing Resources Early for Kids (“PRE-K”) Act

S. 244—“Education Begins At Home Act”

S. 206—Early Education of 2009

H.R. 555—Universal Prekindergarten Act

H.J. Res. 42—Proposing a Parental Rights Amendment

“Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act”—Substituted into H.R. 3590

H.R. 3962—“Affordable Health Care for America Act”

H.R. 3017—Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA)

S. 1796—“America’s Healthy Future Act of 2009”

H.R. 3200—“America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009”

H.R. 3221—“Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009”

S. 909—Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act

H.R. 1913—Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009

Other information:
- Federal Legislation
- Federal Legislation Archive

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