If you would like more information on how your state can implement comprehensive sexuality education, please contact us at stateprogress@americanprogress.org.

Highlights:
"[Parents] want to know that their values aren't somehow being undermined when their kids are at school and their children will go to them for guidance and advice. I think that's to be encouraged, and I think that's completely in line with what comprehensive sexuality education seeks to accomplish."

"I don't think that that is something that should be done entirely at the school. But I do think that we are abdicating our responsibility to our youth if we don't provide them with basic education about their own sexuality and development."

Read the full interview here. Or download and listen to the complete audio (.mp3, 8 min, 3.7mb)

U.S. Attorneys
The Senate will start dealing with the legislative fallout from the U.S. attorney firings on Monday when it starts debate on a bill to reverse current law that allows the administration to appoint interim federal prosecutors to indefinite terms without Senate confirmation. The bill was introduced last week by Rules Chairwoman Feinstein amid allegations from her and other Democrats that although the measure--which was an amendment to the PATRIOT Act last year--was billed as a national security reform, its real purpose was to smooth the way for a purge of U.S. attorneys viewed as politically disloyal to the White House.

Feinstein's amendment would restore the old system, under which the White House was permitted to appoint an interim federal prosecutor for only 120 days. If the nominee failed to win Senate confirmation within that time period, the appointment authority fell to the local district court.

Before voting on the Feinstein bill Tuesday, the Senate is scheduled to consider two Republican amendments, including one by Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., who has defended the firings as based on policy differences between the prosecutors and the administration. His measure is designed to prevent the White House from losing the appointment authority in the event the Senate balked at approving a replacement U.S. attorney within the 120 days.

The other amendment, by Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., would require U.S. attorney candidates to have security clearances.

Iraq Supplemental - House
House Democratic leaders late last week were still hunting the necessary 218 votes, hoping to count on perhaps a handful of GOP defectors and enough antiwar liberal members to put the supplemental over the top.

The White House has issued a veto threat over the House troop withdrawal language, and Republicans have also made an issue of almost $22 billion in spending above the president's request, including items unrelated to the war or Gulf Coast reconstruction, such as aid to Pacific Northwest salmon fishermen and additional low-income home energy assistance.

House Appropriations Chairman Obey and Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman John Murtha, D-Pa., have drafted a bill with something for almost everyone, aiming for enough votes despite concerns from the party's antiwar wing that it does not do enough to end the war quickly.

Iraq Supplemental - Senate
Senate Majority Leader Reid has indicated he might try to add language scaling back the U.S. commitment in Iraq in the Senate version of the Iraq supplemental, which the Senate will mark up Thursday, while Senate Appropriations Chairman Byrd said last week he might add funds for drought relief, veterans' health, homeland security, and other priorities, similar to House Democrats' approach.

House and Senate Budget Resolution
The House and Senate Budget Committees will take up their budget resolutions this week. House Budget Chairman Spratt has said he will try to avoid trying to overhaul the major healthcare entitlement programs, but both he and his counterpart, Sen. Kent Conrad, plan to accommodate a significant expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program.

Spratt has also said his budget will reach balance within five years and contain a one-year "patch" for the alternative minimum tax, while the tax-writing committees get to work on a longer-term fix so the tax does not affect millions more taxpayers than it was intended for.

Farm Bill
The Senate Agriculture Committee has scheduled a hearing Wednesday on agricultural trade and food aid and how it relates to the 2007 farm bill. Government witnesses will include Michael Yost, administrator of the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service; Thomas Melito, director of the international affairs and trade team at GAO; and Charles Sandefur, chairman of the Alliance for Food Aid and president of ADRA International.

The House Agriculture Specialty Crops Subcommittee will also hold a hearing Wednesday to review USDA's rural development programs and the agency's rural development proposal for the 2007 farm bill.

CEO Pay
The House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday will mark up legislation that would require public companies to offer a nonbinding shareholder vote on approval of their executive pay plans. Supporters say the bill is necessary to help rein in the skyrocketing pay of chief executive officers.

Subprime Lending
The Senate Banking Committee holds a Thursday hearing on ongoing problems in the subprime lending market, where many lending companies are collapsing in the face of delinquent loans and an increasing number of borrowers are facing foreclosure.

Education
The House Education and Labor Committee presses on this week with a pair of hearings on the No Child Left Behind law, which is up for reauthorization this year.

Wednesday's hearing will focus on the law's current method of measuring student progress. The House panel will hear testimony Friday on the law's impact on English language learners, a group that has received much attention in recent NCLB debates. In reauthorizing the landmark law, Education and Labor Chairman Miller likely will look for alternate ways to measure the progress of ELL students whose English might not be on par with grade-level expectations.

The Senate Finance Committee addresses education Tuesday with a hearing on the much discussed issue of competitiveness.

Climate Change
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee today holds its second hearing this year on allegations that the White House revised scientific reports to downplay the effects of climate change.

Monday's hearing features testimony from Philip Cooney, former chief of staff of CEQ, who sparked the committee's probe after he resigned in July 2005 following reports he had removed or adjusted descriptions of climate research government had approved. Cooney, who was an oil industry lobbyist before working at CEQ, and took a job with Exxon Mobil after leaving the White House. Also testifying is George Deutsch, a former NASA public affairs officer appointed by President Bush who resigned last year after he allegedly told public affairs workers to limit reporters' access to a top climate scientist.

The committee will also hear from CEQ Chairman James Connaughton and James Hansen, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies.

On Wednesday, former Vice President Al Gore testifies at a joint hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Energy and Air Quality Subcommittee and Science and Technology Energy and Environment Subcommittee, as well as for a separate hearing of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

The hearings are part of each committee's effort to draft global warming legislation that mandates reductions of greenhouse gas emissions, possibly through a cap-and-trade scheme.

Health Care
Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Chairman Fortney (Pete) Stark, D-Calif., will hold a hearing Wednesday on Medicare Advantage, Medicare's venue for private health plans. Stark has repeatedly said Medicare Advantage plans are overpaid and wants to cut back on those payments in the interest of funding other healthcare priorities.

America's Health Insurance Plans--a staunch defender of Medicare Advantage--is hoping to prime the pump against cutting back the program a day ahead of Stark's hearing. AHIP will release a survey Tuesday of beneficiaries' and physicians' opinions of Medicare Advantage.

Trade
The House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee will hold a hearing Tuesday on free trade negotiations between the U.S. and South Korea. Korean negotiators will be in Washington this week to continue talks aimed at finalizing a deal by the end of this month. Negotiators have completed some chapters of the agreement, and made steady progress in others, but still must resolve the most difficult issues including market access in South Korea for U.S. rice and automobiles.