Congress Sends Medicare Bill to President
The Senate voted
54-44 on Tuesday, November 25 to send the $400 billion Medicare prescription
drug bill to President Bush for his signature. The House had approved it
on a vote of 220 to 215 over the weekend of November 21. The president
is expected to sign the bill soon. For more information on the bill and
the legislative text, please visit the House Ways and Means Committee website
at : http://waysandmeans.house.gov
Governor Guinn Elected Vice Chairman of the
Republican Governor's Association
During the recent annual
meeting of the Republican Governors' in Boca Raton, Florida, Governor Kenny
Guinn was elected vice chairman of the organization. Guinn replaces
Governor Bob Taft of Ohio, who was elected to be chair. The Republican
Governors' Association is the official public policy organization of the
Republican Governors' of the United States. Currently, in the 50 states
there are 27 Republican Governors'. Governor Guinn will serve as vice
chairman of the organization for a full year and will then move up as chairman
of the organization.
Senators Reid & Ensign Announce Improvements
in Service at McCarran Airport
Passengers at
McCarran International Airport should face shorter delays for baggage
screening, thanks to an effort by Nevada Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign.
Under legislation that recently passed the Senate, McCarran will receive
additional federal assistance to purchase an inline baggage screening machine.
The senators also announced that the FAA will expand long distance flights
from Washington D.C.'s Reagan National Airport with a possible Las Vegas to
Washington slot. Local carrier America West would qualify to pick up the
new flight. Both provisions are part of a bill to extend FAA operations
for the coming year. McCarran recently received a letter that called on
the TSA to install a new Inline Baggage Screening System with a price tag of
$125 million. Because of this legislation, McCarran's share of the cost
will drop from $31.25 million to $6.24 million. This is a $25 million
savings that McCarran can now direct to other airport security,
infrastructure, or operations programs. The bill also adds 12 long
distance flights from Reagan National Airport. While the FAA determines
the new slots, Senators Reid and Ensign have expressed their support for one
of the flights to go to Las Vegas. Both Senators also worked to ensure
that the Air Traffic Control System would not be privatized. Air traffic
controllers as the North Las Vegas airport faced privatization, but Nevada's
senators worked out a compromise that places a one year moratorium on
privatizing air traffic controllers and support staff. For more
information please visit http://reid.senate.gov
*Information taken from press
release.
Internet
Tax Moratorium
House
members objected to including a short term extension of the original Internet
access moratorium on the omnibus spending measure, which means that the
moratorium will remain expired for the foreseeable future. The House passed a
permanent extension of the moratorium earlier this year, and a companion bill
remains on the Senate calendar, but differences over the scope and duration of
the moratorium prevented Senate and House negotiators from reaching a final
agreement. The debate over whether to renew the moratorium is likely to resume
early next year.
Senate
Passes SCAAP Authorization
On
Tuesday, November 25, the Senate passed by voice vote S. 460, a bill to
authorize $6.35 billion over seven years for the State Criminal Alien
Assistance Program (SCAAP). This program reimburses state and local
governments for costs associated with illegal aliens who have committed crimes
not related to their immigration status. The House-Senate conference report on
fiscal 2004 omnibus appropriations, H.R. 2673, would fund SCAAP at $300
million. The House Judiciary Committee is considering a companion bill, which
has not been reported.
ARRIVE-21
Legislation Introduced
On
Tuesday, November 25, Senator Ernest Hollings (D-SC) introduced S.
1961, the American Railroad Revitalization Investment and Enhancement
Act of the 21st Century (ARRIVE-21). The bill creates federal/state and
public/private partnerships to promote infrastructure development for both
freight and passenger rail, provides $20-$25 billion in grants over six years
to states and state compacts for rail capital projects, and promotes
intermodal transportation investment. The bill also creates a non-profit Rail
Infrastructure Finance Corporation (RIFCO) to issue $30 billion in tax-credit
bonds over six years for the purpose of providing grants to states for capital
investment in freight and passenger rail infrastructure and facilities.
According
to Senate Commerce staff, Senator Hollings plans to offer this legislation as
an amendment to the Commerce Committee's portion of the reauthorization of the
Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) when it is
considered on the floor. It is anticipated that this legislation would
supersede the placeholder portion of the Committee-reported bill which
established a Rail Infrastructure Finance Corporation and authorized Amtrak at
$2 billion annually. Senators Hollings, Susan Collins (R-Maine), Thomas Carper
(D-Del.), Arlen Specter (R-Penn.), James Jeffords (I-Vt.), Frank Lautenberg
(D-NJ), Joseph Biden (D-Del.) signed on as original cosponsors to S.
1961.
The
House and Senate are in recess. The will reconvene on Monday, December 4
and Tuesday, December 5.