Congress
Reconvenes with a Full Agenda
On
Tuesday, January 20, the 108th Congress reconvened to begin its second session
with a full agenda in a very abbreviated timeframe due to party
conventions and the November elections. The first order of business for
the Senate is the unresolved fiscal year 2004 omnibus appropriations
conference report, with a cloture vote scheduled for 3:00 p.m. today.
Senate Democratic Leader Thomas Daschle (S.D.) has indicated that he will
oppose the motion because of concerns with food labeling, overtime rules, and
media ownership limits in the report. Sixty votes are needed to cut off
debate and force a final vote on the measure, which combines seven leftover
2004 spending bills, and provides several federal agencies with a total of
$820 billion, including $328 billion in discretionary funding. The House
approved the bill in December but the Senate was unable to act before Congress
adjourned for the year. If today's vote is successful, the bill is
expected to subsequently be approved. If it fails, it is not clear what
leaders will do.
Welfare
Reform and the Highway Bill: Other key issues this
session are welfare reform reauthorization (H.R. 4) and the highway bill
(S.1072). The Senate is expected to consider welfare reform legislation
in February. The 107th Congress did not complete action on a
comprehensive reauthorization package but Congress has approved quarterly
extensions on key state welfare programs, including TANF, childcare, and
transitional Medicaid (TMA) to ensure federal funding so that states can
continue to operate welfare reform initiatives. The House approved a bill in
2003 and the Senate Finance Committee approved a bill this past September.
In addition to welfare reform, Senate consideration for a highway bill is
expected the first week of February. Senate Environment and the Public
Works Committee Chairman James Inhofe (R-Ok) is expected to meet this
afternoon with committee members to try and resolve the outstanding issue of
the minimum guarantee for states in highway funding. The House
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee anticipates markup the first week
in February, followed by floor consideration the next week.
Internet
Tax Moratorium: Senator George Allen (R-Va),
sponsor of the Internet Tax Moratorium bill (S.150) is working to invoke
cloture and force a vote sometime in February to permanently extend the
moratorium . A few Senators had opposed the bill as an unfunded mandate
and the bill was pulled from further consideration from the Senate floor on
November 7, 2003.
Other
Issues: Other issues
expected to fill the congressional calendar are the reauthorizations of
several programs such as Head Start, Higher Education, and the
Individuals with Disabilities (IDEA) Act. Congress will also address a
corporate tax bill (S. 1637/H.R.2896) in late February and the Senate will
address class action lawsuit overhaul legislation the week of January 26 and
in late April, asbestos litigation reform legislation could be addressed.
Health care initiatives involving the uninsured and medical malpractice
lawsuits may also be addressed. The House -- in addition to budget, tax
and education issues will focus on the reauthorization of tax credit
extenders and the Unborn Victims of Violence Act.
President's
Budget: The President's budget will be released next
month (February 2) and the statutory deadline for Congress to complete action
on its budget resolution is April 15, starting the FY 2005 appropriations
cycle. In addition, major tax policy changes as well as entitlement
changes will probably be part of a reconciliation bill that will be considered
in April or May.
Pentagon
Releases Draft Criteria for Base Closures
The
Pentagon has released for public comment its draft selection criteria for the
2005 round of base closures. The Department of Defense will use the
criteria when evaluating installations under the Base Realignment and Closure
(BRAC) Act. The Pentagon plans to close up to 25 percent of the nation's
military infrastructure in order to free up funds for military
transformation and homeland security efforts. DoD has started requesting
that commanders of installations gather information about their bases.
These data requests are one of the ways that DoD satisfies its statutory
obligations to treat all military installations equally, making certain its
closure and realignment recommendations are based solely upon certified
data. In recommending military installations for closure or
realignment, DoD will give priority consideration to military value.
Congressman Jim Gibbons, a member of the House Armed Services Committee
recently announced that he is forming a statewide committee entitled
"Nevada's Military Advocacy Commission" which will focus on
promoting and supporting Nevada's military installations as they prepare for
the 2005 round of Base Realignment and Closure.
Congressional
Budget Office Releases Expiring Federal Laws Report
CBO
has released its report Unauthorized Appropriations and Expiring
Authorizations (January 15, 2004). The report identifies authorizing
legislation that should be in place before Congress considers the 13 regular
appropriation bills for FY 2005. You can access the report through the
CBO website at www.cbo.gov