THIS WEEK IN CONGRESS

The House and Senate Budget Committees are scheduled to mark up their FY 2006 Budget Resolutions on Wednesday, March 9 and Thursday, March 10.

The House will consider the Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (TEA-LU) or H.R. 3 which would authorize $284 billion for surface transportation programs over six years, on Wednesday, March 9 and Thursday, March 10, subject to a rule.

Negotiations continue between majority and minority members of the Senate on the Environment and Public Works Committee on the Clear Skies Act of 2005 (S.125), with the next markup scheduled for Wednesday, March 9. Markup sessions have been postponed three times in the last three weeks in hopes of reaching an agreement on moving a bill to the floor.

FLOOR SCHEDULE:

Senate. The Senate will resume its debate of bankruptcy reform legislation (S.256). Consideration is expected to last all week.

House. The House will meet today, Monday, March 7 in a pro forma session. On Tuesday, March 8 the chamber meets at 12:30 p.m. to consider two measures under suspension. On Wednesday and Thursday, it is scheduled to consider four additional measures under suspension, as well as the Transportation Equity Act (TEA-LU) or H.R. 3. No votes are scheduled on Friday, March 11.

Entitlement Cuts Could be Postponed

On Thursday, March 3, House Budget Committee Chairman Jim Nussle (R-Iowa) suggested that a reconciliation package that would include cuts in Medicaid spending may be postponed until September to allow time for negotiations between the Administration, and others, which has proposed $60 billion in reductions over ten years to the program. The FY 2006 budget resolution is expected to be marked up this week by the House and Senate Budget Committees. Reconciliation legislation is then usually developed in May, but now could be moved to the fall, according to Chairman Nussle.

Even though the budget committees may give the authorizing committee more time to report back (i.e. September as opposed to May or June), they still plan to include Medicaid cuts in the budget resolution and reconciliation instructions. At this time, they will likely include the CBO re-estimates of the President's budget (released last Friday) which represent $27 billion in Medicaid cuts over 10 years as opposed to the $45 billion net cuts included in the President's budget. Floor action by both chambers on their respective budget resolutions is expected the week of March 14, just prior to the two-week congressional spring recess. However, the entire budget process could lag;it may be difficult to develop a consensus expeditiously.

House Transportation Committees Approves TEA-LU

By unanimous voice vote, the House Transportation and Infrastructure committee approved a manager's amendment to the Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (TEA-LU) or H.R. 3. The bill would authorize $284 billion for surface transportation programs over six years. Several amendments were offered but most were withdrawn before a vote. There were two amendments accepted.

The first would provide an exemption from the new federal hours of service regulations for operators of commercial motor vehicles providing transportation to or from television or movie sites located within 100 miles of their work reporting location. The second amendment lowers the amount of annual spending for the emergency relief highway program from $120 million annually to $100 million annually.

Most major outstanding policy issues will be dealt with on the House floor or in conference. The House Ways and Means Committee approved by voice vote H.R. 996, to be attached to the surface transportation reauthorization bill (H.R.3). H.R. 996 extends Highway Trust Fund authority through FY 2009 and motor fuel taxes at their current rates, through FY 2011.

H.R. 3 is scheduled for House floor consideration on Wednesday, March 9, and Thursday, March 10, subject to a rule. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex) has stated that he expects the Rules Committee to allow for consideration of more than 20 amendments to the measure, which is similar to the rule that was used for consideration of surface transportation reauthorization legislation last year in the 108th session.

House Passes Workforce Investment Act Legislation

On Wednesday, March 2, the House passed H.R. 27, by a vote of 224-200, which would revamp the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA). The bill would combine job-training funds for adults, dislocated workers, and employment services into a single state block grant and provide Governors with new discretion to distribute funds. It also includes language to establish Personal Reemployment Accounts (PRAs) for unemployed workers. An amendment offered by Rep. Robert Scott (D-Va) to strike controversial language allowing faith-based organizations to consider the religious beliefs of job applications failed by a vote of 186-239. This provision and the PRAs could be challenged in the Senate.

Senate GOP Appropriators Approve Plan to Reorganize Subcommittees

Republican members of the Senate Appropriations Committee last week approved a plan proposed by Chairman Thad Cochran (R-Miss) to eliminate one subcommittee and restructure the jurisdictions of others to more closely align with a plan approved by the House Appropriations Committee. Although not as comprehensive as the House version, which eliminates three subcommittees, the Senate plan disbands the Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Subcommittee and moves jurisdiction for related programs to other subcommittees.

The renamed Transportation-Treasury, Judiciary, and HUD Subcommittee would add HUD federal judiciary programs to its jurisdiction.
The Interior Subcommittee would add the Environmental Protection Agency to its jurisdiction but energy-related accounts would be moved to the Energy and Water Subcommittee.
The renamed Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee would add veterans programs to its jurisdiction.
The Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee would add the Corporation for National and Community Service to its jurisdiction.
The renamed State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee would add the State Department to its jurisdiction.
The renamed Commerce, Justice, and Science Subcommittee would no longer oversee the judiciary or the State Department, but would add NASA, the National Science Foundation, and the Office of Science and Technology Policy to its jurisdiction.

Senator Cochran stated that he believes this proposed restructuring will allow both chambers to better reconcile FY 2006 appropriations bills and perhaps avoid an omnibus spending bill.

Administration Proposes Changes in Formula Funding for Homeland Security

During a hearing before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, newly appointed Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff testified that the FY 2006 budget request for Homeland Security funding would alter the grant formula so that every state is guaranteed 0.25 percent of total funding for state and local grants, rather than the current 0.75 percent. He further stated that the remainder of funds would be distributed based on threat and vulnerability, rather than on population as in the current formula and that some of the funding would focus on targeted infrastructure protection programs. Several committee members voiced opposition to the proposal, noting that FY 2006 funding for state and local programs would be cut by 25 percent to $820 million. Subcommittee Chairman Harold Rogers (R-Ky) told Secretary Chertoff that they are playing "rural off of urban areas as to how the money is being distributed." The Chairman further stated the importance that these grants go out on an objective, fair, but meaningful formula.

Sarah Winnemucca Statue to be Placed in U.S. Capitol

Nevada will dedicate the statue of Paiute Indian Sarah Winnemucca in the Capitol Rotunda on Wednesday, March 9 at 4:00 p.m, finally giving Nevada its second of two allowed statues in the U.S. Capitol. The bronze statue by artist Benjamin Victor will join Nevada's statue of Senator Pat McCarran. Victor was a 26-year-old college student in South Dakota when he was chosen from four finalists to create the $150,000 likeness, completed in the fall of 2004. Prior to the installation, Nevada was only one of two states not to display two statues in the Capitol; New Mexico remains as the only state with one.

Sarah Winnemucca will join seven other women statues placed by states in the U.S. Capitol. On April 6, a full-size replica of Sarah Winnemucca statue will be placed in the Nevada State Capitol in Carson City.

Sarah Winnemucca was the daughter and granddaughter of Paiute chiefs for whom the city of Winnemucca was named. She lived from 1844 to 1891, taught English to Indian children and wrote extensively about the plight of the Indian people. Her autobiography, Life Among the Paiutes: Their Wrongs and Claims, was the first published book by a Native American woman.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Announces $62 Million in Wildlfie Grants to States

Last week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced more than $62 million in wildlife grants to State and Territorial wildlife agencies. The State Wildlife Grants are designed to assist State-specific programs that benefit declining wildlife and their habitat. States may use the funds for either planning or project implementation activities. The Grants are funded under the fiscal year 2005 Interior Department Appropriations Act. A complete list of grants by State is available on the web at: http://federalaid.fws.gov.

FWS is working closely with State planners to develop Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategies. To be further eligible in FY 2006 for State Wildlife Grant funds, each State must complete a Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy by October 1, 2005.

For a list of this week's grant notifications, please visit: www.nevadadc.org