MONDAY, JUNE 5, 2006 
IMMIGRATION

With the recent passage of immigration reform in the Senate, Congress is expected to begin informal negotiations on a conference agreement if conferees are named this week. The House passed their comprehensive immigration bill in December. It is unclear how quickly an agreement can be reached due to the polarizing differences between the two bills; some lawmakers and other interest groups doubt a compromise is possible. As reported in last week's update, both bills address border security and would require employers to determine that workers are legal residents of the U.S., however, the House bill does not go any further than those two steps. The Senate bill, conversely, creates a new guest worker program and an actual path to legal citizenship for many of the estimated 11 million undocumented workers.

One idea floating among lawmakers for resolving the two different versions is the fact that the border-tightening provisions would have to be met before other reforms could be triggered. A vast majority of House Republicans as well as some Senate Republicans have said securing the border must come first. Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, John Sensenbrenner (R-WI) a strong advocate for securing the borders first and foremost, was quoted as saying that a guest worker plan could be part of an immigration overhaul package only if employer sanctions and border security measures were first proven to be "effective" using strict standards.

IMMIGRATION FY 2006 SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS BILL

Unable to reach an agreement on the supplemental appropriations bill before adjourning for the Memorial Day recess, House and Senate negotiators are expected to continue efforts to reach a compromise on the legislation. Differences still remain concerning the overall funding. The House bill calls for $91.9 billion, the Senate version calls for $109 billion, while the President's request calls for $92.2 billion, with $2.3 billion of that required for avian flu preparations. The President will continue to reiterate his veto threat against any version exceeding his request.

Many of the disagreements stem from provisions exclusive to the Senate version such as agriculture and fisheries relief, as well as other earmarks including the relocation of a railroad line to Mississippi.

On a similar note, Senate leaders may attempt to attach a "deeming" resolution to the conference report that would set an $873 billion discretionary spending cap in the absence of a House/Senate agreement on the budget resolution. The action would allow Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Thad Cochran (R-Miss) to set 302(b) allocations for each of his subcommittees without prescribing to the $866 billion level set for FY 2007 from last year's budget resolution.

HOMELAND SECURITY GRANTS AWARDED TO STATES
 
Last week, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced $1.7 billion in FY 2006 Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) awards to states, territories, and local governments. The HSGP includes five separate grant programs:
  • the State Homeland Security Grant Program (SHSGP) - $544.5 million;

  • the Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) - $757.3 million;

  • the Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program (LETPP) - $396 million;

  • the Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS) - $29.7 million; and

  • the Citizen Corps Program (CCP) - $19.8 million.
Under SHSGP and LETPP, each state and Puerto Rico receive a base amount of .075 of the total award, and Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands receive a base amount of .025 of the total award. The remaining funds are allocated on risk and the effectiveness of applicants' proposed solutions to identified needs. UASI funds are allocated based on risk and the effectiveness of the applicants' proposed solutions to identified needs. The MMRS grant program distributes funds equally among each of the 124 MMRS jurisdictions. Under CCP grants, each state and territory receives a base allocation, with remaining funds distributed based on population.

Overall, Nevada fared well, and will receive a little over $20 million in grants this year, including nearly $8 million for the Las Vegas area in UASI funding. This year's allocation is based on criteria including analysis of risk and vulnerability, and by overall effectiveness of a state's grant application (i.e. how states plan to use their allocation). Nevada scored low on the DHS comparative risk analysis, but high in effectiveness for the proposed solutions contained within its FY 2006 grant proposal.

Of the $20 million, Nevada will see $8 million in the State Homeland Security Program (SHSP); $7.75 for the Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI); $4 million for the Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program (LETPP); $232,330 for the Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS); and $236,583 for the Citizen Corps Program (CCP).
 

Congress reconvenes this week after a week-long recess observing Memorial Day.

The Senate is planning a week of debate on a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. Consideration of legislation to repeal the estate tax (H.R. 8) could also be discussed, on which the chamber will vote on a motion to proceed on Tuesday, June 6, and on a motion to invoke cloture on Thursday, June 8. If cloture is not invoked, Senator John Kyl (R- AZ) may offer his compromise proposal which calls for a $5 million per spouse estate tax exemption with an across-the-board 15 percent rate that is consistent with the rate applied to capital gains. In addition, Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) has drafted a proposal. Following the estate tax, the chamber could turn to another constitutional amendment that would ban flag burning.

The House is expected to resume consideration of the FY 2007 appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security (H.R. 5441). Appropriations bills for Foreign Operations and the Legislative Branch could also be considered this week. The House plan calls for finishing all 11 spending measures before the July 4 recess. The chamber has finished four spending bills thus far: Interior-Environment (H.R. 5386), Military Quality of Life-VA (H.R. 5385), Agriculture (H.R. 5384), and Energy-Water (H.R. 5427).

The House is also scheduled to consider the Refinery Permit Process Schedule Act (H.R. 5254), which would accelerate regulatory reviews of refinery construction or expansion by designating a federal coordinator with whom states must cooperate. The House Rules Committee previously approved a rule at the end of May that allows no amendments. In addition, the House is slated to consider the Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement (COPE) Act (H.R. 5252).

SENATE FLOOR. The Senate will reconvene today, June 5, and is scheduled to begin consideration of a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. Debate on the measure could last throughout the week. On June 6, the chamber will consider the nomination of Renee Bumb to be a U.S. district judge for New Jersey. The House and Senate will convene on Wednesday for a joint session to receive an address from Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga. The Senate could also consider legislation to repeal the estate tax (H.R. 8) and another constitutional amendment banning flag burning.

HOUSE FLOOR. The House will reconvene tomorrow, June 6, to resume consideration of the Homeland Security Appropriations Act for FY 2007, as well as 13 measures to be considered under suspension. The chamber is scheduled to consider 4 additional measures under suspension including a resolution supporting Greater Opportunities for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (GO-STEM) programs, as well as appropriations bills for Foreign Operations and the Legislative Branch. The Refinery Permit Process Schedule Act and the Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement (COPE) Act of 2006 are also slated for debate.

Recent and archived Federal Grants Notifications are also available on our website. www.NevadaDC.org
The State of Nevada Washington Office is reachable by phone at (202) 624-5405.  Additional contact information is available on our website.  To be added to our mailing list, please contact update@nevadadc.org.