MONDAY, AUGUST 7, 2006 
SENATE ADJOURNS AFTER PASSING PENSION REFORM LEGISLATION; FAILS TO PASS TAX "TRIFECTA" PACKAGE AND DELAYS CONSIDERATION OF DEFENSE SPENDING BILL

The Senate worked into the night last week and finally adjourned on Friday morning after passing the "Pension Protection Act of 2006" (H.R. 4) by a vote of 93-5. The House passed the measure a week before. The bill would require companies to better fund their pension plans and expand access to multiple retirement plan options. A "technical corrections" bill that would provide additional relief for American and Continental airlines is expected to be considered in September.

A cloture motion to proceed to consideration of the "trifecta" package of tax measures (H.R. 5970) that would extend expiring tax provisions, reduce the estate tax, and increase the minimum wage failed by a vote of 56-42, four votes shy of the 60 votes necessary to move the measure. The tax extenders and the minimum wage hike could both be reconsidered before the end of the year.

Most discussion of package seemed to revolve around federal minimum wage increase language and impacts the proposal would have on citizens in seven states who work mostly for tips. In 43 states, workers who receive tips are allowed to be paid as little as $2.13 an hour, provided that their tips bring them to at least the minimum-wage level. But seven states, including Nevada, allow no such exemption. Members struggled to comprehend conflicting memos and reports from various entities on what the language in the bill would require; some claimed the language would force those seven states to drop their protection of tip-earners, while others claimed they would not be affected and that changes to state law would not be needed. Nonetheless, some some Senate members (from the affected seven states), including Nevada's, are looking to clarify language and possibly make technical changes. The

Senate had to delay final consideration of the FY 2007 Defense Appropriations Bill until September due to numerous amendments offered during floor debate.

WHITE PINE COUNTY BILL

Last Tuesday, Nevada Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign introduced the White Pine County Lands bill, a comprehensive measure that expands economic development opportunities for White Pine County, allows for responsible sales of BLM lands, resolves wilderness study areas, creates new initiatives for affordable and workforce housing, and funds fire prevention efforts around Lake Tahoe, in the Spring Mountains, and across eastern Nevada.

In addition to provisions benefiting White Pine County, the bill will amend the highly successful Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act (SNPLMA) and allow up to 45,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands to be sold to private interests, with the revenue generated from those sales being distributed to the State Permanent School Fund (5%), White Pine County (10%), and for various conservation efforts in White Pine County (85%).

The Senate is expected to hold a hearing on the bill in September and could pass later this year.

For further information on the bill, please visit the websites of Senators Harry Reid or John Ensign: http://reid.senate.gov/; http://ensign.senate.gov

Info taken from press releases of Sens. Reid & Ensign and Governor Guinn.

Press releases:

http://reid.senate.gov/newsroom/
record.cfm?id=260601&

http://ensign.senate.gov/media/
pressapp/record.cfm?id=260511&&

http://gov.state.nv.us/pr/2006/
PR_2006-08-02WhitePineCtyLandBill.htm

Congress has adjourned for the August recess and scheduled to return on Tuesday, September 5.

The Nevada/Washington Weekly Update will resume after the recess.

BUSH ADMINISTRATION PLANS HEALTH CARE STANDARDS PUSH

Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt, announced the Administration's desire to push a nationwide plan requiring all providers of federally financed health care adopt quality-measurement tools and uniform standards for information technology. Leavitt made the recent announcement at the National Governors Association's Summer Meeting. The President plans to sign an executive order setting the new quality standard requirements within a few weeks.

Secretary Leavitt promised that most of the nation’s 100 largest private health providers will sign similar contracts with the hospitals and doctors they use by the end of the year. Leavitt urged the governors to follow suit and sign up groups that take care of state employees and Medicaid recipients. Governors' expressed interest in using the HHS model, but voiced concerns about doctors’ readiness to have their work evaluated with the standardized requirements.

The executive order would affect doctors and hospitals serving the Medicare population, and people served by other federally financed services. It would require the providers to work with the government to standardize the requirements for information technology systems coming into their facilities; set standards for care of specific health problems; and develop uniform methods of measuring and reporting the outcomes of treatments.

Secretary Leavitt cited the move as an attempt to reduce health care cost inflation, while maintaining high quality service.

U.S. ENERGY DEPARTMENT REPORTS NEED TO EXPAND YUCCA REPOSITORY CAPACITY

The U.S. Department of Energy delivered recent testimony that it cannot meet its goals for opening the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository unless lawmakers enact proposed legislation expanding the capacity of the repository. Testifying before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the DOE's head of nuclear waste management told Congress the Energy Department was still committed to opening the facility on 2018, but needed to expand the capacity from the currently planned 70,000 tons of waste.

The pending bill, S. 2589, would expand the waste capacity to nearly 120,000 metric tons. The bill would streamline the Yucca Mountain licensing process, allow the Administration to formally designate land for the site, and draw money from the Nuclear Waste Fund to fund the construction. Committee Chairman Pete Domenici (R-NM) noted that the current accumulation of nuclear waste would render any Yucca Mountain facility full before its opening. The Chairman also stressed the need to improve nuclear waste recycling technology, and the need for an interim storage plan.

Both Nevada Senators testified against S. 2589. For their statements, please visit http://reid.senate.gov and http://ensign.senate.gov

Recent and archived Federal Grants Notifications are available on our website. www.NevadaDC.org
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