TUESDAY, MARCH 13, 2007

HOUSE PASSES STATE REVOLVING FUND BILL

On Friday, March 9, the House passed the Water Quality Financing Act of 2007. The bill authorizes $14 billion over the next four years for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, which provides grants to states to support a low-interest loan program for communities to upgrade their wastewater treatment systems.

The measure also extends repayment periods for these loans up to 30 years; requires a state to use part of its funding to provide subsidies for disadvantaged communities; and authorizes $75 million annually in technical assistance to rural and small wastewater treatment projects. In addition, the bill calls on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to establish a funding formula for all funds appropriated over $1.35 billion based on need.

A proposed amendment that sought to remove a provision that would apply the federal prevailing wage law (Davis-Bacon) to wastewater projects paid for with non-federal funds failed by a vote of 140-280.

REID ANNOUNCES SHOSHONE FUNDS

U.S. Senator Harry Reid announced this past Thursday that the Department of Interior will enact regulations so that Shoshone Native Americans will be able receive compensation under a 1979 federal court award of over $26 million as compensation for the United States taking tribal land in California and Nevada and removing minerals from that land.

In related proceedings, the Court of Federal Claims awarded nearly $1 million to various Western Shoshone tribes for federal accounting inaccuracies. The funds now total nearly $160 million to be distributed under the new rule to individuals and $2 million used for educational purposes.

The Department will hold public meetings in Reno and Las Vegas and at various reservations in Nevada and California.
 

HOUSE SUPPLEMENTAL SPENDING PROPOSAL EXPECTED THIS WEEK

House leaders plan to mark-up an emergency supplemental spending request the week of March 12, with plans to consider it on the House floor the week of March 19.

The House is likely to add several domestic spending provisions to the Administration's request for $103 billion to fund military operations, possibly including $735 million for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), $4.3 billion for agriculture disaster relief, $400 million for the low-income energy assistance program (LIHEAP), $2.9 billion for Gulf coast hurricane recovery efforts, $2.5 billion for homeland security and $1 billion for pandemic flu preparedness. The Administration may also revise its supplemental request to increase funding for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

FUTURE FOR LONG-TERM RENEWABLE ENERGY TAX CREDITS UNCERTAIN

Supporters of long-term extensions for renewable energy tax incentives are working toward a long-term extension of the incentives that expire at the end of 2008, including the production tax credit for wind energy and the business and residential investment tax credits for solar power. 

While advocates agree that long-term extensions are best, they are very expensive.  According to an estimate done by the Joint Committee on Taxation, a one-year extension of the production tax credit (PTC) alone is projected to cost over $1 billion over the next five years.   It is likely that the legislative picture will get clearer after Chairman Bingaman completes his energy policy bill later this spring; the associated tax portions will then make their way through the Senate Finance Committee.

Separately, Congressman Pomeroy (D-ND) has introduced a bill that would extend the PTC for wind and other renewables for five years; Senators Salazar and Gordon have a bill that would extend solar tax credits through 2016. 

Additionally, a bipartisan group of Senators have introduced legislation that would extend residential and commercial energy efficiency tax incentives through 2012. 
 

HELLER JOINS FRESHMEN IN CRITICISM OF CONDITIONS AT WALTER REED

U.S. Representative Dean Heller (R-NV) on Friday together with several other freshman colleagues wrote a letter to President Bush condemning the treatment of wounded soldiers at the Walther Reed Army Medical Center.

In the letter to the President, they expressed their concern with the deplorable conditions found at Walter Reed’s outpatient facility.  The letter went on to encourage a quick response to the conditions found at the hospital and called for better oversight in ensuring military facilities exemplifying our soldiers’ honor and courage. 

PORTER URGES NEVADANS TO TAKE TAX CREDIT; 78,000 REPORTEDLY ELIGIBLE

U.S. Congressman Jon Porter last week encouraged Nevadans to take advantage of a one-time refund of the telephone excise tax.  The Internal Revenue Service reported that out of 250,000 early returns filed this year by Nevadans, more than 78,000 failed to request a one-time refund for the telephone excise tax.

The telephone excise tax was imposed in 1898 to finance the Spanish-American War but remained on the books afterward. It was finally halted by the federal courts in August 2006.

Officials have authorized a one-time tax refund, allowing taxpayers to claim a standard credit of $30 to $60 based on the total number of exemptions claimed on their 2006 tax return. Taxpayers with a landline telephone or a cell phone who paid the federal excise tax on long-distance calls at any time from March 2003 through the end of July 2006 are eligible.

In addition to the standard credit of $30 to $60, taxpayers who have saved their telephone bills can deduct the total amount of excise tax they paid during the 41-month time period. Since most taxpayers do not have their old bills or simply do not want the hassle of totaling the excise tax amount, 99 percent have chosen to take the standard $30 to $60 credit, the IRS says.

Taxpayers who have already filed their 2006 tax return without requesting the telephone excise tax credit can still claim the credit by filing Form 1040X and completing line 15 to amend their return.

THE WEEK AHEAD: Congress will focus this week on the 9/11 Commission recommendations, the supplemental appropriations bill and the FY08 Budget Resolution.

The SENATE is scheduled to hold a final vote today on legislation to implement the unfinished recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. A total of 11 amendments are still pending, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-NV) substitute, and provisions concerning emergency communications and interoperability, as well as Senator Tom Coburn's (R-OK) amendment on compliance with the Improper Payments Information Act of 2002.

The Senate Budget Committee is expected to mark-up its FY2008 budget resolution on Wednesday, March 14, and Thursday, March 15. The House Budget Committee has postponed consideration of its budget resolution until the following week.

The HOUSE is scheduled to consider ten additional measures under suspension today (Tuesday). For the balance of the week, the House will consider several government transparency bills, including three under suspension: the Freedom of Information Act Amendments of 2007, the Presidential Records Act Amendments of 2007 and the Presidential Library Donation Reform Act of 2007; as well as the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2007 and the Accountability in Contracting Act.

The House Appropriations Committee has tentatively scheduled a markup of the emergency supplemental appropriations bill for the war effort in Iraq/Afghanistan and hurricane relief for Thursday, March 15, with floor action anticipated the following week.

The measure, which has not yet been released, originally totaled $103 billion but now appears to include about $15 billion in additional funding for domestic items, such as $500 million for wildfire suppression, $2.5 billion for homeland security needs, and $1 billion for pandemic flu preparedness, as well as $735 million to address the anticipated federal funding shortfall in the State Children's Health Insurance Program, $4.3 billion for agriculture disaster relief ,and $400 million for low-income energy assistance.

In addition, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has decided to attach the House-passed minimum wage increase/$1.3 billion small business tax breaks package onto the supplemental. The measure is currently at an impasse with the Senate version of minimum wage hike legislation, which includes an $8.3 billion small business tax package.

Hearings and Markups

BUDGET: The Senate Budget Committee has scheduled a tentative markup of the FY 2008 budget resolution on Wednesday, March 14, and Thursday, March 15 (time TBA) in 608 Dirksen Senate Office Building.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE: The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a markup of legislation, including a bill authorizing the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Programs, a bill to enhance the COPS grant program, and a bill to create a National Court Teams Resource Center for maltreated infants and toddlers on Thursday, March 15, at 10:00 a.m. in 226 Dirksen Senate Office Building.

EDUCATION: The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee and the House Education and Labor Committee has scheduled a joint hearing on Tuesday, March 13, at 9:30 a.m. in 2175 Rayburn House Office Building on reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act.

The House Education and Labor Committee has scheduled a Wednesday, March 14, hearing at 10:30 a.m. in 2175 Rayburn House Office Building on Head Start.

HEALTH:  The House Agriculture Subcommittee on Operations, Oversight, Nutrition, and Forestry has scheduled a Tuesday, March 13, hearing at 10:00 a.m. in 1302 Longworth House Office Building on the Food Stamp Program and its impact on children's health.

The Senate Finance Committee has scheduled a Wednesday, March 14, hearing at 10:00 a.m. in 215 Dirksen Senate Office Building on universal health coverage.

The House Small Business Committee has scheduled a Wednesday, March 14, hearing at 10:00 a.m. in 2360 Rayburn House Office Building on health insurance coverage for small business.

The House Education and Labor Committee has scheduled a Thursday, March 15, hearing at 10:30 a.m. in 2175 Rayburn House Office Building on insurance coverage for the uninsured.

HOMELAND SECURITY:  The House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Communications, Preparedness, and Response has scheduled a Wednesday, March 14, hearing at 10:00 a.m. in 311 Cannon House Office Building on emergency communications interoperability.

The House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing, and Terrorism Risk Assessment has scheduled a Wednesday, March 14, hearing at 3:30 p.m. in 311 Cannon House Office Building on the State and Local Fusion Program.

TAXES: The House Ways and Means Committee has scheduled a Wednesday, March 14, hearing at 10:00 a.m. in 1100 Longworth House Office Building on revenue raiser proposals in the Senate's small business tax incentives bill.

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