SUPPLEMENTAL BILL MOVES TO WHITE HOUSE; VETO LIKELY
Last Wednesday, the House approved the conference report to the $124.2 billion fiscal year FY2007 emergency supplemental appropriations bill; the Senate cleared it on Thursday.
The measure provides funding for the war effort in Iraq/Afghanistan and for hurricane relief, as well as an additional $21 billion in domestic spending. It is scheduled to be sent to the White House on Tuesday and the President has indicated he will quickly veto it due to troop withdrawal language and extra domestic spending.
An attempt will made in the House to override the veto, but is expected to fail; the Senate is not scheduled to attempt a veto override. A “post-veto” emergency supplemental bill is being negotiated, and the White House has called a meeting with congressional leaders for Wednesday, May 2.
In addition to military spending, the final conference bill includes $500 million in funding for wildland fire management, $425 million for the Secure Rural Schools program, $646 for the State Children's Health Insurance Program, and $400 million for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance program.
COMPETITIVENESS BILL PASSES; NET TAX AMENDMENT NOT CONSIDERED IN SENATE
Last week, the Senate passed a bill that would invest in innovation and education to improve the competitiveness of the United States in the global economy, doubling the budget of the National Science Foundation (NSF).
The NSF contributes some 20 percent of all federal money awarded for basic research at American universities. The bill is similar to two measures passed by the House on Tuesday, intended to help prevent the United States from losing technology jobs to other nations.
The Senate did not consider an amendment to the bill filed earlier this week by Senator John Sununu (R-NH) that would make permanent the current Internet access tax moratorium, which prohibits states from levying taxes on taxes unique to the Internet.
BUDGET CONFERENCE CONTINUES
Although negotiations have been held up while Congress addresses the supplemental, conferees could be named this week to the FY2008 budget resolution.
The non-binding measure would set the overall discretionary funding caps that the Appropriations Committees allocate among their bills. House leaders have stated that individual House appropriations bills could be marked-up over the next two weeks, with floor action possible by mid-May and a goal of finishing by the Fourth of July recess. However, that schedule may slip due to negotiations over the “post-veto” supplemental. If a budget resolution has not been finalized before consideration of the appropriations bills begins, a “deeming” resolution setting the cap at the House-passed level of $955 billion could be utilized.
The Senate is currently scheduled to begin marking up its spending bills later in May or early June. Key issues to be resolved in budget resolution conference negotiations include whether to use the projected surplus in 2012 to extend expiring tax provisions and add new spending for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) as assumed in the Senate version, or to identify other offsets for the SCHIP costs as called for in the House version. Differences also include the Senate’s two-year alternative minimum tax “patch” vs. the House plan’s one-year extension, and an education reconciliation instruction that is included in the House plan.
HOUSE TO CONSIDER HEAD START REAUTHORIZATION THIS WEEK
On Wednesday, the House is scheduled to consider the Improving Head Start Act of 2007, which would reauthorize the Head Start program.
The bill includes provisions to increase funding for teacher and staff salaries and professional development; expand access to Head Start by to up to 10,000 more children; allow programs to convert portions of their grant for Early Head Start; improve cooperation between Head Start and state and local child care programs to increase full-day and full-year services; improve linkages with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, state health, mental health, and family services; and revise the application and review process.
SUBCOMMITTEE AUTHORIZES FUNDING FOR
COPS ON THE BEAT PROGRAM
Last week, the House Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on
Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security approved the COPS
Improvements Act of 2007.
The measure would authorize $1.5 billion annually for five years, beginning in fiscal year FY2008 for state and local law enforcement programs. The bill would provide $600 million annually to hire police officers and school resource officers; $350 million annually for law enforcement technology grants; and $200 million annually to assist district attorneys in hiring community prosecutors.
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a companion measure on March 15.
