House Floor Action
On March 22, the House approved, 218-212, the FY2007 emergency supplemental spending bill (H.R. 1591). The measure provides $124.1 billion for FY2007, with the majority of funds directed to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill also incorporates the provisions of the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 (H.R. 2) (see The Source, 2/2/07) and the provisions of the Small Business Tax Relief Act of 2007 (H.R. 976) (see The Source, 2/16/07). The House Appropriations Committee approved the measure on March 15 (see The Source, 3/16/07).
Senate Appropriations Committee
On March 21, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved, by voice vote, its version of the FY2007 emergency supplemental spending bill (S. 965). The Senate measure would provide $121.57 billion for FY2007; like the House version, the majority of these funds would be directed to the overseas war effort.
More information will be available when the committee report accompanying the bill is printed. According to a committee press release, the bill would allocate $170 million for the Edward Byrne grant program, which awards grants to states to help them create safer local communities by improving the criminal justice system, with special emphasis on preventing and reducing violent crime. Included in that amount is $70 million to “help Louisiana and the other Gulf Coast states fight the increase in violent crime resulting from Katrina, of which $55 million is designated for Louisiana.”
The measure would provide $747 million in FY2007 to cover the shortfall in the State Children’s Health Insurance program. Emergency pandemic flu activities at the Department of Health and Human Services would receive $870 million, including $50 million for vaccine research. The bill would provide $3.6 million for health screening for workers involved in search, rescue, and rebuilding following September 11, 2001.
The legislation would allocate $640 million for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
Education institutions affected by Hurricane Katrina would receive $30 million.
The committee recommends $215.9 million be provided for Sudan, $98 million for Chad, and $65 million for Somalia for peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance activities in each country. The bill would provide $115 million for refugees, including $55 million for the Emergency Migration and Refugee Assistance program and $60 million for the Migration and Refugee Assistance account.
During consideration of the bill, the committee approved, 18-11, an amendment by Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) that would prevent, for two years, the secretary of Health and Human Services from restricting Medicaid payments to states by requiring drug manufacturers to provide the same rebates to state Medicaid programs as they give to large drug purchasers.
