Although three appropriations bills are on their way to the White House, action on the remaining ten FY2004 spending bills has stalled in the Senate. The House and Senate approved a continuing resolution through October 31. Both chambers also approved the following conference reports: defense, homeland security, and legislative branch. Finally, the Senate began its consideration of the District of Columbia spending bill, but did not complete its work before adjourning for the day.
Continuing Resolution
On September 25, the House approved, 407-8, a continuing resolution (H. J. Res. 69) to fund government programs at their FY2003 levels until October 31, 2003. The Senate approved the resolution by voice vote later the same day.
The continuing resolution would include an accounting maneuver that would shift advanced FY2004 funding for education programs back to FY2003. The shift in funds, which was endorsed by the House and Senate leadership and the White House in May, would create room under the 2004 budget cap for additional education funding. The FY2004 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education spending bill (H.R. 2660) currently contains the funding shift, but the bill will not become law before the end of FY2003 on September 30.
Also included in the continuing resolution is language to allow the District of Columbia to spend its local funds at the levels in the FY2004 District of Columbia spending bill (H.R. 2765) as approved by the House on July 14 (see The Source, 7/18/03).
In addition, the continuing resolution would extend child nutrition programs, which were due to expire in FY2003.
Defense Conference Report
On September 24, the House approved, 407-12, the conference report for the FY2004 Defense spending bill (H.R. 2658). The Senate approved the conference report by a vote of 95 to 0 the next day. H.R. 2658 provides $368.2 billion for the Defense Department in FY2004, a $13.1 billion increase over FY2003 and $3.5 billion less than the President’s request.
Several women’s health research programs are funded under the bill: $150 million is provided for the Army’s Peer-Reviewed Breast Cancer Research Program and $10 million is provided for ovarian cancer research. Both breast cancer research and ovarian cancer research are level-funded. In addition, H.R. 2658 provides $1 million for a targeted nano-therapeutic for advanced breast and prostate cancer, $1.7 million for 3D imaging and genomic analysis for breast cancer management, and $3 million for a biomedical research imaging core related to bone marrow transplantation, breast, and prostate cancer.
The bill also provides $4.25 million for the establishment of a Gynecologic Disease Program and $13.6 million for a Comprehensive Reproductive System Care Program.
In addition, H.R. 2658 allocates $4.25 million for Global HIV/AIDS Prevention, $75,000 less than FY2003. The bill also allocates $14.233 million for HIV/AIDS research programs, $2.5 million less than FY2003 and $7.5 million more than the President’s request.
The measure provides $50 million for a Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program. Osteoporosis and bone-related disease research is among the recommended projects that could be included in the program.
H.R. 2658 allocates $22 million for the Family Advocacy Program (FAP). Of this amount, the conferees “direct that $900,000 be available to initiate the National Domestic Violence Hotline Awareness, Intervention, and Prevention Campaign in the military services.”
Finally, the conferees “urge that $500,000 of the funds under the heading ‘Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide,’ be made available for the Women in Military Service for America Memorial Foundation.”
District of Columbia
This week, the Senate began its consideration of the FY2004 District of Columbia spending bill (H.R. 2765), but plans to complete its work on the bill next week. The text of S. 1583, as passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee on September 4 (see The Source, 7/5/03), will be substituted for the bill.
H.R. 2765 would provide $545 million to the District of Columbia in FY2004, $36 million more than the FY2003 appropriations bill (P.L. 108-7), $34 million more than the President’s request, and $79 million more than the bill (H.R. 2765) the House approved on the same day.
The bill would provide $172.1 million for the operation of the D.C. Courts, an $11.2 million increase over FY2003 and the President’s request. This total would include funding for the Family Court, which handles all cases in the District pertaining to child abuse and neglect, domestic violence, adoption, and foster care.
H.R. 2765 also would provide $13 million for private school vouchers, $13 million in new funds to public schools, $13 million in new funds to charter schools, and $1 million to cover administrative costs.
During consideration of the bill, the Senate approved, by voice vote, an amendment by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) that would add “teacher qualification standards” to a set of criteria the Secretary of Education and the mayor of the District of Columbia must use in establishing the voucher program.
The Senate is expected to vote on additional amendments and complete action on H.R. 2765 next week.
