This week, the House approved the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs; Homeland Security; and Legislative Branch spending bills. The House Appropriations Committee approved the Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, and the District of Columbia spending bill. In addition, House Appropriations subcommittees approved the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies and Department of Defense spending bills.
Floor Action
Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs
On June 9, the House approved, 373-34, the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs spending bill (H.R. 5522). The House Appropriations Committee approved the measure on May 25 (see The Source, 5/26/06).
Dominating the first day of the two days of debate was an amendment by Reps. David Obey (D-WI), Henry Hyde (R-IL), Tom Lantos (D-CA), and Al Green (D-TX) to increase funding for International Disaster and Famine Assistance for Sudan by $50 million and for the Department of State Global HIV/AIDS Initiative by $50 million by offsetting funding for Egypt by $100 million. The amendment was defeated, 198-225.
Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-MI) opposed the amendment, and urged her colleagues to “just take a moment and think how important this amendment would be and the signal it would send to our strongest ally in the Middle East…It is the wrong signal to send at a time when the Middle East is in turmoil.”
Rep. Christopher Smith (R-NJ) expressed his support for the amendment, saying that the funds diverted to Darfur and the HIV/AIDS Initiative would “be very well used.” He also said he was “very concerned, as someone who spends a great deal of time working on human rights, that there has been a deterioration of human rights in Egypt…It seems to me much more has to be done on a human rights record that the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices this year again has said is poor, as well as the International Religious Freedom Report with regards to Egypt.”
Among the adopted amendments were:
Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, and the District of Columbia
On June 6, the House Appropriations Committee approved, by voice vote, the FY2007 Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, and the District of Columbia spending bill (H.R. 5576). A House Appropriations subcommittee approved the measure on May 25 (see The Source, 5/26/06).
The bill would allocate $67.8 billion in discretionary spending for FY2007, a $3.7 billion increase over FY2006 and $200 million more than the administration’s request.
Department of Housing and Urban Development
The bill would provide $35.3 billion for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), $1.7 billion more than FY2006 and $1.2 billion more than the administration’s request. The measure would include $15.8 billion for Section 8 voucher renewals, $358 million more than FY2006, but $144 million below the administration’s request. According to a committee press release, the cost of this program represents 45 percent of HUD’s total budget.
The Office of National Drug Control Policy would receive $27 million.
As requested by the administration, the bill would eliminate funding for HOPE VI, a program to demolish and rebuild public housing units.
During debate, the committee rejected, 25-31, an amendment by Rep. John Olver (D-MA) that would have provided $100 million for the HOPE VI public housing program. The amendment also would have restored funding to HUD’s Office of Rural Housing, and increased the amount of rental assistance available to the elderly and people with disabilities.
District of Columbia
The measure would provide $575 million in federal funds for the District of Columbia, a $22 million decrease from FY2006 and the administration’s request, as well as giving congressional approval to the district’s own budget.
The bill would allocate $220 million in FY2007 for the operation of the D.C. Courts, $3 million more than the FY2006 level and $23 million more than the administration’s request. The 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.
In FY2007, $41 million would be included for D.C. schools. This amount is $1 million more than FY2006 and equal to the administration’s request.
Included in the bill is a provision that would maintain current law prohibiting the use of federal funds to implement a D.C. law that permits municipal employees to purchase health insurance for their domestic partners, regardless of gender or marital status.
The bill also would maintain current law with respect to the prohibition on the use of local and federal funds for abortion coverage for low-income women on Medicaid. Exceptions for abortion coverage would be made in cases of rape, incest, or life endangerment.
Included in the bill is a provision that would maintain current law prohibiting the use of local and federal funds for an HIV/AIDS needle exchange program. During committee consideration, Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) withdrew an amendment that would have allowed the District of Columbia to fund such a program.
Subcommittee Action
Department of Defense
On June 6, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense approved, by voice vote, the FY2007 Department of Defense spending bill (as-yet-unnumbered).
The bill would provide $427.2 billion in funding for FY2007, $19.1 billion more than FY2006, but $4 billion less than the administration request. Of that amount, $50 billion would be included to cover the projected costs of continuing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Because the mark-up session was closed to the public, no additional information will be made available until the full committee considers the bill on June 13.
Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education
On June 7, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies approved, 9-7, its FY2007 spending bill (as-yet-unnumbered).
The measure would provide $141.93 billion in FY2007, an $842 million increase above FY2006 and $4.136 billion more than the administration’s request.
Department of Labor
The Department of Labor Women’s Bureau would receive $9 million in FY2007, $666,000 less than FY2006 and $348,000 less than the administration’s request.
Dislocated workers assistance would be funded at $1.476 billion in FY2007, $120.839 million less than FY2006 and $361.482 million more than the administration’s request.
The Community College Initiative would be level-funded at $125 million, $25 million less than the administration’s request.
The prisoner re-entry initiative would be eliminated. The FY2006 funding was $19.642 million, equal to the administration’s request.
The bill would include the administration’s request of $12.363 million for the Bureau of International Labor Affairs, a $60.153 million decrease below the FY2006 level.
Department of Health and Human Services
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA):Community health centers would receive $1.988 billion in FY2007, $205.692 million more than FY2006 and $25.139 million more than the budget request.
The bill would provide $700 million for the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant, $7 million more than FY2006 and the amount requested by President Bush.
The Healthy Start infant mortality initiative would receive $101.518 million in FY2007, a level equal to the administration’s request and its FY2006 allocation. The measure would provide $10 million for universal newborn hearing screening, $199,000 more than FY2006. Under the administration’s budget request, this program would not have been funded.
As requested by President Bush, the measure would not provide funding for the National Cord Blood Inventory program. Last year, Congress allocated $3.96 million for the program.
Ryan White: The Ryan White Care Act would receive a $70 million increase over the FY2006 funding level, for a total of $2.108 billion, $25 million less than the administration’s request. According to a committee press release, the bill would include $63 million for a new testing initiative at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Family Planning: Title X, the nation’s family planning program, would be level-funded at $283.103 million as requested by President Bush.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): The measure would allocate $6.073 billion for the CDC in FY2007, a $247.482 million increase over FY2006 and $239.616 more than the administration’s request.
National Institutes of Health (NIH): The NIH would receive $28.25 billion in FY2007, $99.306 million less than FY2006 and $100 million less than the administration’s request.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): SAMHSA would receive $3.217 billion in FY2007, $11.371 million more than FY2006 and $82.934 million more than the budget request.
Center for Mental Health Services: The bill would provide $868.285 million in FY2007 for mental health services, a $5.84 million increase above FY2006 and $41.002 million above the administration’s request. The Mental Health block grant would be level-funded at $406.843 million as requested by President Bush.
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment: The measure would provide $2.077 billion for substance abuse treatment programs in FY2007. This allocation is $3.155 million more than FY2006 and $26.725 million more than the administration’s request.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ): As requested by the administration, the bill would provide level funding of $318.695 million for AHRQ in FY2007.
Administration for Children and Families
Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG): Under the bill, the CCDBG would be level-funded at $2.062 billion in FY2007 as requested by President Bush.
Social Services Block Grant: As requested by the administration, the Social Services Block Grant also would be level-funded at $1.7 billion in FY2007.
Child Support Enforcement: The measure would allocate $4.076 billion for payments to states for child support enforcement and family support programs. This amount is $3.332 million less than FY2006 and equal to the administration’s request.
International Trafficking: Under the Refugee and Entrant assistance account, a program to aid victims of trafficking would be level-funded at $9.816 million in FY2007, $5 million less than President Bush’s request.
Child and Family Services Programs: Head Start would receive $90 million less than FY2006, bringing the total to $6.788 billion. This amount is $2.8 million more than the administration’s request.
Consolidated runaway and homeless youth programs would be level-funded at $87.837 million in FY2007, an amount equal to the administration’s request.
As requested by President Bush, the bill would provide level funding of $42.43 million in FY2007 for child abuse and neglect treatment and prevention activities.
Programs to increase abandoned infant assistance would be level-funded at $11.835 million in FY2007 as requested by the administration. The bill would provide level funding of $286.753 million for child welfare services in FY2007, equal to the administration’s request.
Adoption: The measure would provide level funding of $26.848 million for adoption opportunities and $12.674 million for adoption awareness programs, both funding levels are equal to the administration’s request. For adoption incentives, the bill would provide $17.82 million, an amount equal to FY2006, $11.834 million less than President Bush’s request.
Mentoring Children of Prisoners: As requested by the administration, the Mentoring Children of Prisoners program would receive $40 million in FY2007, $9.493 million less than FY2006.
Promoting Safe and Stable Families: The bill would provide $345 million for the Promoting Safe and Stable Families program in FY2007, equal to the administration’s request, and an increase of $40 million over FY2006.
Violence Against Women Act (VAWA): The National Domestic Violence Hotline would be level-funded in FY2007 at $2.97 million, an amount equal to the administration’s request. In addition, battered women’s shelters would receive level funding of $124.731 million as requested by the administration.
Abstinence-only Education: The bill would provide $108.9 million in level funding for the abstinence education program in FY2007. This amount is $27.765 million less than the administration’s request.
Administration on Aging: The Administration on Aging’s National Family Caregiver Support program would be level-funded at $156.167 million in FY2007, $1.98 million more than President Bush’s request.
Office of the Secretary
Public Health Service’s Office on Women’s Health: The Office on Women’s Health would be level-funded at $28.265 million in FY2007, $104,000 less than the administration’s request.
Public Health Service’s Office of Minority Health: As requested by the administration, the bill would provide $46.775 million for the Office of Minority Health, $9.719 million less than the FY2006 level.
Minority HIV/AIDS: As requested by President Bush, the measure would provide level funding of $51.891 million for minority HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment activities.
Adolescent Family Life: The Adolescent Family Life program would receive level funding at $30.277 million in FY2007, $95,000 less than the administration’s request.
Embryo Adoption Awareness Campaign: The bill would eliminate funding for this program. In FY2006, it received $1.980 million, an amount equal to President Bush’s FY2007 request.
Department of Education
No Child Left Behind: Grants to local educational agencies under the No Child Left Behind Act (P.L. 107-110) would receive $12.713 billion in FY2007, the same funding provided in FY2006 and requested by the administration.
William F. Goodling Even Start Family Literacy Program: The measure would provide $70 million for the Even Start program in FY2007, a $29 million decrease below the FY2006 level. Under the administration’s budget request, the program would not have been funded.
Reading First and Early Reading First: The bill would level fund the Reading First program at $1.029 billion in FY2007 as requested by the administration. In addition, the Early Reading First program would be level-funded at $103.118 million, also equal to the administration’s request.
Teacher Quality: Under the bill, $1.302 billion would be provided to states to improve teacher quality in FY2007. This amount represents a decrease of $150.439 million from FY2006 and the budget request. The bill would provide level funding for the Troops-to-Teachers and Transition to Teaching programs, which assist eligible members of the armed forces and mid-career professionals to obtain certification as teachers. As requested by the administration, these programs would be funded at $14.645 million and $44.484 million, respectively. In addition, the Math and Science Partnerships would be funded at $225 million in FY2007, a $42.84 million increase over FY2006 and the administration’s request.
21st Century Community Learning Centers: As requested by the administration, the bill would provide level funding of $981.166 million in FY2007 for 21st Century Community Learning Centers.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): Total spending for special education would be $11.753 billion in FY2007, a $100 million increase over FY2006, and $55.511 million more than the budget request.
Education for Homeless Children and Youth: Under the bill, level funding of $61.871 million would be provided for education for homeless children and youth, equal to the administration’s request.
Vocational Education: The measure would level-fund vocational education at $1.296 billion in FY2007. Under the administration’s budget request, the program would not have been funded.
Adult Education: In FY2006, funding for adult education would be level-funded at $579.552 million, an amount equal to the administration’s request.
Pell Grants: The bill would provide $13.009 billion for Pell Grants in FY2007, $36.23 million less than FY2006 and $349.287 million above the budget request. The maximum Pell Grant would be $4,150, $100 more than FY2006 and the amount requested by President Bush.
Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS):Funding for the CCAMPIS program would be level-funded at $15.810 million as requested by the administration.
Office for Civil Rights: The measure would provide $92.866 million in FY2007 for the Office for Civil Rights to enforce laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, and age in all programs and institutions funded by the Department of Education. This funding level is $2.255 million more than FY2006 and equal to the budget request.
