In hopes of completing all 13 appropriations bills and adjourning for the year in October, the Senate began its consideration of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education spending bill during the week of September 2. The Senate Appropriations Committee approved the following spending bills: Commerce, Justice, State, and the Judiciary; District of Columbia; Transportation, Treasury, and Independent Agencies; and VA-HUD-Independent Agencies. The House approved the District of Columbia spending bill and began its consideration of the Transportation, Treasury, and Independent Agencies spending bill.
Senate Floor Action
Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education
This week the Senate began its consideration of the FY2004 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education spending bill (H.R. 2660). The text of S. 1356, as passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee on June 25 (see The Source, 6/27/03), was substituted for the bill.
H.R. 2660 would allocate $137.6 billion in FY2004, an increase of close to $5 billion over FY2003, but $389 million less than the President’s request and $445 million less than the bill approved by the House on July 10 (see The Source, 7/11/03). The Senate Appropriations Committee report accompanying the bill includes language detailing a number of programs affecting women and their families (see The Source, 7/2/03).
During consideration of the bill, Democrats attempted to increase funding for education and workforce training programs by shifting advanced FY2004 funding for education programs back to FY2003. Because the budget resolution (H. Con. Res. 95) capped the FY2003 discretionary budget at $839.1 billion, a point of order was raised against all of the amendments. Democrats were unable to procure the 60 votes required to waive a budget point of order, and the amendments were defeated. The Senate considered the following amendments:
|
The Senate approved the following amendments by voice vote:
|
The Senate is expected to complete consideration of H.R. 2660 next week.
Senate Committee Action
District of Columbia
On September 4, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved, 16-12, the FY2004 District of Columbia spending bill (as-yet-unnumbered). The committee began the mark-up on July 17 (see The Source, 7/18/03), but failed to complete work on the bill before the August recess.
The measure 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.
The Senate bill 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 committee adopted, 16-12, an amendment by Appropriations Subcommittee on the District of Columbia Chair Mike DeWine (R-OH) that would add religion to the general nondiscrimination clause, extend the nondiscrimination clause to schools and the entity in charge of the voucher program, remove language explicitly allowing vouchers to be used for religious purposes, require the Education Secretary and the mayor of the District of Columbia to enter into an agreement regarding the design and implementation of the voucher program, require the entity in charge of the voucher program to ensure that the participating schools use the funds effectively, and require voucher students to take tests comparable to those taken by their peers in the District of Columbia.
The committee also adopted, by voice vote, an amendment by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) that would add “teacher qualification standards” to a set of criteria the Education Secretary and the mayor of the District of Columbia must use in establishing the voucher program.
Commerce, Justice, State, and the Judiciary
During the same mark-up session, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved, 29-0, the FY2004 Commerce, Justice, State, and the Judiciary spending bill (as-yet-unnumbered). The measure would provide $38.4 billion in FY2004, $1.2 billion more than FY2003, $700 million more than the President’s request, and $500 million more than the bill passed by the House on July 22 (see The Source, 7/25/03).
While all of the funding levels for programs of particular interest to women and their families were not available as of press time, some highlights from the bill include:
Department of Justice
Under the bill, the Department of Justice would receive $18.6 billion, a decrease of $1.17 billion below the FY2003 allocation and $200 million below the President’s request.
The State Department
The State Department would receive $8 billion in FY2004, an increase of $170 million over FY2003 and $23 million less than the President’s request.
Independent Agencies
Under the bill, the Legal Services Corporation would receive $338.8 million, $2.203 million above the FY2003 level and $9.548 million above the level requested by the President. The measure would appropriate $334.8 million for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, $27.9 million more than FY2003, but $100,000 less than the President’s request.
A committee press release stated that the bill also includes funding “to protect our children from violence in their schools. Funding provides support for School Resource Officers to collaborate with schools and community-based organizations to address the threat of terrorism, crime, disorder, gang and drug activities.”
Transportation, Treasury, and Independent Agencies
Also during the mark-up session, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved, 29-0, the FY2004 Transportation, Treasury, and Independent Agencies spending bill (as-yet-unnumbered). The measure would allocate $90.9 billion in FY2004, an increase of $4.3 billion over FY2003, $5 billion more than the President’s request, and $1.6 billion more than the bill approved by the House Appropriations Committee on July 24 (see The Source, 7/25/03).
The spending bill includes funding for job access and reverse commute grants, which are used to aid welfare-to-work recipients who live in “urbanized areas with populations greater than 200,000” and have transportation costs associated with their jobs.
The measure also provides funding for the Minority Business Resource Center, funding for minority business outreach, and funding for the Occupant Protection Incentive Grants.
During consideration of the bill, the committee adopted, by voice vote, an amendment by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) that would reauthorize funding for the breast cancer stamp for two years through December 31, 2005.
The House began its consideration of its version of the FY2004 Transportation, Treasury, and Independent Agencies spending bill (H.R. 2989) on September 4 and is expected to complete work on the bill next week.
VA-HUD-Independent Agencies
Finally, during the same mark-up session, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved, 29-0, the FY2004 VA-HUD-Independent Agencies spending bill (as-yet-unnumbered). The measure would allocate $122.1 billion in FY2004, a $35 billion increase over FY2003, $32.7 billion above the President’s request, and $32.1 billion above the bill approved by the House on July 25 (see The Source, 7/25/03).
The measure would provide $1.325 billion for homeless programs, $108 million more than FY2003, but $205 million less than the amount requested by the President.
In addition, the bill would include $291 million for the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program, a $1 million increase over FY2003, but $6 million less than the President’s request.
House Floor Action
Transportation, Treasury, and Independent Agencies
On September 4, the House began its consideration of the FY2004 Transportation, Treasury, and Independent Agencies spending bill (H.R. 2989). As in the bill approved by the House Appropriations Committee on July 24 (see The Source, 8/1/03), H.R. 2989 would allocate $89.3 billion in FY2004, an increase of $2.7 billion over FY2004 and $3.4 billion more than the President’s request.
H.R. 2989 would provide $85 million for job access and reverse commute grants, $64 million more than FY2003. The grants are used to aid welfare-to-work recipients living in “urbanized areas with populations greater than 200,000” with transportation costs associated with their jobs. Under the President’s budget request, this program would not have been funded.
As requested by the President, the Minority Business Resource Center would receive $900,000, an increase of $6,000 over FY2003. The center “provides assistance in obtaining short-term working capital and bonding for disadvantaged, minority, and women-owned businesses,” and “enables qualified businesses to obtain loans at prime interest rates for transportation-related projects.” Additionally, $3 million would be allocated for minority business outreach, $19,000 more than FY2003 and equal to the President’s request.
The measure would level-fund the Occupant Protection Incentive Grants program at $20 million. States may qualify for these grants by implementing four out of six programs or laws, as delineated in the committee report, aimed at increasing safety belt use among adults and children.
In addition, H.R. 2989 would maintain current law requiring health plans participating in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) to cover prescription contraceptives if they cover other prescription drugs. Physicians and others who provide contraceptives are exempted from the requirement if they object based on religious beliefs. Religiously affiliated health plans also are exempt. The measure also would prohibit abortion coverage under FEHBP, except when the life of the mother is endangered or in the case of rape or incest.
The bill also would maintain current law allowing breastfeeding in a federal building or on federal property “if the woman and child are authorized to be there.”
The House is expected to complete action on H.R. 2989 on September 9. The Senate Appropriations Committee marked up its version of the FY2004 Transportation, Treasury, and Independent Agencies spending bill on September 4.
District of Columbia
On September 5, the House approved the FY2004 District of Columbia spending bill (H.R. 2765). As in the bill approved by the House Appropriations Committee on July 15 (see The Source, 7/18/03), H.R. 2765 would provide $466 million to the District of Columbia in FY2004, $43 million less than FY2003 and $45 million more than the President’s request.
The bill would provide $163.8 million for the operation of the D.C. Courts, a $2.9 million increase over FY2003, as requested by the President. 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 $10 million for a voucher program to allow District students to attend private schools.
Included in the bill is a provision that would prohibit the use of federal funds to implement a D.C. law that permits municipal employees to purchase health insurance benefits for their domestic partners, regardless of gender or marital status.
H.R. 2765 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.
During consideration of the bill, the House adopted, 205-203, an amendment by Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA) that would authorize a $10 million school voucher program in the District of Columbia. Under the amendment, District students would be eligible for up to $7,500 in funds to attend a private elementary or high school in the District.
The House defeated the following amendments:
|
The Senate Appropriations Committee approved its version of the FY2004 District of Columbia spending bill on September 4.
