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House, Senate Pass FY2010 Budget Resolutions

This week, the House and Senate approved their respective versions of the FY2010 budget resolution. A House-Senate conference committee is expected to meet soon to reconcile the differences in the two versions of the resolution. The House and Senate Budget Committees approved H. Con. Res. 85 and S. Con. Res. 13, respectively, last week (see The Source, 3/27/09).

House

On April 2, the House approved, 233-196, its version of the FY2010 budget resolution (H. Con. Res. 85). Provisions of the resolution are detailed in last week’s issue (see The Source, 3/27/09).

During consideration of the budget resolution, the following amendments were defeated:

  • a substitute amendment by Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) that would have, among other provisions,  repealed the 2001 (P.L. 107-16) and 2003 (P.L. 108-27) tax cuts for families making more than $250,000 per year, reinstated a .25 percent tax on all stock transactions, and increased spending on domestic and international health care and poverty reduction programs, 84-348;
  • a substitute amendment by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) that would have, among other provisions, repealed the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts for families making more than $250,000 per year, and imposed a .565 percent surtax on individuals earning $500,000 or more annually. The savings and increased revenue would have been directed to education, health care, job training, international aid, and veterans programs, 113-318; and
  • a substitute amendment by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) that would have, among other provisions, permanently extended the 2001 and 2003 tax credits, capped discretionary spending at 20.7 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP), capped the national debt at 65 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), and reduced the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 25 percent, 137-293.

Senate

On April 2, the Senate approved, 55-43, the FY2010 budget resolution (S. Con. Res. 13). Provisions of the resolution are detailed in last week’s issue (see The Source, 3/27/09).

During debate on the measure, the Senate approved the following amendments by unanimous consent, unless otherwise noted:

  • an amendment by Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) to, among other provisions, increase funding to prevent human trafficking and smuggling by $20 million, offset by reducing general government spending;
  • an amendment by Sen. Robert Casey (D-PA) to create a deficit-neutral reserve fund to fully fund the Long-Term Stability/Housing for Victims Program under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) (P.L. 103-322). The program builds collaborations between domestic violence service providers and housing providers;
  • an amendment by Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) to  increase funding for international assistance programs by $7.864 billion, offset by reduction to general government spending;
  • an amendment by Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) to create a deficit-neutral reserve fund to improve child welfare programs, including strengthening the recruitment and retention of foster families, and making improvements to the child support enforcement program;
  • an amendment by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) to establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund for programs administered by VAWA and the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (P.L. 103-322);
  • an amendment by Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) to establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund for states to establish or expand quality early childhood home visitation programs that increase school readiness, child abuse, and neglect prevention;
  • an amendment by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) to provide access to affordable, quality child care for middle class families by making improvements in the employer-provided child care credit and the dependent care tax credit;
  • an amendment by Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) to establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund for foster care financing reform;
  • an amendment by Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS) to fully fund the small business child care grant program under the Small Business and Work Opportunity Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-28), offset by reducing general government spending;
  • an amendment by Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) to increase spending for the Maternal Child Health Block Grant by $188 million in FY2010, offset by reducing general government spending;
  • an amendment by Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) to fully fund the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act (P.L. 109-248), offset by reducing general government spending;
  • an amendment by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) to provide a point of order against legislation that taxes married filers at a higher rate than single filers;
  • a second amendment by Sen. Boxer to create a deficit-neutral reserve fund for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers after-school program, 89-3;
  • a second amendment by Sen. Dorgan to increase the budget authority for the Indian Health Service by $200 million; and
  • an amendment by Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) to modify the deficit-neutral reserve fund for higher education in order to increase access and affordability by ensuring that institutions of higher education and their students are able to continue to participate in a competitive student loan program.

The Senate defeated the following amendments:

  • an amendment by Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) to freeze non-defense discretionary spending for FY2010-2011, and its growth to one percent annually for FY2012-2014, 40-58;
  • an amendment by Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) to prohibit the denial of any federal health care coverage or service based on comparative effectiveness research, and to ensure that comparative effectiveness research takes into account personalized medicine, such as that based on genetic testing, 44-54;
  • an amendment by Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) to ensure middle-income families are not subject to the alternative minimum tax increase in FY2013 and 2014, 40-58;
  • an amendment by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) “to protect the freedom of conscience for patients and the right of health care providers to serve patients without violating their moral and religious convictions,” 41-56; and
  • an amendment by Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) to require states to implement drug testing programs for applicants for, and recipients of, assistance under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families  program; 18-79.