Labor, HHS, Education Spending Bill Clears House Panel

On July 18, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies approved, 8-6, its FY2013 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies spending bill (as-yet-unnumbered).

According to the committee summary and bill, the legislation would provide $150 billion in discretionary funding for programs housed at the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education. This amount is $6.3 billion below FY2012 and $8.8 billion below President Obama’s FY2013 budget request. Under the legislation, the Department of Labor would receive $12 billion in FY2013, $497 million below FY2012 and $72 million below the president’s budget. HHS would receive $68.3 billion in FY2013, $1.3 billion below FY2012 and $1.8 billion below the administration’s request. The Department of Education would receive $70.8 billion in FY2013, $1.1 billion below FY2012 and $2.9 billion below the president’s request.

The measure would eliminate funding for Title X, which provides funding for family planning programs, defund the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) (P.L. 111-148 and P.L. 111-152), and continue restrictions on federal funding for abortion services. Funding for Planned Parenthood would be prohibited, unless the organization certifies that it will not provide abortion services. The bill language includes “conscience protections for religious and charitable organizations” and incorporates provisions of the Abortion Nondiscrimination Act (H.R. 361).

The bill would allocate the following amounts for programs within HHS:

• Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) – $5.9 billion, $453 million below FY2012 and $315 million below the president request. Community health centers would receive $1.5 billion in FY2013, equal to FY2012 and the president’s request;
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – $5.75 billion;
• National Institutes of Health (NIH) – $30.6 billion, equal to FY2012 and the president’s FY2013 request. This amount includes $175 million for the National Children’s Study; and
• Administration for Children and Families (ACF) – $16.37 billion, $111 million below FY2012 and $192 million over the president’s request. This amount includes $2.3 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant program and $8.014 billion for Head Start.

Title I grants to local education agencies, also known as No Child Left Behind, would receive $15.159 billion in FY2013. The program received $14.516 billion in FY2012, which is equal to the president’s FY2013 request.

Additional information on programs important to women and their families will be made available once the committee has released its report.