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Senate Approves FY2007 Budget Resolution

After four days of debate, the Senate approved, 51-49, the FY2007 budget resolution (S. Con. Res. 83) on March 16. The Senate Budget Committee approved the resolution on March 9 (see The Source, 3/10/06).

During consideration of the resolution, the Senate approved the following amendments:

  • an amendment by Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) that would ensure that any legislation authorizing the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to use the purchasing power of Medicare beneficiaries to negotiate prices for prescription drugs be reserved for deficit reduction in order to improve the Medicare prescription drug benefit, 54-44;
  • an amendment by Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-RI) that would provide an additional $2 billion for special education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), by voice vote;
  • an amendment by Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) that would provide an additional $1.3 billion for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), 60-38;
  • an amendment by Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) that would establish a reserve fund for legislation to extend the enrollment period for the Medicare prescription drug program, 76-22;
  • an amendment by Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) that would provide an additional $7 billion for the Senate Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, 73-27;
  • an amendment by Sen. Santorum that would provide an additional $566 million for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, by voice vote;
  • an amendment by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) that would provide an additional $390 million in FY2007 for cancer research at the National Institutes for Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Health Resources and Services Administration. The amendment would be offset by closing tax loopholes, by unanimous consent;
  • an amendment by Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI) that would provide additional funding for juvenile justice programs at the Department of Justice. The amendment would be offset by a reduction to Function 920, which includes a spectrum relocation fund and funding for adjustments to the legislative and judicial branches’ requests, by unanimous consent; and
  • an amendment by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) that would provide additional funding for Administration on Aging programs, including the National Family Caregiver Support Program, by unanimous consent.The Senate rejected the following amendments:
  • an amendment by Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) that would have established a reserve fund to protect Medicare beneficiaries who enroll in the Medicare prescription drug program in 2006, 49-49;
  • an amendment by Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) that would have reinstated the pay-as-you-go rule requiring that any spending increase be offset with a spending cut, 50-50;
  • an amendment by Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) that would have provided an additional $6.3 billion to restore funding for education programs, including vocational education, and would have increased the maximum Pell Grant by $450 for a total of $4,500. The amendment would have been offset by closing tax loopholes, 50-50;
  • an amendment by Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) that would have provided an additional $1 billion for the CDBG. The amendment would have been offset by closing tax loopholes, 45-53;
  • an amendment by Sen. Mark Dayton (D-MN) that would have provided full funding for IDEA. The amendment would have been offset by closing tax loopholes, by voice vote;
  • an amendment by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) that would have established a reserve fund for legislation to reform Social Security, 46-53;
  • an amendment by Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI) that would have provided additional funding for Title I grants to local educational agencies under the No Child Left Behind Act (P.L. 107-110). The amendment would have been offset by closing tax loopholes, 49-51;
  • an amendment by Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) that would have prohibited the use of funds for a U.S. contribution to the United Nations Human Rights Council. The funding would have been redirected for border security, 50-50; and
  • an amendment by Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) that would have established a reserve fund for legislation to provide seniors with a prescription drug benefit option that is affordable, user-friendly, and administered directly by HHS, 39-60.In addition, the following amendments were offered, but withdrawn:
  • an amendment by Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) that would have provided an additional $7.8 billion over two years for refundable tax credits to help small businesses purchase group health insurance for their employees. The amendment would have been offset by closing tax loopholes; and
  • an amendment by Sen. Clinton that would have provided an additional $347 million in FY2007 for programs and policies that support the delivery of contraceptive services and medically accurate information in order to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies. The amendment would have been offset by closing tax loopholes.