Dems meekly fight back against rethug trechery

[paineinthearse]

Received by email from Rep. Hoyer's office.

Today the House is engaged in HR 3010 (see below). Yesterday, the House completed general debate, considered several amendments, and adopted a unanimous consent agreement for consideration of additional amendments to this bill. Today, under that agreement, 26 amendments will be considered, each debatable for 10 minutes:


Ø DeFazio Amendment. To prohibit the use of funds in the bill to distribute the personal information of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries to private companies for marketing purposes.

Ø Tancredo Amendment. To prohibit the use of funds to pay salaries and expenses of personnel to carry out Section 1011 of the 2003 Medicare Prescription Drug Law. Section 1011 distributes funds to states to reimburse health care providers for uncompensated emergency health services provided to undocumented aliens. A similar vote failed by voice vote last year. VOTE NO

Ø Neugebauer Amendment. To prohibit the use of funds by the NIH to fund two grants: "Perceived Regard and Relationship Resilience in Newlyweds;" and "Perpetual Bases of Visual Concepts in Pigeons."

Ø Kirk Amendment. Regarding funds for School Improvement Programs.

Ø Filner Amendment. To prohibit funds in the bill to place Social Security numbers on identification cards issued to beneficiaries under the Medicare program.

Ø Flake Amendment. Regarding charter schools operated by for-profit organizations.

Ø Paul Amendment. To prohibit funds in the bill to create or implement any universal mental health screening program.

Ø Hayworth Amendment. Regarding funds to enforce a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decision.

Ø Hayworth Amendment. To prohibit the use of funds to administer a Social Security "totalization" agreement with Mexico. A totalization agreement coordinates Social Security benefits for workers who split their careers between two countries, and prevents double taxation for those workers and their employers.

Ø Hefley Amendment. To cut funds in this bill by 1%.

Ø Brown-Waite Amendment. To increase by $25 million the bill's school-improvement programs.

Ø Nadler Amendment. To increase funding for the Arts in Education Programs by $35.6 million.

Ø King (IA) Amendment. To prohibit funds in the bill to pay for drugs prescribed for the treatment of impotence.

Ø DeLauro Amendment. To prohibit funds in the bill to provide to Wal-Mart a 15 day advance notice of any audit or investigation by the Wage and Hour Division of the Labor Department.

Ø Engel Amendment. Regarding expiring, unexpended Ryan White CARE Act funds.

Ø Kind Amendment. Regarding Critical Access Hospitals regulations.

Ø Waxman Amendment. To prohibit funds in the bill to appoint individuals to federal advisory committees on the basis of political affiliation.

Ø Miller, George Amendment. To prohibit funds in this bill to be used to fund and enforce the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation (PBGC) agreement with United Airlines to terminate United's pension plans. Under the PBGC/United agreement that came out of bankruptcy proceedings, some 120,000 workers and retirees at United Airlines will see their pension benefits cut by 30% to 60%. The deal struck between United and the PBGC was reached while some of the employees were still negotiating to try and save their plan and show to the bankruptcy court that their plans were affordable. This amendment would stop the process underway to shift unfunded pension liabilities (including $6 billion onto the PBGC) as a result of that agreement.

Ø Hinchey Amendment. Regarding the direction, supervision, or control over the content or distribution of public broadcasting.

Ø Honda Amendment. To prohibit the Education Department from withholding funds from school districts that do not provide personal student information to military recruiters.

Ø Obey Amendment. To increase funding for priority education, health care, human services and job training programs by $11.8 billion.

Ø Van Hollen Amendment. Regarding certain special allowances under the Higher Education Act.

Ø Markey Amendment. Regarding funds for any new electronic national health information network.

Ø Brown (OH) Amendment. Regarding funding for the Medicaid Commission.

Ø Regula Amendment. Regarding the prohibition of funds for publicity purposes.

Ø Price (GA) Amendment. Regarding funding for certain education programs.

H.R. 3010 - Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education Appropriations Act for FY06 (Rep. Regula - Appropriations) (Complete Consideration). This bill provides $142.8 billion for FY06 --- $1.6 billion less than the comparable FY05 level. In comparison with FY05, this bill cuts the Department of Labor by $393 million, cuts the Department of Health and Human Services by $1.2 billion, and gives the Department of Education a $118 million increase.

Funding highlights of this bill include:

Ø Department of Labor - $11.66 billion ($393 million below FY05 / a 3.3% cut): $9.23 billion for employment training programs (3.6% cut) --- $865 million for adult training grants (3.4% cut), $2.63 billion for the Unemployment Insurance Office (1.5% cut); $1.54 billion for Job Corps (0.6% cut); $1.3 billion for Worker Protection Programs (2.8% increase); $27 million for the Office of Disability Employment Policy (40.8% cut); and $12.4 million for International Labor Affairs (86.7% cut).

Ø Department of Health and Human Services - $63.14 billion ($1.2 billion below FY05 / a 1.9% cut ): $28.41 billion for NIH (0.5% increase) but eliminates a $100 million contribution to the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS and other diseases; $6.47 billion for the Health Resources and Services Administration (11.9% cut) --- $1.83 billion for Community Health Centers (5.8% increase), $2.08 billion for Ryan White AIDS programs (0.5% increase), $47 million for Health professions programs (non-nursing) (84% cut), $472 million for hospital emergency preparedness grants (3% cut); $6.1 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (4.6% cut); $3.35 billion for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; $14.8 billion for Human Services (3% cut) --- $1.98 billion for LIHEAP (9.1% cut), $6.89 billion for Head Start (0.7% increase), $2.08 billion for Child Care and Development Block Grants (a freeze).

Ø Department of Education - $56.69 billion (a $118 million increase): $23.71 billion for No Child Left Behind (3.3% cut / $13.2 billion below its FY06 authorization level and a $40 billion cumulative shortfall since the enactment of NCLB); $10.73 billion for IDEA Part B Grants (1.4% increase); Education Technology grants (39.5% cut); $836 million for TRIO (a freeze); $306 million for GEAR UP (a freeze); $95.9 million for Hispanic Serving Institutions (0.8% increase); $240 million for Historically Black Colleges (0.8% increase); $66.1 million for Perkins Loans (a freeze); $13.4 billion for the Pell Grant program (and increases the maximum Pell Grant from $4,050 to $4,100).

Ø Related agencies - $11.37 billion: $9.27 billion for the Social Security Administration, $300 million for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (including a rescission of $100 million previously appropriated totaling a cut of as much as 46% for FY06).

Text

Ø DeFazio Amendment. To prohibit the use of funds in the bill to distribute the personal information of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries to private companies for marketing purposes.

Ø Tancredo Amendment. To prohibit the use of funds to pay salaries and expenses of personnel to carry out Section 1011 of the 2003 Medicare Prescription Drug Law. Section 1011 distributes funds to states to reimburse health care providers for uncompensated emergency health services provided to undocumented aliens. A similar vote failed by voice vote last year. VOTE NO

Ø Neugebauer Amendment. To prohibit the use of funds by the NIH to fund two grants: "Perceived Regard and Relationship Resilience in Newlyweds;" and "Perpetual Bases of Visual Concepts in Pigeons."

Ø Kirk Amendment. Regarding funds for School Improvement Programs.

Ø Filner Amendment. To prohibit funds in the bill to place Social Security numbers on identification cards issued to beneficiaries under the Medicare program.

Ø Flake Amendment. Regarding charter schools operated by for-profit organizations.

Ø Paul Amendment. To prohibit funds in the bill to create or implement any universal mental health screening program.

Ø Hayworth Amendment. Regarding funds to enforce a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decision.

Ø Hayworth Amendment. To prohibit the use of funds to administer a Social Security "totalization" agreement with Mexico. A totalization agreement coordinates Social Security benefits for workers who split their careers between two countries, and prevents double taxation for those workers and their employers.

Ø Hefley Amendment. To cut funds in this bill by 1%.

Ø Brown-Waite Amendment. To increase by $25 million the bill's school-improvement programs.

Ø Nadler Amendment. To increase funding for the Arts in Education Programs by $35.6 million.

Ø King (IA) Amendment. To prohibit funds in the bill to pay for drugs prescribed for the treatment of impotence.

Ø DeLauro Amendment. To prohibit funds in the bill to provide to Wal-Mart a 15 day advance notice of any audit or investigation by the Wage and Hour Division of the Labor Department.

Ø Engel Amendment. Regarding expiring, unexpended Ryan White CARE Act funds.

Ø Kind Amendment. Regarding Critical Access Hospitals regulations.

Ø Waxman Amendment. To prohibit funds in the bill to appoint individuals to federal advisory committees on the basis of political affiliation.

Ø Miller, George Amendment. To prohibit funds in this bill to be used to fund and enforce the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation (PBGC) agreement with United Airlines to terminate United's pension plans. Under the PBGC/United agreement that came out of bankruptcy proceedings, some 120,000 workers and retirees at United Airlines will see their pension benefits cut by 30% to 60%. The deal struck between United and the PBGC was reached while some of the employees were still negotiating to try and save their plan and show to the bankruptcy court that their plans were affordable. This amendment would stop the process underway to shift unfunded pension liabilities (including $6 billion onto the PBGC) as a result of that agreement. VOTE YES

Ø Hinchey Amendment. Regarding the direction, supervision, or control over the content or distribution of public broadcasting.

Ø Honda Amendment. To prohibit the Education Department from withholding funds from school districts that do not provide personal student information to military recruiters.

Ø Obey Amendment. To increase funding for priority education, health care, human services and job training programs by $11.8 billion.

Ø Van Hollen Amendment. Regarding certain special allowances under the Higher Education Act.

Ø Markey Amendment. Regarding funds for any new electronic national health information network.

Ø Brown (OH) Amendment. Regarding funding for the Medicaid Commission.

Ø Regula Amendment. Regarding the prohibition of funds for publicity purposes. Regula is a rethug, but this could leave the door open to blocking propaganda "journalists".

Ø Price (GA) Amendment. Regarding funding for certain education programs.