AFSCME LEGISLATIVE REPORT September 12, 2008

[Omaha Steve]

Below are the top stories of the week from Capitol Hill.

AFSCME LEGISLATIVE REPORT
September 12, 2008

In this issue:

* AFSCME Urges Action on a Second Economic Recovery Package

* Bipartisan Senate Agreement on Tax Extenders-Energy-Disaster Relief Package

* Senate Panel Approves Bridge Funding Bill

* Senate Committee Approves Water Infrastructure Bill

* Senate Democrats Introduce Unemployment Insurance Benefits Legislation

* House Approves Civil Rights Legislation for the Disabled

* House Passes Compromise Child Welfare Bill

* Labor Department Held Secret Meetings to Weaken Health and Safety Law


AFSCME Urges Action on a Second Economic Recovery Package


House leadership is considering the what and how of moving an economic recovery package to restart our nation’s economic engine. With Congress looking to adjourn at the end of next week, AFSCME is pressing for rapid approval of a new economic recovery package that includes meaningful relief for state budgets in the form of increased federal money for Medicaid, restoration of federal funding for states’ child support enforcement programs and a jump-start for construction repair of schools, roads and bridges. AFSCME is also lobbying for extension of unemployment insurance payments and funding for food stamps to be included in a stimulus bill.
(Linda Bennett- [e-mail])


Urge Congress to Pass an Economic Recovery Package


Please call the Capitol Switchboard at 1-888-460-0813 and ask to speak to your Representative.


Tell them they must act to fix the real economy for workers, not just bail out huge corporations. Urge Congress to pass a second stimulus – before adjourning – that will maintain needed public services and help working families.


Urge your Representative to cosponsor H.R.5628


Bipartisan Senate Agreement on Tax Extenders-Energy-Disaster Relief Package


Earlier this week, Senators Max Baucus (D-MT) and Charles Grassley (R-IA) announced a package, tentatively blessed by bipartisan Senate leaders, which creates one bill combining two-year extensions of many expiring tax laws, including a “patch” to protect the middle class from the reach of the alternative minimum tax (AMT); provisions designed to promote America's energy independence; and disaster relief funding for recent California fires, Midwest floods, and Gulf Coast hurricanes. The package includes several provisions of importance to AFSCME, including funding for and reauthorization of the Safe and Secure Rural Schools program; tax preferences for employee legal services plans; extension of the federal deduction for state sales tax; and reducing the income eligibility cap on the refundable child tax credit to $8,500 from $12,050. The Senate provides no revenue offsets for the AMT patch, partial offsets for the tax extenders, and fully offsets the energy provisions. It is expected to vote on this package next week. While the House may eventually consider the Senate bill, it has not created one broad package and maintains three separate bills.
(Marc Granowitter- [e-mail])


Senate Panel Approves Bridge Funding Bill

A Senate committee passed legislation (H.R. 3999) this week that provides $1 billion to states for bridge repairs and inspection. The legislation prohibits states from transferring bridge funds to other programs unless they have no bridges in the national highway system that are eligible for replacement. The bill also requires a system to inventory and prioritize replacement or rehabilitation of all federal-aid bridges that are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. To receive federal assistance under the measure, states must develop a five-year performance plan for highway bridge inspection and inspect all highway bridges every two years.

Unfortunately, the bill would unnecessarily increase requirements for certain bridge inspectors. It doubles the experience required for certain inspectors from five to 10 years. This will cause bridge inspection delays in many states. The bill would also disqualify some bridge personnel with extensive experience and training from becoming inspection team leaders. The House passed the bill in July.
(Cynthia Bradley- [e-mail])

Senate Committee Approves Water Infrastructure Bill

On September 17th, a Senate committee approved water infrastructure legislation (S. 3500) aimed at improving the safety and infrastructure of the nation’s water supply. During the debate on the bill, the top Republican on the committee, James M. Inhofe (OK), said that states could get more accomplished if they paid workers less. The committee disagreed with him and approved an amendment to pay workers the prevailing wage under Davis-Bacon laws. The bill would provide the Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund (SRF) with $20 billion over five years and the Drinking Water SRF with $15 billion over five years.
(Cynthia Bradley- [e-mail])

Senate Democrats Introduce Unemployment Insurance Benefits Legislation


Senate Democrats, including Jack Reed (RI), Edward M. Kennedy (MA) and Max Baucus (MT), this week introduced legislation to provide additional weeks of federal unemployment benefits for workers who have exhausted their claims. The bill is almost identical to legislation introduced last week (H.R. 6867) by Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) and is expected to be part of the economic stimulus package being developed by congressional Democrats. (Nanine Meiklejohn- [e-mail])

House Approves Civil Rights Legislation for the Disabled


On September 17, the House approved the Americans with Disabilities (ADA) Restoration Act (S. 3406), legislation that would clarify the definition of “disabled” to make clear that any person who has or is perceived to have mental or physical impairments that restrict major functions is entitled to ADA protections. The legislation is a response to U.S. Supreme Court decisions that narrowly defined certain ADA provisions and have resulted in weakened protections for people with disabilities. The measure was approved by voice vote.
(Cynthia Bradley- [e-mail])


House Passes Compromise Child Welfare Bill


After reaching an agreement with Senate negotiators, the House passed legislation (H.R. 6893) that would reauthorize and increase adoption incentives for states, increase federal assistance to states to support kinship-related care, gradually “de-link” federal adoption assistance payments to states from outdated income requirements, allow private child welfare agencies to receive federal training funds, and extend federal foster care and adoption funding to tribal governments. The Senate will likely vote on the bill before Congress recesses on September 26th. President Bush is expected to sign it.
(Fran Bernstein- [e-mail])


Labor Department Held Secret Meetings to Weaken Health and Safety Law


The Bush Administration’s Labor Department is proposing new rules that, if implemented, would threaten worker safety by delaying badly needed regulations for years. Apparently, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has been holding secret meetings and creating this new process for rule-making while attempting to avoid any public input. The new process would apply to worker exposure to toxic substances that are common in the workplace.
(Cynthia Bradley- [e-mail])


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