November-December 2007
Washington Report to Presbyterians:
2007 Wrap-up
The First Session of the 110th Congress recessed in December,
falling short of the promises for reform and improvement that characterized its
beginnings. When the legislators reconvene in late January, they will confront
many bills passed by one house or the other but not both, as well as presidential
vetoes and threats of vetoes. The second session will be shortened by the summer’s
political conventions and election campaigns. We present below a summary of congressional
and administration activities in 2007, divided into categories identified by
the General Assembly as issues for the Washington Office to advocate, using the
major headings agreed to by the General Assembly Council in the Mission Work
Plan Process:
Notations at the ends of summaries refer to earlier coverage in Washington
Report to Presbyterians and Witness in Washington Weekly, publications of the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Washington Office.
Domestic poverty, ecology and environment
by Leslie G Woods
Environment and ecology
Climate Change: While no legislation was enacted in 2007 specifically
addressing climate change, steps taken in the Energy Bill will move U.S. energy
policy toward reduced carbon emissions. The Senate Environment and Public Works
Committee approved a climate change bill, S 2191, but the full Senate did not
vote on it. (WWW 4/16)
Energy Bill: HR 6 was signed by the President December 19. This bill
includes improved CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards, requiring
cars to get 35 miles per gallon of gas by 2020, the first increase to CAFE standards
in 32 years. The Energy Bill also included a renewable fuel standard, requiring
36 billion gallons of renewable fuel to be produced annually, 21 billion of which
must come from non-corn based biomass, by the year 2022. The bill did not include
a Renewable Electricity Standard (RES). (WWW 7/9, 12/3; Report Sept-Oct)
Health Care
SCHIP: Congress voted to reauthorize the State Child
Health Insurance Program, expanding coverage to up to four million of the nine
million uninsured children in the United States. The President vetoed this measure
twice and Congress failed to muster the two-thirds majority needed to override
the first veto. They did not attempt to override the second veto, but passed
a short-term extension of the program (S 2499) at current funding levels, that
will expire March 31, 2009. (WWW 5/5, 6/4, 7/16 & 30, 10/1 & 15; Report
July-Aug)
Stem Cell Research: Both House and Senate cleared measures to provide federal
funding for stem cell research. The President vetoed this legislation on June
20 for the second time in as many years. (WWW 6/18)
Medicare Part D: The House passed HR 4, to allow Medicare to negotiate prices
with drug companies, leading to lower costs for older adults and the Medicare
program (evidenced by similar results in Veterans Administration negotiations).
The Senate failed to clear S 3, the companion measure. (WWW 4/23)
Mental Health Parity: S 558/HR 1424 would require private insurance
to offer mental health benefits equal in scope and cost to standard medical and
surgical benefits. The Senate passed S 558, but the House did not act on related
legislation. (WWW 12/12)
Poverty and Human Needs
Minimum Wage: On May 24, the President signed the first minimum wage
increase in ten years, HR 2206. This law will raise the minimum wage from $5.15
to $7.25 per hour over two years. The first increase, to $5.85 per hour, was
effective July 24. A year later, it will rise to $6.55 and on July 24, 2009 to
$7.25. (WWW 1/8, 15, 22, 2/5, 5/14, 7/23)
Farm Bill: (HR 2419) The House and Senate passed different
reauthorizations of the Farm Bill, and neither chamber enacted reform of the
nation’s farm
and food policies. Efforts to reform the farm bill, including imposing payment
limits and an Adjusted Gross Income cap on recipients of commodity subsidies
failed. Congress has yet to appoint a conference committee to produce the final
farm bill, but temporary extension of the 2002 farm bill expires March 15, 2008.
(WWW 4/30, 6/11, 7/9, 10/22, 11/5, 12/12; Report May-June)
FY2008 Budget/Appropriations: Both House and Senate
changed budget and spending rules, adding a “pay-as-you-go” provision requiring offsets
for increased spending or revenue cuts. The FY 2008 Budget Resolution (SConRes
21), funding for the year beginning Oct. 1, 2007, was completed May 17. It provided
a two percent increase, or $23 billion, for discretionary spending over the President’s
request.
In the end, the President’s veto strategy forced Congress to reduce
spending levels to his request. Congress combined eleven unfinished appropriations
bills in an omnibus bill, HR 2764, which passed both chambers. In the omnibus,
Congress distributed funds differently from the President’s request. (WWW
2/12 & 19, 3/19 & 26; 6/25, 9/17, 10/29)
Hurricane Katrina Housing Recovery: (S 1668/HR 1227) The Gulf Coast
Hurricane Housing Recovery Act, a bill intended to invigorate the stunted Gulf
Coast recovery, passed the House on March 21 in a bi-partisan vote which included
the support of all seven members of the Louisiana House delegation. Its companion
bill is stalled in the Senate Banking Committee due to opposition from Sen. David
Vitter (R-La.). Regionally targeted bills opposed by home-state members have
little chance of passing. (Report March-April; WWW 4/9)
Head Start: Congress reauthorized the Head Start
early childhood development program for the first time in nearly ten years, avoiding
controversial language that would have allowed faith-based providers to discriminate
religiously when hiring. In the FY 2008 omnibus spending bill, Head Start funds
were cut two percent from 2007 levels, adjusted for inflation, which will effectively
drop 26,500 children from program rolls. (WWW 3/26)
Housing Vouchers (Section 8): Congress funded about 20,000 new vouchers for
homeless veterans, non-elderly disabled people and the family unification program
in the FY2008 budget, the first increase since FY 2002.
The Section 8 Voucher Reform Act (SEVRA), HR 1851, includes many important
and positive reforms to the voucher program. The House passed SEVRA on July 12,
but a companion bill in the Senate has yet to be introduced. (WWW 5/21)
National Housing Trust Fund: On October 10 the House passed the National
Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act of 2007 (HR 2895), to establish dedicated sources
of funds for the production, preservation and rehabilitation of 1.5 million affordable
homes over the next 10 years. A Senate companion bill (S 2523), introduced December
19 and sent to the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, has not yet
been considered. (WWW 10/8)
International issues and peace
By Catherine Gordon
Trade Policy: On November 4, despite serious concerns raised by labor,
environmental, and faith groups, the House passed (285-132) the U.S.-Peru Free
Trade Agreement. The Democratic leadership touted a compromise based on new labor
and environmental protections the White House had agreed to include in the agreement,
but the protections have no enforcement capabilities and so are very weak. Many
freshmen Democrats elected on an anti-free trade platform opposed the agreement,
with 109 of 225 Democrats voting for the bill. The vote was seen as beginning
a new era of bipartisan cooperation on trade. The Senate approved the measure
(77-18) on December 4.
The Peru agreement was one of four trade agreements
negotiated during 2007 under “fast track authority”, which bars amendments
by Congress. This authority expired in June 2007 and was not reinstated by Congress.
Agreements on Colombia, Korea and Panama are expected to be voted on in 2008.
(Report July August, WWW 12/3,10/8,5/21,4/23)
Colombia: Foreign Military Financing, the most direct
category of military aid, was reduced by $22.5 million from the Administration’s request. Of
the remaining $55.5 million in the measure, $5 million was targeted for demining,
medical and rehabilitation assistance. Total military and police aid within the
Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill is down by $141.5 million below the White
House request, a 31 percent cut. Economic and social aid rose 70 percent to $97.4
million above the Administration’s request.
Judicial and human rights aid and aid to victims are also included in the
Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill. This includes aid for legal representation
of victims, and investigations and prosecutions, as well as funding for: witness
protection for victims; the U.N. High Commissioner on Human Rights Office; investigation
of mass graves; and monitoring the demobilization of para-military groups. Human
rights conditions are now attached to 30 percent of aid to Colombia rather than
just 25 percent. (WWW 4/30)
Guatemala: The military aid ban to the Guatemalan navy and air force was partly
lifted but aid to the army remains prohibited. Included in the Foreign Ops Bill
was $4 million for a commission to investigate clandestine groups involved in
drug trafficking and human rights violations.
Cuba: U.S. policy towards Cuba remains unchanged, with no movement on
legislation to lift travel restrictions. An amendment by Rep. Charles Rangel
(D-N.Y.) to simplify the process by which Cubans pay for U.S. agricultural exports
was defeated. It would have increased annual sales for U.S. farmers by between
$92 and $195 million. (WWW 2/19, 4/30)
Haiti: Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) introduced HR
241, urging multilateral financial institutions to cancel Haiti’s debt
immediately. The measure is now in the House Committee on Financial Services
and has 66 cosponsors. (WWW 10/29)
Sudan: On December 31, President Bush signed the Sudan
Accountability and Divestment Act into law, following unanimous passage in the
Senate and House earlier that month. Championed by Sens. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.)
and Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) and Reps. Barney (D-Mass.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.),
this bill increases economic pressure on the government of Sudan to help end
the ongoing genocide in Darfur. The bill protects state and local divestment
and prohibits U.S. government contracts (also authorizing states bans) with companies
fueling the genocide
The Foreign Operations Bill provides $1 billion in Darfur-related aid, including
$550 million to support the U.N. peacekeeping mission.
HIV/AIDS: The Foreign Ops measure allocated $6.5 billion
for global health, $1.4 billion more than in FY 2007 and $796 million more than
the White House requested. The President’s Emergency Plan to fight AIDS
got $5 billion, $1.2 billion more than last year and $544 million more than was
requested. The multilateral Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria gets $845
million, a $120 million increase from FY 2007. (WWW 1/22, 6/04)
Debt Relief: The Jubilee Act for Responsible Lending and Expanded Debt
Cancellation was introduced in both houses. HR 2634, by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.),
has 94 cosponsors. Hearings were held in the House Committee on Financial Services
November 8. S 2166, introduced by Sen. Robert Casey (D-Pa.), has 19 cosponsors
and went to the Committee on Foreign Relations. (WWW 10/22, 12/10)
Nuclear Weapons: The U.S. Department of Energy proposed building the
Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW), designed to develop new nuclear weapons.
In a victory for advocates opposing the new system, Congress allocated no funds
for the new project and refused to fund the building of a new facility to produce
annually 125 to 200 plutonium pits for nuclear weapons.
Congress also established a congressional commission to look at the strategic
posture of the United States in the broadest sense, including both conventional
and nuclear approaches, and also mandated the Secretary of Defense to conduct
a similar study. Both studies are due at the end of 2008. (WWW 3/26)
Iran: Congress passed several measures on Iran including
resolutions condemning Iran and its Revolutionary Guard, adopting greater economic
sanctions, advocating a missile defense site in Europe to protect against Iranian
missiles, and funding a program to “promote democracy” in Iran that
has been rejected by its intended beneficiaries.
The trend toward confrontation stopped abruptly when the intelligence community
released a new National Intelligence Estimate saying Iran suspended its nuclear
weapons program in 2003, responding to international pressure. (WWW 2/26)
Cluster Bombs: Legislation was introduced in both House and Senate to
limit the use, sale and transfer of cluster bombs. HR 1755, introduced by Rep.
Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), with 22 cosponsors, went to the House Armed Services
Committee. S 594, by Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) and 15 cosponsors is before
the Foreign Relations Committee. (WWW 3/5, 6/25, 11/5)
Israel/Palestine: SRes 224, introduced in June by Sen.
Feinstein and 16 co-sponsors and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations,
reaffirms the Senate's commitment to Israel’s security and to a lasting
solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the establishment of two
states, Israel and Palestine. It denounces the use of violence and terror and
calls on: (1) President Bush to engage Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA)
in negotiations; (2) the Hamas-led PA to recognize Israel's right to exist, renounce
and end all terror and incitement, and accept past agreements and obligations
with Israel; and (3) moderate Arab states to intensify their diplomatic efforts
toward a two-state solution. (WWW 6/18)
The Administration jumpstarted Israeli Palestinian
peace negotiations with the November Annapolis conference and the President’s
January trip to the region, renewing hope for progress toward a negotiated agreement.
(WWW 10/15)
Habeas Corpus, Detainees and Torture: The Senate Judiciary
Committee approved S 185 by Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) to repeal the language
in the Military Commissions Act (PL 109-366) passed by Congress, stripping the
right of courts to hear habeas corpus petitions. The measure became an amendment
to the Defense Authorization Bill (HR 1585), considered by the Senate in July,
but was pulled when Republicans filibustered an amendment related to military
operations in Iraq. The bill was reintroduced, but a cloture vote on Specter’s
amendment failed.
Five bills to restore habeas corpus were introduced in the House but only
one has advanced. A House Judiciary Subcommittee approved HR 2826, introduced
by Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) and 51 cosponsors, but it has not come to a vote
in the full Committee.
The failure of the cloture vote on Specter’s amendment leaves it to
the Supreme Court to determine the legality of habeas corpus language in the
Military Commissions Act. In December, the Court heard oral arguments in Boumediene
v. Bush, challenging the constitutional validity of the habeas-stripping provision.
The Court’s decision is due in Summer 2008. (WWW 2/15)
The Restoring the Constitution Act, S 576, by Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), aims
to reverse the Military Commissions Act and provide for the effective prosecution
of terrorists and guarantee due process rights. The bill has 13 cosponsors and
is before the Committee on Armed Services. (WWW 3/19)
The conference committee on HR 2082, the Intelligence
Authorization Act, inserted language (§327) prohibiting the intelligence community and their contractors
from subjecting detainees to any treatment or technique of interrogation not
authorized by the Army Field Manual on Human Intelligence Collector Operations.
Senate Republicans put a hold on the conference report pending the outcome of
a parliamentary objection to §327, since it was not in either of the original
versions of the bill. Overruling the point of order would take 60 votes. (Report
March/April, WWW 5/14)
Peace building: The stated purpose of The Reconstruction
and Stabilization Civilian Management Act (HR 1084/S 613 is “to provide for the development,
as a core mission of the Department of State and the United States Agency for
International Development (U.S.AID), of an expert civilian response capability
to carry out stabilization and reconstruction activities in a country or region
that is in, or is in transition from, conflict or civil strife.” The House
bill has 26 cosponsors and is before Foreign Affairs Committee. The Senate bill,
with five cosponsors, was approved by the Committee on Foreign Relations and
awaits Senate action. (WWW 4/16)
Iraq: The Congressional Research Service estimates
the cost of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq at $626 billion so far, plus $70 billion
in the latest supple-mental bill. Despite protests by many Democrats, Congress
passed emergency war funding bills at $120 billion in May and $70 billion in
December. Democrats failed to set a redeployment date and change Iraq policy.
(WWW 1/15, 1/29, 11/12, Report May-June)
Bills to implement The Iraq Study Group Recommendations (HR 2574/S 2545) were
introduced in both houses of Congress. The House bill, with 62 cosponsors, is
in the Foreign Affairs Committee. The Senate bill has 15 cosponsors and is before
the Committee on Foreign Relations. (WWW 9/17)
Race, Gender and Religious Liberties
By Mary Anderson Cooper, Consultant
Voting Rights: The House passed HR 1281, the
Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act, introduced by Rep.
Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) with 60 cosponsors. The bill would establish criminal penalties
for knowingly disseminating false information with the intention of keeping others
from voting. The companion bill, S 453, introduced by Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.)
and 15 cosponsors has been approved by a Senate Committee and is awaiting floor
action. (Report Jan-Feb; WWW 3/26)
D.C. Voting Rights: The capital of the United States has one non-voting
delegate in the House and no representation in the Senate. The District of Columbia
Voting Rights Act (HR 1905/S 1257) would increase the membership of the House
to 437, giving one voting member to D.C. and one to Utah. The new Members would
represent the dominant political party in the area — Democrats in D.C.
and Republicans in Utah.
The House passed the bill in April by 241-177. It has
been blocked in the Senate by a filibuster despite having majority support. Both Utah Republican
Senators sponsored the bill, but President Bush says he will veto it, since the
Constitution requires that House Members be chosen by registered voters of states,
and D.C. is not a state. Supporters say since D.C. is subject to all federal
laws, pays taxes, and provides members for the armed forces, it deserves representation
in Congress. (Report Jan-Feb)
DREAM Act: The Development, Relief, and Education
for Alien Minors Act would let states offer in-state college tuition to student
immigrants who reside within their borders and provides a route to citizenship
for people in the United States since childhood who have been in higher education
or the military.
The bill fell victim to a filibuster, receiving 52 votes,
not the 60 required to end debate. The House has taken no action.
Immigration Reform: The effort to regularize
the status of undocumented immigrants in the United States is a hot-button issue
in the 2008 presidential elections, with little likelihood of reaching any resolution
this year. (Report Jan-Feb, May-June; WWW 6/18, 4/9)
Reproductive Rights: Congress has not acted on
S 21, by Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), a Prevention First Act, which would reduce
unwanted pregnancies, thus decreasing the need for abortions. The bill would
increase access to family planning services through Title X funding, expand Medicaid
coverage for family planning in low-income families, require private health insurers
to give the same coverage for contraception as they do for other drugs and services,
and improve access to emergency contraception. HR 2596/S 1555 saw no action.
It requires pharmacies to provide contraceptive drugs to a customer requesting
them if the buyer can pay and has a prescription and there is no valid clinical
reason to withhold the medication. (Report Jan-Feb; WWW2/12, 4/23, 6/25)
Criminal Justice: The House overwhelmingly passed
HR 1593, the Second Chance Act, on November 13. Introduced by Rep. Danny Davis
(D-Ill.) and 93 cosponsors, it would fund states and localities to help former
prisoners re-enter society and avoid recidivism. Included would be funding for
drug and mental health treatment, job training, and education and housing. S
1060, introduced by Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.), is awaiting action in the Judiciary
Committee. (Report Jan-Feb, Sept-Oct; WWW 7/16)
No Child Left Behind: Efforts to reauthorize the controversial
2002 education law broke down over disputes between Congress and the Administration. The
bill’s advocates have put it on hold indefinitely. (Report Jan-Feb)
Hate Crimes: The House passed HR 3685 on November 7
by a 235-184 vote. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) was introduced
by Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) to permit federal prosecution of hate crimes based
on a person’s
actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. Protections
for gender identity were stripped from the bill, which now awaits Senate action.
(Report Jan-Feb, Mar-Apr; WWW 10/8)
IMPORTANT NOTICE
Ecumenical Advocacy Days: March 7-10 — Washington
D.C.
With the theme “Claiming a Vision of True Security,” Ecumenical
Advocacy Days will bring together over 1000 religious advocates for worship,
training, and workshops on public policy advocacy issues. There will be a dinner
for Presbyterians on Saturday night. Conference speakers include The Rev. Dr.
Mark Lomax (Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta), Dr. Lisa Schirch
(Eastern Mennonite University), and Archbishop Vicken Aykazian (Armenian Church
in America; President, National Council of Churches). For
program and online registration, go to the Advocacy Days Web site.
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