Review and Preview Report by NWYC on Federal Legislation ...

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to use their influence in government to preserve the freedoms set forth by our
Founding Fathers.

REVIEW

Health Care Bill on Hold: The Senate will not be voting on the health care bill until September, according to Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). A proposal that would strengthen the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission has proved to be a stumbling block. The bill is still in draft form. The House continues to consider their health care bill. (H.R.3200) Estimated costs per average family - $12,192.79. Click here to voice your opinion on health care.

Defense Authorization: The Senate is considering legislation that would appropriate $636.3 billion for defense programs, including $128.3 billion for war operations. It would also bar the use of funds for the closure of the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Estimated costs per average family - $6,325.21.

Concealed Firearms Amendment: The Senate rejected an amendment that would have allowed citizens who have concealed carry permits from the state in which they reside to carry concealed firearms in another state that grants concealed carry permits. (S.1390) Click here to voice your opinion on gun rights!

F-22 Fighters: The Senate agreed to strike $1,750,000,000 in Air Force funding for F-22 aircraft procurement. It also voted to restore funds to operation and maintenance, military personnel, and other areas that had been reduced in order to authorize F-22 procurements. (S.1390)

F-35 Work Falls Behind: An internal Pentagon oversight board has reported that the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program is two years behind schedule. Appropriators are dubious about speeding up F-35 production and have already reduced the President’s request for F‑35 procurement by $530 million in the House defense appropriations bill. (S.1390)

Hate Crimes Against Military Members: The Senate passed an amendment to the defense authorization bill that would prohibit assault or battery of a serviceman or servicewoman because of their service in U.S. military. (S.1390)

Counting Troops: The Senate approved an amendment to the defense authorization bill that was designed to ensure that the vote of U.S. troops and other Americans living overseas are counted in upcoming elections. According to the Election Labor Assistance Commission, more than 660,000 of the 992,034 military and overseas absentee ballots requested for the 2006 election never reached election officials. (S.1026)

Health and Human Services: The House is expected to pass its fiscal 2010 appropriations bill for health, labor and education programs after considering Republican amendments aimed at the bill’s cost and such policy priorities as the ban on federal funding for needle exchange programs. The spending bill would appropriate a total of $730.5 billion, making it the largest of the 12 annual appropriations bills. (H.R.3293)

Swine Flu: Congress has appropriated enough money to buy the supplies needed to produce a vaccine to combat the swine flu, according to the Health and Human Services Secretary. Supplemental spending legislation provided the Department of Health and Human Services with $7.65 billion to prepare for and respond to an H1N1 outbreak, including a $5.8 billion contingency fund and $1.85 billion for immediate use.

Transportation: The House passed a $123.1 billion spending measure for transportation and housing programs, rejecting Republican efforts to eliminate a large financial boost for high-speed passenger rail systems and decrease the measure’s overall cost. The bill passed by a vote of 256-168. (H.R.3288)

Pay-As-You-Go: The House passed a bill that would reinstate and update the Pay-As-You-Go requirement for lawmakers to offset costs of future legislation from funding of current measures. Budget neutrality and reining in the national debt is the goal of the legislation. (H.R.2920)

PREVIEW

Appropriations bills will headline the floor agenda this week as the full House turns to the defense bill, the last of its fiscal 2010 measures. The Senate could ramp up action on a pair of spending measures. It is also expected to move ahead on the defense authorization measure.

Click here to view the R&P Report as a PDF

Our Representative and Senators' Contact Information:

Representative Dave Loebsack
1513 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-1502
Phone: (202) 225-6576
Fax: (202) 226-0757
Website: http://Loebsack.house.gov/
Webform: http://loebsack.house.gov/contactform/

Senator Charles Grassley
SH-135 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-1501
Phone: (202) 224-3744
Fax: (202) 224-6020
Website: http://Grassley.senate.gov/
Webform: http://grassley.senate.gov/webform.htm

Senator Tom Harkin
SH-731 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-1502
Phone: (202) 224-3254
Fax: (202) 224-9369
Website: http://Harkin.senate.gov/
Webform: http://harkin.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm

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