The 3/9/2009 Federal Legislation Update

From National Write Your Congressman, 214-342-0299 www.nwyc.com

Vol. 13 No. 1-8
Monday, March 9, 2009

REVIEW

$410 Billion Omnibus Spending Bill: The Senate failed to clear the $410 billion omnibus spending bill and has returned to work on it. The House is expected to approve another temporary funding measure for fiscal 2009 immediately, keeping the government in business through midnight, March 10. Senators are seeking up to 35 amendments to the bill, including one that would eliminate funds for a D.C. school voucher program and one that would prohibit the Senate from receiving an automatic pay raise. (H.R.1105)

Mortgage Bill with Cramdown Provision: The House passed a measure that includes a provision to allow bankruptcy judges to use cramdown provisions on troubled homeowners’ mortgages. Cramdown is a term used in bankruptcy law that allows debtors to retain collateral as long as they offer repayment of the “secured portion” or fair market value of the collateral in their repayment plan. The vote on the bill was 234 to 191.

The measure is now in the Senate where it is expected to be addressed some time this month. (H.R.1106)

Nation’s Electric Grid: Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) introduced legislation designed to expand and modernize the nation’s electric grid, but Congress is expecting to do battle with various states over property rights. The plan would require up to 20 percent, up from the current three percent, of the nation’s electricity to be generated from renewable sources such as wind and solar.Line Item Veto: Because the $410 billion fiscal 2009 omnibus spending bill is reported to contain approximately 9,000 earmarks totaling $7.7 billion, some lawmakers are calling for the creation of a type of line-item veto. If passed, the President would have the ability to remove sections of a bill before signing the legislation. (H.R.1105)

Farm Subsidies: Lawmakers are debating a provision in President Obama’s proposed budget that would phase out direct government payments to farmers with annual sales exceeding $500,000.

The NRA and D.C. Voting Rights: A firearms amendment to the D.C. voting rights bill that would do away with the D.C. ban on semi-automatic weapons has halted momentum on the measure. For now, House leaders say only that that the measure could be brought to the floor in the coming weeks. The firearms amendment would also bar the city’s registration requirements for most guns and drop criminal penalties for possessing an unregistered firearm in D.C. (H.R.1106)

The Senate adopted a similar amendment to its version of the D.C. voting right bill last week. (S.160)

FDA Authority Over Tobacco: The House Energy and Commerce Committee took a first step toward giving the Food and Drug Administration the power to regulate tobacco products. The committee approved a bill that would give the FDA broad powers to regulate tobacco advertising and marketing. The bill also would require new, larger warnings on cigarette packs. It would be funded with $5.5 billion in user fees on tobacco products over 10 years. (H.R.1256)

Health Care Overhaul: Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) announced that he intends to have health care overhaul legislation on the Senate floor by the August recess. In his 2010 budget proposal, President Obama allocated $634 billion over 10 years to fund health care reform. But Republican lawmakers say they will oppose any plan that will lead to a government-run takeover of the U.S. health care system. Financial Industry Rule Changes: House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank (D-MA) announced that he plans to advance a financial industry overhaul bill next month. The measure would include language to outlaw certain credit card billing practices and new, tougher regulations.

PREVIEW

The Senate will continue work on the omnibus spending bill that provides funding for the federal government and possibly address mortgage legislation. House moderates are preparing a bipartisan health care bill. Both chambers will continue work on the President’s proposed budget.

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Our local 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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