TWICJUL27

An aging and stressed transportation infrastructure, degenerating public and affordable housing and wasted energy are the primary challenges the House addressed in deciding funding for the Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development.

Congress concludes that roads, railways and mass transit, seen as neglected for decades, are adding to traffic congestion and waste of fuel while changing population demographics create needs where once there were none. Air travel, expected to grow to 1 million passengers in 2015, faces an aging control system expected to lose 72% of air traffic controllers in the next ten years.

The bill tends to see the transportation, housing and energy problems as integrated entities where improvements to one can alleviate problems in others. Aged housing uses more energy, housing that is far from public transportation requires more cars on the roads. Aging and overwhelmed roadways cause traffic backups causing wasted fuel. The bill report noted that in 2003 the "85 most congested urban areas in the United States experienced 3.7 billion hours of travel delay,...(and) ...caused travelers to use 2.3 billion extra gallons of fuel for a total cost of $63,100,000,000 or $794 per commuter."

To begin to address those problems the bill would spend $3.2 billion over last year, an amount that is $2.8 billion over the President’s request. Most increases are directed to transportation needs. An increase of $400 million will go directly to air traffic control improvement. Rehabilitation of public housing will continue with the same amount as last year. HUD is directed to increase programs that save energy and reduce energy costs now at about 10% of its budget.

Amendment activity generally aimed at shifting spending from one program to another believed to be more important. Voice vote amendments prohibited the use of funds to hire illegal aliens or to establish or implement a project to allow Mexican motor carriers to operate beyond the commercial zones on the US-Mexico border.

Other amendments targeted earmarks. Earmark projects somewhat out of the scope of the underlying bill included funds for the National Forest Recreation Association in Woodlake, Ca., Hunting and Fishing Museum of Pennsylvania in Tionesta, Pa., the Houston Zoo, in Houston, TX., and the Edmunds Center for the Arts, City of Edmunds, WA. All amendments to strike earmarks failed.

{HR 3074 with amendments and votes}

FARM BILL PROGRAMS MEET RESISTANCE IN HOUSE

Amendments Aim to Curtail Payments to Farmers

Foreign Company Tax Break Ended - Seen as tax Increase

Photo: Gracey

The process of establishing US farm policy begins with recognizing and limiting or increasing the amount of acreage nationwide that come under those programs and what percentage of those acres can be subsidized and to what extent and what products can be grown or raised on the acreage.

The bill then adds consumer protections, energy, rural and bio-energy development, agriculture research, banking and insurance interests, economic development, subsidies and price supports to farmers and agribusiness, foreign food aid policy and programs to improve the nutrition of children and the elderly.

The predominance of spending in the bill is for nutrition programs to children, low-income Americans and the elderly, but most attention, has been given to subsidy payments and price support programs that many believe, at a $19 billion price tag, are excessive.

The bill drew fire as raising taxes when it was brought to the floor with a provision to end tax provisions for some foreign corporations. Those corporations include oil and gas companies but the bill mainly targets corporations that exploit off-shore tax dodges and other mechanisms to avoid paying taxes. The provision does not affect foreign companies with offices in the US and those protected by trade treaties.

A primary amendment {Kind D-WI / Flake R-AZ} aimed to reduce subsidies to agribusinesses that have adjusted gross incomes up to $2.5 billion by setting a cap at $250,000. The underlying bill sets the cap to $1 million. The amendment would phase out cyclical payments to farmers and replace them with a financial safety net plan that would help farmers when they need it rather than by paying yearly, problems or none. The amendment also cuts $1 billion from the profits made by middlemen in the crop insurance business. The saving from the cuts would be spent to increase nutrition aid and land conservation efforts, further aid to minority farmers and rural development and reduce the deficit. The amendment failed by a vote of 117 to 309 RC 747

The bill Passed 231 to 191 RC 756 .

{Kind Amdt Vote RC 747}

{HR 2419 report with amendments and votes}

Bills Add Funds to Law Enforcement; Limit Military Bases in Iraq; Prohibit Campaign Funds to Spouses

The Commerce, Justice & Science appropriation bill increases spending by $3.2 billion and targets FBI and other Justice Department programs for increases. Funds are increased to Community Oriented Policing.

{HR 3093}

In addition to prohibiting funds to establish military installations in Iraq for a permanent US military presence, the bill also prohibits US control of Iraq oil resources.

{HR 2929}

Campaign committees and leadership PACs are prohibited from paying candidate or incumbents spouses, with some exceptions.

{HR 2630}

The Senate took up HR 2638, the Homeland Security spending bill passed by the House. On passage, the text of HR 2638 was replaced with the Senate Measure, S 1644, a similar bill. The Senate bill spends $40.4 billion. $3.2 billion more than the House. Senate amendments to the bill raised border security spending by $3 billion. Nearly $200 million over the House amount. The additional funds aim to complete the 700 miles of borders fencing and adds to border patrol and other immigration personnel necessary to further protect the border from illegal immigration. Another Senate provision increases enforcement of immigration laws in places of employment.

HR 2638,

Implementing the Recommendations of the 9-11 Commission

The Senate and the House agreed to the conference report combining HR 1 and S4. The bill is now cleared for the President.

The Senate Has Adjourned Until Monday July 30