Senate Approves Labor-HHS
Bill; Rejects Proposal For Added NIH Funding
September 12, 2003 - The Senate Sept. 10 passed the
FY 2004 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill (H.R.
2660) by a vote of 94 to 0, ending seven days of partisan,
and at times bitter, debate over overtime pay and efforts
to increase spending for education and health. Final passage
of the bill occurred after the Senate rejected an effort to
add an additional $1.5 billion to the NIH budget. The Senate
defeated a motion to waive a budget point of order against
the amendment offered by Senators Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), Tom
Harkin (D-Iowa) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). The 52 to
43 vote in favor of the motion the motion fell 8 votes short
of the 60 needed to waive the point of order.
The amendment, which would have declared the additional $1.5
billion as emergency spending not subject to the subcommittee's
spending limit, would have provided NIH a total increase of
$2.5 billion (9.2 percent) over FY 2003. As passed by the
Senate, the bill includes $27.982 billion for NIH, a $1 billion
(3.7 percent) increase.
Thirty-five Democrats, 16 Republicans, and 1 Independent
voted for the motion. Republicans supporting the motion were
Bennett (Utah), Brownback (Kan.), Campbell (Colo.), Coleman
(Minn.), Collins (Maine), DeWine (Ohio), Dole (N.C.), Domenici
(N.M.), Hatch (Utah), Hutchison (Texas), Murkowski (Alaska),
Roberts (Kan.), Shelby (Ala.), Snowe (Maine), Specter (Pa.),
and Stevens (Alaska). Senator Stevens, who chairs the Appropriations
Committee, spoke in favor of the additional funds for NIH.
However, 34 Republicans were joined by 9 Democrats to oppose
the motion: Baucus (Mont.), Bayh (Ind.), Bingaman (N. M.),
Breaux (La.), Byrd (W. Va.), Carper (Del.), Conrad (N.D.),
Dodd (Conn.), and Pryor (Ark.). Senator Conrad, who is the
ranking Democrat on the Budget Committee, joined Budget Committee
Chair Don Nickles (R-Okla.) in speaking against the motion
to waive the budget act.
The Senate did accept an amendment by Senators Barbara Mikulski
(D-Md.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) to add $50 million to
fund programs to recruit and retain nurses, which increases
the total for Title VIII nurse education programs to $163
million. However, the Senate did not act to reverse the 93
percent cut in Title VII health professions funding approved
by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Dave Moore, Senior Associate Vice President
AAMC Government Relations
dbmoore@aamc.org
(202) 828-0525
Jonathan Fishburn, Director, Research, Education and Veterans' Legislative Affairs
AAMC Office of Governmental Relations
jfishburn@aamc.org
(202) 828-0525
Erica Froyd, Director, Public Health and Research Legislative Affairs
AAMC Office of Governmental Relations
efroyd@aamc.org
(202) 828-0525
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