Conferees Complete Omnibus
Spending Bill
November 25, 2003 - House and Senate negotiators have
reached agreement on an omnibus spending bill that provides
a $1 billion increas for the National Institutes of Health
(NIH), restores much of the funding for the health professions
education programs, and provides a significant increase for
veterans medical care. However, final passage of the measure,
which includes seven FY 2004 appropriations bills, may not
occur until January. House appropriators filed the conference
report on the $328.1 billion omnibus bill (H.R.
2673) on Nov. 25 during a pro forma session. The
House is now in recess until Dec. 8, when Representatives
will return to vote on the omnibus.
At present, it is unclear whether the Senate will vote on
the conference report in December or wait until after Jan.
20, when the next session of Congress convenes. The programs
covered by the omnibus are currently funded by a continuing
resolution (CR) passed on Nov. 21 (P.L.
108-135) that runs through Jan. 31.
The omnibus adds $4.5 billion in funding for priority programs,
including $1.3 billion for veterans medical care, $1.65 billion
for priority education programs, and $1 billion for overhaul
of election reform. The increases are offset by reclaiming
$1.8 billion in unobligated supplemental funding - exempting
any relief funds for New York, Washington, DC, and rural Pennsylvania
and any unobligated balances in Defense - and imposing a 0.59
percent across-the-board reduction of all programs, projects,
and activities except Defense and Military Construction funds.
For NIH, the conference agreement includes $27.983 billion,
an increase of $1 billion (3.7 percent), before the across-the-board
cut. The conferees also included a 2.2 percent evaluation
transfer tap, as proposed in the Senate, and transferred $150
million from the NIH for the Global HIV/AIDS fund.
The Title VII and VIII health professions and nursing education
programs are provided $438.7 million in the filed FY 2004
conference report, a 4.2 percent increase above the FY 2003
level. This includes $296 million for Title VII health professions
programs, a 4 percent cut, and $142.8 for Title VIII nursing,
a 26.7 percent increase. The report includes $303.7 million
for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
in FY 2004, level with last year, with all funding provided
through the evaluation tap.
The omnibus agreement includes an appropriation of $26.9
billion for VA medical care, an increase of $3 billion (12.6
percent) over FY 2003, and $408 million for VA medical research,
an increase of $10.6 million (2.7 percent).
Information:
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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