Washington Highlights: June 23,
2006
Contents
Prior Issues
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HHS Funding Bill Stalls in the House
Prospects for a House vote in the near future on the FY 2007 Labor-HHS-Education
appropriations bill (H.R.
5647) are beginning to look bleak. House Majority Leader John
Boehner (R-Ohio) June 20 indicated he will "probably not"
allow any spending bill to come to the House floor that raises the
minimum wage. The House Appropriations Committee June 13 voted 32-27
to adopt an amendment to the Labor-HHS-Education bill to raise the
minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 by January 2009. The House Appropriations
Committee June 20 filed the report on the Labor-HHS-Education bill
(H.Rpt.
109-515). House Appropriations Chair Jerry Lewis (D-Calif.)
had pledged to have all FY 2007 spending bills passed by the House
before the July Fourth congressional recess.
The Senate Appropriations Committee June 21 approved the spending
ceilings - known as 302(B) allocations - for its individual subcommittees.
The Senate is working with the same $873 billion discretionary spending
cap approved by the House. As expected, the Senate committee transferred
$9 billion from the Administration's defense request to domestic
programs, including $5 billion for the Labor-HHS-Education subcommittee.
Senate Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee Chair Arlen Specter (R-Pa.)
had sought $7 billion for his subcommittee. The House Labor-HHS-Education
bill is $4.1 billion above the President's budget.
The Senate Labor-HHS-Education subcommittee is tentatively scheduled
to consider it FY 2007 bill on July 18, with full committee action
July 20.
Information:
Dave Moore, Senior Director
AAMC Government Relations
dbmoore@aamc.org
(202) 828-0525
DeGette, Gillmor Reintroduce Human Research Protection
Proposal
Reps. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) and Paul Gillmor (R-Ohio) June 9
introduced legislation to expand federal protections for volunteers
in human research projects. The "Protection for Participants
in Research Act of 2006" (H.R.
5578) is identical to legislation (H.R.
3594) introduced by Rep. DeGette in the 108th Congress.
The bill expands federal "Common Rule" protections to
all research participants, regardless of the source of the funding
for the project; calls for harmonization of HHS and FDA patient
safety regulations; outlines the composition and responsibilities
of institutional review boards (IRBs); and delineates the conditions
and process for informed consent. The bill permits the Secretary
of Health and Human Services to "facilitate" the voluntary
accreditation of institutions and IRBs by a private accrediting
entity.
The bill also provides statutory authority for the Office of Human
Research Protections (OHRP) within HHS and provides the office with
a range of authorities for compliance and enforcement, ranging from
audits and required corrective action plans to suspension or termination
of specific research projects or suspension of all federally funded
research at an institution.
Information:
Dave Moore, Senior Director
AAMC Government Relations
dbmoore@aamc.org
(202) 828-0525
House, Senate Debate Budget Process Reform
The House June 22 approved, 247-172, an expedited line-item rescissions
bill (H.R.
4890) that Republicans and the White House contend will help
instill fiscal discipline in Congressional spending. Sponsored by
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), the measure allows the President to propose
a package of rescissions on discretionary spending, direct spending
items, and tax provisions targeted to a single individual or entity.
Members of Congress would then be required, within 12 days, to vote
on the entire package without amendments.
The legislation was modified from its original form after members
of both parties complained it transferred too much legislative power
to the Executive branch. The bill also attempts to compensate for
shortcomings in a previous line-item veto proposal that was ruled
unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1998.
Opponents of the measure object that the current version still abdicates
Congress' "power of the purse," and leaves entitlement
programs such as Medicaid, Medicare, and veterans benefits vulnerable
to the whims of the President. Because the line-item authority would
apply to new or expanded entitlement benefits, at a June 14 mark-up
of the bill by the House Budget Committee, Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.)
suggested that the legislation would allow the President to "alter
a carefully put-together formula on graduate medical education."
Meanwhile, the Senate Budget Committee June 20 approved a more
robust approach to budget process reform. The "Stop Over-Spending
(SOS) Act of 2006" (S.
3521), introduced by Budget Committee Chair Judd Gregg (R-N.H.),
incorporates line-item rescission authority alongside other budget
overhaul proposals including a biennial budget system, budget caps
with enforcement mechanisms, and commissions to study entitlement
spending and "duplicative" programs. The two commissions
would be granted fast-track legislative authority, requiring Congress
to consider its recommendations without the opportunity for amendments.
Significant revisions to the bill are expected to avoid a Democratic
filibuster.
Information:
Tannaz Rasouli, Senior Legislative Analyst
AAMC Government Relations
trasouli@aamc.org
(202) 828-0525
HEA Reauthorization Postponed Again
The House June 22 approved the "Second Higher Education Extension
Act of 2006" (H.R.
5603), which extends the Higher Education Act (HEA) through
Sept. 30. The Senate is expected to pass the extension bill before
HEA's June 30 expiration.
Though the House passed its version of HEA reauthorization (H.R.
609) on March 30, it is unclear whether the Senate will consider
its measure (S.
1614) before the midterm elections. The reauthorization bills
have become a focus of much partisan debate, centering on the student
loan provisions passed as part of the Deficit Reduction Act, signed
by the President in February.
Information:
Matthew Shick, Senior Legislative Analyst
AAMC Government Relations
mshick@aamc.org
(202) 862-6116
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