Friday, June 22, 2007
Full Senate Appropriations Committee Markup
FY 2008 Interior-Environment Appropriations Bill
The full Senate Appropriations Committee passed the Interior-Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations bill on Thursday, June 21, 2007, containing $27.15 billion for fiscal year 2008. The Senate Appropriations Committee’s mark is $600 million less than the House Appropriations Committee’s mark last week.
The Senate Appropriations Committee’s mark is $1.5 billion more than the President’s request and $740 million more than the FY 2007 enacted level.
Contained in the spending bill is $2.27 billion, which is $42.6 million below the FY 2007 enacted level, but $36.8 million above the President’s request. The Senate Appropriations Committee’s mark is $77 million less than the House Appropriations Committee’s mark of $2.347 billion.
For the Indian Health Services the full Senate Appropriations Committee marked $3.37 billion for FY 2008 spending. This is $187 million above the FY 2007 enacted level and 96.7 million above the President’s Request, which includes restoring the Urban Health Program ($39.09 million). The Senate Appropriations Committee mark is $14 million less than the House Appropriations Committee’s mark of $3.384 billion.
Senate Appropriations Committee’s mark
- $2.99 million for IHS Services – $165.64 million above FY 2007 levels and $60.39 million above the President’s Request
- $375.47 million for IHS facilities – $21.55 million above FY 2007 levels and $38.28 million above the President’s Request
For the Johnson O’Malley program, which the President again requested elimination this year, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted to restore funding at the FY 2007 level ($12 million), which is $4.5 million less than the House Appropriations Committee’s mark. The Senate Appropriations Committee also voted to provide $6 million more to scholarships and adult education to restore proposed cuts in the President’s request.
For post secondary programs the Senate Appropriations Committee voted to give the program $115.5 million for fiscal year 2008. This amount is $17 million more than the President’s request of $98.5 million, and $7.5 million more than the current FY 2007 level of $108 million. The Senate Appropriations Committee’s mark is $6 million more than the House Appropriations Committee’s mark of $109.5 million.
For appropriations in law enforcement and public safety the Senate Appropriations Committee voted to give $237.82 million in FY 2008. This is $6.12 million more than the House Appropriations Committee’s mark ($231.7 million) and just over $33 million more than the FY 2007 enacted level.
For public safety facility construction the Senate Appropriations Committee voted to give $11.6 million, $3 million less than the House Appropriations Committee’s mark and the same as the President’s Request.
Similar to the House Appropriations Committee’s mark of minus $60 million from the FY 2007 enacted level for Education facility construction, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted to approve $125.03 million for Education facility construction, an approximate loss of $80 million from the fiscal year 2007 enacted level. According to Senate Appropriations staff there is explanatory language in the bill for the decease which is attributed to the need to place a hold on new projects until the BIA develops a plan to address the $146 million shortfall for replacement school construction.
Senator Domenici inserted Senate Report language that would require the BIA to provide a report on the cost estimate for staffing, operations and maintenance, improvements and repairs for BIA owned and tribally owned detention facilities. The language is as follows: “The Committee is aware that, at the current time, the Bureau only provides funding for Bureau-operated detention centers while costs associated with tribally-operated centers are borne by the Tribes themselves. Not later than 60 days after enactment of this Act the Bureau shall provide a report providing a cost estimate for staffing, operations and maintenance, facility improvement and repair needs at both BIA-owned and tribally-owned detention facilities.
The Navajo Nation Washington Office will provide an update on the passage of the bill, as well as updates on other appropriations bills for fiscal year 2008.
Special Diabetes Program Reauthorization Introduced in the House
The Public Health Service Act (HR 2762) was introduced in the House on Monday, June 18, 2007, by Congresswoman Diana Degette (D-CO-1), for the reauthorization of the special diabetes programs that addresses type 1 diabetes and Native Americans. Original co-sponsors of the bill include Dale Kildee (D-MI-5), Rick Renzi (R-AZ-1) and Michael Castle (R-DE-At Large). The bill was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
The bill, HR 2762, proposes $200 million funding for each of the fiscal years of the special diabetes program from 2009 until 2013. This fiscal request is a $50 million dollar increase from the previous bill. Located within the bill is also a request for $200 million for type 1 diabetes running on the same time frames.
The Senate companion measure, S. 1494, was introduced by Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM) on May 24, 2007. The Senate version has strong support, notably, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Energy and Natural Resources Chairman, Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM). The senate bill was referred to the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
Head Start Reauthorization Bill Passes the Senate and
Now goes to Conference with the House
The Senate passed its version of the Head Start Reauthorization bill on Tuesday, June 19, 2007, by unanimous consent. The Senate version of the bill has significant differences than the recently passed House version (HR 1429). It proposes to provide $100 million for a new state incentive grant program. Other changes in the Senate bill seek to broadly expand Head Start eligibility and give Head Start Officials a larger role.
The Senate bill would also authorize increased funding for expanding the Head Start Program. The funding level grows from $7.3 billon in fiscal year 2008 to $7.5 billion in 2009, and 7.9 billion in fiscal year 2010. Senate conferees include members of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Like the Senate the House Version also includes a funding increase for Head Start.
Notably, the issue of how Indian Head Start will be funded is different in both versions of the bills. The Navajo Nation Washington Office is monitoring these provisions and will be advocating to produce a workable bill in the conference committee.
