AFSCME Legislative Highlights
 Congress
— Week ending April 28, 2006
Congress returns from two week recess facing full plate of issues. Senate action on damaging health bill postponed. Senate continues debate on emergency spending bill, despite veto threat. President meets with key senators on Immigration Reform. House begins consideration of weak lobbying reform bill.
In this issue:
Vote on "Patients Bill of Wrongs" Delayed in Senate
Due to contentious debate over a bill to provide additional emergency funding for the war, Gulf Coast recovery and other matters, the Senate has postponed debate on the Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act (S. 1955). This legislation, introduced by Sen. Michael B. Enzi (R-WY), would preempt state patient protection laws. As a result, working families could lose coverage for child immunizations, mammograms, prostate and cervical cancer screenings, maternity care, diabetic supplies, mental health and other vital services. The bill would also lead to increases in the cost of insurance for working families that need comprehensive coverage.
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White House Threatens to Veto Emergency Spending Bill as Senate Retains $106 Billion in its Bill
Despite President Bush's threat to veto the FY 2006 emergency spending bill (H.R. 4939) if it exceeds Bush's proposed $92.2 billion total, the Senate voted repeatedly and overwhelmingly to reject amendments to reduce its own $106.5 billion spending total. For example, the Senate voted 72-26 to reject Sen. Craig Thomas' (R-WY) substitute, which would cut the current spending package $14 billion and replace it with Bush's $92.2 billion request. While the bill retains non-military spending, including $4 billion for agriculture, $1.1 billion for fisheries, and $700 million for Mississippi's so-called "railroad to nowhere", the Senate approved Sen. Judd Gregg's (R-NH) amendment to transfer $1.9 billion from military spending to be used for border security. Nonetheless, Bush's threat gained momentum as 35 senators, including Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN), promised to sustain Bush's veto. Frist is working to limit further Senate debate and to ensure the Senate finalizes the bill next week. In contrast, the House bill, passed on March 16, costs $91.9 billion - nearly all for military operations and excludes the Senate's unrelated provisions. With bipartisan and bicameral expectations that this is must-pass legislation, the current differences set up a forthcoming tense House-Senate conference committee.
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House Takes Up Weak Lobby Reform Bill
On Thursday, the House of Representatives began but did not complete debate of the "Lobbying Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006" (H.R. 4975), a lobby reform bill drafted by the GOP leadership. Rather than make meaningful reforms to a system that allows insiders with special connections to advance narrow interests at the expense of the common good, H.R. 4975 makes only minor changes that would do little to change the way this Congress works. For example, the bill fails to permanently ban travel on corporate jets. While the bill prohibits representatives from forcing firms and trade associations to make job hiring decisions on the basis of political affiliation, the bill lacks an adequate enforcement mechanism. And while the bill includes rules to address the abuse of earmarks in spending legislation, it fails to address earmark abuses in other bills.
The GOP leadership is using an unusual procedure to combine H.R. 4975 with another bill, without a vote by House members. If approved, HR 4975 would automatically be combined with the "527 Reform Act" (H.R. 513), an unrelated campaign finance bill that makes one-sided campaign law changes that would benefit right wing candidates. The reason for combining the bills is to force Democrats in the Senate to either agree to the "527 Reform Act" or be blamed for killing lobbying reform legislation when a final bill is considered.
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Bush Meets with Senators on Comprehensive Immigration Reform Legislation
President Bush met with key senators this week to urge them to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill by Memorial Day. A near-deal on a Senate compromise immigration bill fell apart before Congress adjourned for its two-week spring recess. In December, the House passed a punitive border security and enforcement-only immigration bill (H.R. 4437). Compromise legislation being considered in the Senate includes a path to legalization for many undocumented immigrants living in the U.S., a new and greatly expanded guest worker program, and enforcement measures. President Bush supports this approach. AFSCME continues to support a path to legalization for workers currently in the U.S. because workers who are here could come out of the shadows and help to raise the wages of all workers in our country. AFSCME opposes, however, creating huge new guest worker programs or vastly expanding existing ones because employers would hire workers with the fewest rights and who would be willing to work for the lowest wages, which would harm low-wage workers.
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New Report Documents Billionaires Fund Anti-Estate Tax Lobbying & Front Groups
United for a Fair Economy and Public Citizen released a new report documenting that 18 families contributed large sums to the lobbyists and front groups promoting the anti-estate-tax movement. For example, the Walton's, who own much of Wal-Mart, have made large contributions to retain their billions. The report emphasizes that these families are working to persuade potential swing or centrist Hill Democrats from rural areas. Sen. Majority Leader Frist has pledged to bring his effort to eliminate the estate tax to the Senate floor soon and it is expected in late May. Frist recently wrote, "Now is our time. Here is our moment. Let's end the death tax forever."
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Protecting Private Information of Law Enforcement Officers
Telephone Records and Privacy Protection Act of 2006 (H.R. 4709) was passed in the House on April 25, 2006 by a two-thirds majority. This bill would strengthen protections for law enforcement officers and the public by providing criminal penalties for the fraudulent acquisition or unauthorized disclosure of phone records.
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AFSCME and Emergency Campaign for America's Priorities (ECAP) Circulate Petitions to Stop Service Cuts
AFSCME affiliates and our ECAP campaign held events in New Jersey and Missouri to enhance the on-line petition drive on www.actnow.org and to remind legislators that we are monitoring any votes that they may take on the budget cuts. New Jersey and Missouri affiliates circulated petitions in their states to urge House Representatives to stop budget cuts and tax breaks for millionaires. AFSCME has also designed a pledge that we will ask House members to sign opposing the budget cuts.
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