AFSCME Legislative Report
AFSCME LEGISLATIVE REPORT
June 15, 2007
In this issue:
Employee Free Choice Act Ready for Senate
Debate
The Senate is scheduled to vote on the Employee
Free Choice Act (S. 1041) next week. GOP opponents of the bill are
planning to filibuster the bill in order to force proponents to
assemble 60 votes for passage, rather than a simple majority. At
this time, a majority of Senators would vote for passage, but we do
not yet have the 60 votes needed to end the filibuster. But the
entire labor movement is putting forth a final push for passage.
Next week, AFSCME members attending the AFSCME Leadership Conference
will lobby Senators in favor of the bill. In addition, a large rally
of AFSCME members and others will be held at the Capitol demanding
passage of the bill. EFCA passed the House in March by a wide
margin.
(Marge Allen- mallen@afscme.org)
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AFSCME Scores Major Anti-Privatization
Victory
In a major victory in our effort to push back
against privatization, a House subcommittee has approved language
that reaffirms the federal requirement that civil service employees
conduct the eligibility process for the Food Stamp program. The
provision was included in a bill offered by Representative Joe Baca
(D-CA), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Department Operations,
Oversight, Nutrition, and Forestry during consideration of
legislation extending the Food Stamp program. A Republican amendment
to strike the language was defeated on a party-line vote after
extensive debate. We are gearing up for another fight over the
provision when the full House Agriculture Committee considers the
bill in two weeks.
AFSCME initiated this effort after the Bush Administration
allowed two states, Texas and Indiana, to move forward with large
contracts with private contractor consortiums to conduct most of the
eligibility determination process for Food Stamps and Medicaid
leaving a small state workforce to rubber stamp the work of the
contractors. Texas canceled its contract after a year, but not
before thousands of experienced state employees were laid off or
quit, over 127,000 children lost health insurance, and over 100
applications were wrongly faxed to a warehouse in Washington State.
Although the Indiana contract is just in the early stages, there are
reports of intense intimidation of employees, inadequate privacy
protections, and systems that will make it hard for some applicants
to receive the benefits to which they are entitled.
(Nanine
Meiklejohn- nmeiklejohn@afscme.org)
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Multiple Efforts to Revive Immigration Bill
President Bush came to Capitol Hill to urge Senate Republicans
to help resurrect legislation that could provide eventual
citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants. President Bush's
trip to the Capitol marked only the second time since he became
President that he attended the weekly closed-door Republican
senators' lunch, a gesture that underscored the importance he places
on passage of comprehensive immigration legislation. However,
despite the President's commitment, it was not clear if he was able
to win any additional support for the bill. Many conservatives in
the Republican Party view the measure as providing amnesty for
millions of lawbreakers. Additionally, job approval ratings in the
30-percent range make it difficult for the President to bend even
Republican lawmakers to his will. Nevertheless, Majority Leader
Harry Reid (D-NV) announced he would bring the bill back to the
floor next week but made no promises about the substance of the
legislation.
(Marge Allen- mallen@afscme.org)
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Higher Education Bill Passes House
Committee
The Education and Labor Committee approved
legislation (H.R. 2669) by a vote of 30-16 after hours of debate.
The bill would cut roughly $19 billion from the subsidies that banks
receive to participate in the student loan program and to direct
more money to student and institutional aid. Over the next five
years, the bill would increase the maximum Pell grant award by $500
to $5,200; halve the interest rates on subsidized student loans to
3.4 percent and boost the federally backed loan limit by $7,500 to
$30,500 over the course of an undergraduate's career. It would also
create several new programs, including grants for students who
become public school teachers, loan forgiveness for certain public
sector employees, and income-contingent loan repayment. Public
employees, including first responders, law enforcement officers,
firefighters, nurses, public defenders, prosecutors, and early
childhood educators would receive loan forgiveness of $5,000. The
bill also provides complete loan forgiveness for public sector
employees after 10 years of service.
(Marge Allen- mallen@afscme.org)
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Transportation Spending Bill Approved in House
Panel
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on
Transportation and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) approved an
FY 2008 spending bill that provides $2.8 billion more than the
Administration's request. The bill includes $40.2 billion for
highways and $9.7 billion for transit. It also provides $1.4 billion
for Amtrak and $50 million for a new state matching grant program
for intercity passenger rail. The bill provides $4.18 billion for
the Community Development Block Grant program, $400 million more
than FY 2007. Housing programs, including Section 8, tenant-based
rental assistance, project-based rental assistance and the HOPE IV
program, receive increased funding. In addition, the Airport
Improvement Program was funded at $3.6 billion, $850 million above
the President's request.
(Cynthia Bradley- cbradley@afscme.org)
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D.C. Closer to Gaining a Vote in the
Congress
On June 13, the Senate Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs Committee approved legislation that would grant
the District of Columbia a representative in the U.S. House of
Representatives with full rights of participation and add an
additional House seat for Utah.
(Cynthia Bradley- cbradley@afscme.org)
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House
Subcommittee Funds Justice Programs
The House
Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science Subcommittee considered
its funding bill, giving a first glimpse of what we can expect for
state and local criminal justice program funding for FY 2008.
Justice Assistance grants were funded at $600 million compared to
$520 million in FY 2007. The Community Oriented Police Services
(COPS) program was funded at $725 million of which $100 million is
for new hiring which is opposed by the Administration. Funding for
the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) was set at $350
million. Overall, state and local justice assistance programs are
provided $3.2 billion which is a 10 percent increase over FY 2007
funding and a 53 percent increase over the President's request.
(Jayne Clancy- jclancy@afscme.org)
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AFSCME Department of Legislation
Phone: 202/429-5020 or 800/732-8120
Fax: 202/223-3413
E-mail: legislation@afscme.org
Website: http://www.afscme.org/action/index.html
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