Week Ending June 26, 2009
The House and Senate are now adjourned for their Independence Day recess. The Weekly Report will resume on July 10.
Thousands Rally for Health Care as Debate Heats Up
On Thursday, nearly 10,000 people, including more than 1,800 AFSCME members, rallied for health care in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol. Speakers included AFSCME's President Jerry McEntee, Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ), actress Edie Falco and others. After the rally, activists participated in town hall meetings, met with members of Congress, and dropped by to see congressional staff with a message on the need to enact comprehensive health care reform now.
This week, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee continued to consider health care legislation. It is expected that the committee will release new sections of its bill next week and continue its debate during the week of July 6. It appears that Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, which also has jurisdiction over health care reform, is getting close to a deal with some panel Republicans over the terms of health care reform. According to press reports, the deal includes a tax on health care premiums that exceed $17,000 per year for family coverage - a tax on benefits that AFSCME strongly opposes.
House leaders released a draft bill last Friday that includes important AFSCME priorities including a public health insurance option and a mandate that employers provide coverage or help pay for their workers' coverage. The draft does not include measures for financing reform. The funding part of the bill will be released the week of July 6 and is not expected to include a tax on benefits.
Bill to End Employment Discrimination Introduced in the House
This week, Representatives Barney Frank (D-MA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Jared Polis (D-CO) introduced the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) with the bipartisan support of over 100 other Representatives. This bill (H.R. 3017) extends federal employment discrimination protections that are currently provided based on race, religion, gender, national origin, age and disability, to sexual orientation and gender identity. In 30 states, it is legal to discriminate based on sexual orientation and in 38 states, discrimination based on gender identity is legal. AFSCME strongly supports ENDA and is working hard to pass this bill.
NY and NJ Senators Introduce 9/11 Health and Compensation Act
This week, Senators Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY), Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) introduced the James Zadroga Health and Compensation Act (S. 1334). This is the first bill that has ever been introduced in the Senate to authorize a health care screening and treatment program for the workers and residents exposed to toxins surrounding Ground Zero and to re-open the Victims' Compensation Fund. AFSCME DC 37 retiree Kenneth George and his family participated in the press conference about the bill.
TRADE Act Introduced
This week the "Trade Reform, Accountability, Development and Employment (TRADE) Act" (H.R. 3012) was introduced in the House. The bill would reform U.S. trade policy by mandating trade pact reviews, establishing standards, protecting workers in developing nations, and helping restore congressional oversight of future trade agreements. It is endorsed by more than a dozen labor and fair trade groups, including AFSCME.
Surface Transportation Bill Approved by House Panel
Representative Jim Oberstar (D-MN), Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, revealed a draft of his six-year surface transportation bill this week, and the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit voted to approve and pass the measure onto the full Committee for consideration. The legislation, as currently written, would double current transportation spending, providing $337.4 billion for the highway program, $99.8 billion for public transportation, $12.6 billion for highway and motor carrier safety and $50 billion for high speed rail - almost $500 billion in total spending.
Last week the Obama Administration called for an 18-month extension of the current surface transportation law which could delay progress on Oberstar's bill.
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