Legislation & Politics

Week Ending July 17, 2009

Senate HELP committee approves health care reform legislation.  Blue Dog Democrats threaten health care bill in House. AFSCME launches television ads in support of health care reform.

Senate Committee Approves Health Care Reform Legislation

On Wednesday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, on a party-line vote, completed a month-long debate on health care reform and approved the Affordable Health Choices Act.  The bill builds on the strength of our health care system by requiring employers to participate in providing coverage to their workers while also giving small employers help.  It includes a public health insurance option that would be more affordable and keep the insurance industry honest.  The bill would put our health care system on a path towards lower costs and improved quality. 

A second committee in the Senate, the Finance Committee, also has jurisdiction over health care reform, including responsibility for determining how to pay for reform.  While the Committee Chair, Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), supports partially taxing employee health benefits, AFSCME has pressured others on the committee to oppose taxing benefits.  At this time, it does not appear that Baucus has enough support in the committee to win approval for a measure that taxes benefits.  It is not clear when the Finance Committee will consider legislation, although President Obama has urged the committee to move quickly.

Blue Dog Democrats Threaten Health Care Bill in House

In the House, three committees, working from the same bill, began debate on Thursday.  The legislation cleared the Ways and Means and Education and Labor Committees by Friday.  But a number of conservative Democrats, so-called Blue Dogs, are threatening to derail the legislation in the Energy and Commerce Committee.  The Blue Dogs are demanding that payments to providers from the new public health insurance option be higher than what is paid under Medicare, while also demanding that the cost of the total legislation be reduced.  To reconcile these conflicting demands, it would be necessary to make unwise spending cuts elsewhere in the bill, such as cutting Medicaid payments to the states, reducing subsidies to small businesses, and reducing subsidies to low- and moderate-income families who do not get coverage through their jobs and must purchase coverage on their own.  

We Need Your Help!

If listed below, call Your Representative Today at 202-224-3121

If your Member of Congress is listed below, Please call him/her today and urge that he/she vote for the America’s Affordable Health Choices Act (H.R. 3200).
Tell him/her that we cannot afford to wait to fix our health care system.

Rep. John Barrow (GA)     Rep. Mike Ross (AR)     Rep. Zack Space (OH)
Rep. Bart Gordon (TN)     Rep. Baron Hill (IN)        Rep. Charlie Melancon (LA)
Rep. Jim Matheson (UT)

AFSCME Launches Television Ads in Support of Health Care Reform

With health care reform bills moving in both the House and Senate, AFSCME and Health Care for America Now (HCAN) launched an $800,000 television ad campaign that asks members of Congress and senators in nine states to support legislation that will lower costs, expand coverage, and keep the insurance companies honest.  The ads support legislation that would allow people to keep the insurance they have now or choose from a range of plans, including a new public health insurance option.

The ad, titled "What If", is running for five days starting on July 17.  It will run in congressional districts represented by Bart Gordon (TN-06), Bart Stupak (MI-01), Mike Ross (AR-04), John Barrow (GA-12), Baron Hill (IN-09), Zachary Space (OH-18), and Charlie Melancon (LA-03).  The ad will also air statewide in North Dakota and California.  It will run under AFSCME's name in some districts and states, and HCAN in others.  You can see the ad at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Vt0N8A1Q2Y 

Senate Committee Holds Confirmation Hearings on Sotomayor

U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee this week, enduring three days of intense questioning from members.  Sotomayor successfully held off Republican Senators' attempts to paint her past speeches and decisions in a negative light.  Sotomayor was questioned on a range of issues including civil rights, abortion, property disputes, and business law. 

AFSCME endorsed the confirmation of Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, citing her outstanding educational credentials, and her distinctive background as a litigator, prosecutor, trial and U.S. appellate court judge. She brings more prior federal judicial experience than any Supreme Court Justice in the last century.  Judge Sotomayor has been consistent in her interpretation of labor laws and has worked to preserve the rights of workers to receive fair pay, health benefits and to be free from workplace discrimination.

The Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on Sotomayor's nomination next week. 

House Student Loan Reform, Early Childhood and Community College Bill Introduced

This week, Rep. George Miller (D-CA) introduced The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009 (H.R. 3221), which encompasses student loan reform, creates a new early childhood program (Early Learning Challenge Grants), and a new program of assistance to community colleges.  The bill would eliminate new loans through the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) and shift to government originated direct loans with cost savings projected at nearly $100 billion. Pell Grants would increase to a maximum of $5,550 in 2010 and $6,900 in 2019.

Early Learning Challenge Grants would invest $1 billion a year for 10 years in competitive grants to states to build a comprehensive, high quality early learning system for children birth to age five. This would be a mandatory program which would not depend on annual funding from Congress. The goals are to build an effective, qualified and well-compensated early childhood workforce, apply best practices in the classroom, promote family involvement, and fund quality initiatives and reform.

The legislation sets up a new initiative which includes competitive grants for community colleges to improve instruction, work with local employers, improve their student support services, and implement other innovative reforms.  At AFSCME's urging, the bill requires that grant applications, which will be reviewed by the Departments of Labor and Education, demonstrate how the community colleges and states intend to partner with the state public employment service.  The legislation also calls for partnerships with the state or local WIA workforce boards.  A $2.5 billion fund will be made available to leverage additional funds to upgrade aging facilities on community college campuses.

These initiatives are key priorities for the Obama Administration. The House Education and Labor Committee is scheduled to take up the bill next Tuesday, with the goal of a House floor vote prior to August recess. The Senate is not expected to take action on the bill until the fall.

Corrections Legislation Moves Forward

The Senate held a hearing this week on the Safe Prisons Communications Act of 2009 (S. 251), a bi-partisan bill that will allow correctional institutions to block inmate calls from smuggled in cell phones with wireless jamming devices. Such phones have been used to plan escapes, coordinate criminal activity and place the public and corrections officers in grave danger. AFSCME fully supports the bill.

House Appropriations Subcommittee Increases Public Housing and Transportation Spending

On July 13, the House Appropriations Subcommittee for transportation and housing approved its fiscal year 2010 spending bill. It included $4.8 billion for the Public Housing Operating Fund, which is $200 million more than President Obama requested. The housing industry estimates that this provides 100% funding under the existing formula methodology. It also has $2.5 billion for the Public Housing Capital Fund, which is $50 million more than President Obama requested.  The bill includes $250 million for HOPE VI (severely distressed public housing).

The subcommittee also included funding proposals for programs that are currently being considered in major federal surface transportation legislation. The subcommittee provided $41.1 billion for the Federal Highway Administration, a 1% increase from 2009; nearly $10.5 billion for public transportation programs, including $150 million for the capital and maintenance needs of Washington, D.C.'s Metro system; $1.48 billion, $20.1 million above last year, for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

The full House Appropriations Committee is expected to take up the bill on July 17. The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee has not yet considered its version of this bill.

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