Daily Floor Briefing

Bills Subject to a Rule (1 bill)
H.R. 9 - Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006
 

Special Orders
Border Security
Republicans have the First HOUR
Host: Rep. Carter

*Conference Reports may be brought up at any time.

*Motions to go to Conference should they become available.

*Possible Motions to Instruct Conferees.

H.R. 5060
To Amend the Federal Financial Assistance Management Improvement Act of 1999 to Require Data with Respect to Federal Financial Assistance to be Available for Public Access in a Searchable and User Friendly Form

Floor Situation

The House is scheduled to consider H.R. 5060, under suspension of the rules, on Wednesday, June 21, 2006. The bill is debatable for 40 minutes, may not be amended, and requires a two-thirds majority vote for passage.

Summary

H.R. 5060 obliges the Office of Management and Budget to coordinate with the General Services Administration and other federal agencies to ensure that federal financial assistance data is made available to the public. The bill requires the data to be available on the Internet in a searchable form and requires the recipient information posted within 30 days of awarding the assistance. H.R. 5060 requires lists of awards, dates, and fund disbursement to be posted on the Internet.

Legislative History

H.R. 5060 was introduced by Rep. Blunt (MO) on March 30, 2006. The bill was referred to the Government Reform Committee, but was not considered.

For additional information or questions, please contact the Rep. Blunt's office at 5-6563.

H.R. 5603
To Temporarily Extend the Programs Under the Higher Education Act of 1965, and for Other Purposes    

Floor Situation

The House is scheduled to consider H.R. 5603, under suspension of the rules, on Wednesday, June 21, 2006.  It is debatable for 40 minutes, may not be amended, and requires a two-thirds majority vote for passage.

Summary

H.R. 5603 temporarily extends the programs under the Higher Education Act of 1965 an additional three months until September 30, 2006.

Cost Estimate

A CBO cost estimate is not available.

Legislative History

H.R. 5603 was introduced by Rep. Keller (FL) on June 14, 2006. The bill was referred to the Education and the Workforce Committee but was not considered.

For additional information or questions, please contact Rep. Keller's office at 5-2176.

H.R. 5293
Senior Independence Act of 2006     

Floor Situation

The House is scheduled to consider H.R. 5293, under suspension of the rules, on Wednesday, June 21, 2006.  It is debatable for 40 minutes, may not be amended, and requires a two-thirds majority vote for passage.

Summary

H.R. 5293 - The Senior Independence Act (H.R. 5293):  

HOME AND COMMUNITY-BASED SUPPORTS:

·         Coordinates Administration on Aging and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to support community-based efforts to assist low-income and limited-English speaking populations with enrollment in the Medicare prescription drug program;

·         Launches Aging and Disabilities Resource Centers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico to create a single point of access to the range of services available to seniors, including home and community-based long-term care options and the new Medicare prescription drug program;

·         Includes the principles of President Bush’s Choices for Independence proposal – consumer choice, access to information, and health promotion;

·         Provides home and community-based services that support older individuals at risk for institutional placement with activities of daily living;

·         Encourages comprehensive, coordinated systems at federal, state, and local levels for streamlining access to program benefits;

·         Increases the use of technology and web-based decision support tools to assist consumers with learning about and access or enroll in benefits and programs for which they may be eligible;

·         Identifies cost-effective strategies to improve state systems of long-term care; and

·         Promotes the use of programs that can help older people reduce their risk of disease, disability, and injury.

HEALTH AND NUTRITION INITIATIVES:

·         Promotes evidence-based programs to assist older individuals and their family caregivers in learning about and making behavioral changes to reduce the risk of injury, disease, and disability among older individuals;

·         Ensures health promotion programs are evidence-based and broadening the definition of disease prevention and health promotion to include diabetes, falls prevention, improved nutrition, and physical activity;

·         Updates nutrition provisions consistent with the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Food Guide Pyramid;

·         Recognizes the important role of dietitians and other nutrition professionals in meal planning, nutrition education, and nutrition screening, counseling, and assessment;

·         Emphasizes the critical link between nutrition and the prevention of chronic disease;

·         Supports efforts to reduce obesity among the elderly; and

·         Allows local meal programs the option to offer seniors a multivitamin-mineral supplement when accompanied by a meal.

 EDUCATIONAL AND VOLUNTEER SERVICES:

·         Supports program access for individuals with limited English proficiency;

·         Promotes financial literacy for older Americans; and

·         Enhances coordination among senior volunteer programs, including those authorized by the Corporation for National Service.

FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL COORDINATION:

·         Supports efforts of area agencies on aging to identify how programs, policies, and services can be improved to meet the needs of the changing population of older individuals within a planning and service area;

·         Assists states and local communities with emergency preparedness; and

·         Encourages local agencies on aging to work with city and county officials, state agencies, and other community entities to develop plans for housing, transportation, public safety, and recreation.

EMPLOYMENT-BASED TRAINING FOR OLDER AMERICANS:

• Maintains the program’s dual purpose of community service and employment-based job training;
• Allows public or private nonprofit agencies and organizations to compete for national grants, which is consistent with current law;
• Retains the age of 55 for program eligibility (consistent with current law), but requiring grantees to first serve those with the greatest need, including individuals over the age of 65. 
• Requires grantees to report performance on serving those with the greatest need;
• Clarifies the use of Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) funds;
• Strengthens opportunities for business sector partnerships;
• Provides greater flexibility for SCSEP grantees and allow for more funds to be available for other supportive services such as on-the-job training and literacy training;
• Requires grantees to have an average time limit for participation not to exceed 2 years and limiting individual participation to not more than 4 years; and

·         Moves from 20 to 30 percent unsubsidized employment by phasing in a 2 percent increase over the next 5 years and requiring the Secretary of Labor to provide technical assistance to meet the new targets.

Cost Estimate

A CBO cost estimate is not available.

Legislative History

H.R. 5293 was introduced by Rep. Tiberi (OH) on May 4, 2006. The bill was ordered to be reported from the Education and the Workforce Committee, as amended, by voice vote, on May 17, 2006. House Report 109-493 was filed on June 8, 2006.

For additional information or questions, please contact the Education and the Workforce Committee at 5-4527.

H.Con.Res. 426
Recognizing the Food and Drug Administration of the Department of Health and Human Services on the Occasion of the 100th Anniversary of the Passage of the Food and Drugs Act for the Important Service it Provides to the Nation

Floor Situation

The House is scheduled to consider H.Con.Res. 426, under suspension of the rules, on Wednesday, June 21, 2006. The bill is debatable for 40 minutes, may not be amended, and requires a two-thirds majority vote for passage.

Summary

H.Con.Res. 426 resolves that the Congress recognizes the Food and Drug Administration of the Department of Health and Human Services and its employees for 100 years of service in ensuring the safety of our food and the safety and efficacy of our medical products, providing leadership to the world in the regulatory sciences, and their hard work and extraordinary dedication to the protection and promotion of our Nation's public health.

Background

The Food and Drugs Act of June 30, 1906 (34 Stat. 768; chapter 3915), transformed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) into a scientific regulatory agency. The FDA is the oldest consumer protection agency in the United States. The FDA is the primary consumer protection agency in the United States and the world.

The FDA has the critical mission of protecting the public health by ensuring that foods are safe, wholesome, sanitary, and properly labeled, human and veterinary drugs are safe and effective, devices intended for human use are safe and effective, cosmetics are properly labeled, and consumers are protected from electronic product radiation. 

The FDA is also responsible for advancing the public health by helping to speed innovations which improve peoples' lives. In protecting and promoting the health of citizens of the United States, the FDA has been a pioneer and leader in the field of food and drug science.

The centennial anniversary of the passage of the 1906 Food and Drugs Act occurs on June 30, 2006, marks the 100th anniversary of the Agency's founding, and is a major milestone in FDA's celebrated history.

Legislative History

H.Con.Res. 426 was introduced by Rep. Barton (TX) on June 12, 2006. The bill was referred to the Energy and Commerce Committee, but was not considered.

For additional information or questions, please contact Rep. Barton's office at 5-2002.

H.R. 5573
Health Centers Renewal Act of 2006

Floor Situation

The House is scheduled to consider H.R. 5573, under suspension of the rules, on Wednesday, June 21, 2006. The bill is debatable for 40 minutes, may not be amended, and requires a two-thirds majority vote for passage.

Summary

H.R. 5573 amends the Public Health Service Act to provide additional authorizations of appropriations for the health centers program. The legislation represents a straight reauthorization of the program and increases the levels of authorized funding.

The Health Centers Renewal Act of 2006 would authorize the bill for the next five years at the levels below:

• FY 2007: $1.963 Billion
• FY 2008: $1.999 Billion
• FY 2009: $2.015 Billion
• FY 2010: $2.041 Billion
• FY 2011: $2.041 Billion

Background

Community, migrant, public housing, and homeless health centers are vital to thousands of communities across the United States. There are more than 1,000 such health centers serving over 15,000,000 people at over 3,700 health delivery sites, located in all 50 States of the United States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, and other territories of the United States.

Health centers provide cost-effective, quality health care to poor and medically underserved people in the States, the District of Columbia, and the territories, including the working poor, the uninsured, and many high-risk and vulnerable populations, and have done so for over 40 years. Health centers provide care to 1 of every 8 uninsured Americans, 1 of every 4 Americans in poverty, and 1 of every 9 rural Americans. Health centers provide primary and preventive care services to more than 700,000 homeless persons and more than 725,000 farm workers in the United States.

Health centers are community-oriented and patient-focused and tailor their services to fit the special needs and priorities of local communities, working together with schools, businesses, churches, community organizations, foundations, and State and local governments. Health centers are built through community initiative. Health centers encourage citizen participation and provide jobs for 50,000 community residents. Congress established the program as a unique public-private partnership, and has continued to provide direct funding to community organizations for the development and operation of health centers systems that address pressing local health needs and meet national performance standards.

Federal grants assist participating communities in finding partners and recruiting doctors and other health professionals. Federal grants constitute, on average, 24 percent of the annual budget of such health centers, with the remainder provided by State and local governments, Medicare, Medicaid, private contributions, private insurance, and patient fees.

Health centers make health care responsive and cost-effective through aggressive outreach, patient education, translation, and other enabling support services. Health centers help reduce health disparities, meet escalating health care needs, and provide a vital safety net in the health care delivery system of the United States. Health centers increase the use of preventive health services, including immunizations, pap smears, mammograms, and HBa1c tests for diabetes screenings. Expert studies have demonstrated the impact that these community-owned and patient-controlled primary care delivery systems have achieved both in the reduction of traditional access barriers and the elimination of health disparities among their patients.

Legislative History

H.R. 5573 was introduced by Rep. Deal (GA)  on June 9, 2006. The bill was ordered to be reported from the House Energy and Commerce Committee,  on June 15, 2006.

For additional information or questions, please contact the Energy and Commerce Committee at 5-2927.

H.R. 5574
Children's Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act of 2006 

Floor Situation

The House is scheduled to consider H.R. 5574, under suspension of the rules, on Wednesday, June 21, 2006. The bill is debatable for 40 minutes, may not be amended, and requires a two-thirds majority vote for passage.

Summary

The Children’s Hospital Graduate Medical Education (CHGME) Payment Program is designed to help children’s teaching hospitals, which do not receive significant federal support for their resident and intern training programs through Medicare because of their low Medicare patient volume. Unlike similar Medicare GME programs that are administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicade Services (CMS), CHGME is administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

The payments are divided between Direct Graduate Medical Education (DGME) and Indirect Medical Education (IME). Direct expenses are those costs associated with operating medical residency training programs. Indirect expenses are those costs associated with treatment of more severely ill patients and the additional costs relating to teaching residents. Historically, HRSA has dedicated two-thirds of the funding to DGME and the remaining one-third to IME. The bill requires DGME payments to be based on a wage-adjusted per resident amount and the number of full-time equivalent residents.

The bill makes improvements to the program by strongly encouraging the participating hospitals to report important new data measures to the Department of Health and Human Services. The new information will include the following:

• Types of resident training programs;
• Numbers of full-time equivalent resident training slots in each training program and the number of slots filled each training year from July 1 through June 20 of the following year;
• Types of resident training related to the health care needs of different populations, such as children who are “underserved” for reasons of family income or geographic location;
• Changes in residency training since the first year in which the hospital received CHGME support;
• Numbers of FTE residents who, upon completion of training, care for children within the hospital’s service area or within the borders of the state in which the hospital is located.

The program will be authorized at $300 million for each of the next five years, the length of the authorized period. Hospitals will now be required to report all of the above data in order to receive full funding. If a hospital opts not to report this data, it will be able to access only 75% of what would have been its total amount.  

Legislative History

H.R. 5574 was introduced by Rep. Deal (GA) on March 14, 2005. The bill was was ordered to be reported from the Energy and Commerce Committee, on June 15, 2006.

For additional information or questions, please contact the Energy and Commerce Committee at 5-2927.

H.Res. 323
Supporting Efforts to Increase Childhood Cancer Awareness, Treatment, and Research

Floor Situation

The House is scheduled to consider H.Res. 323, under suspension of the rules, on Wednesday, June 21, 2006. The bill is debatable for 40 minutes, may not be amended, and requires a two-thirds majority vote for passage.

Summary

H.Res. 323 resolves that the House support the public and private sector efforts to promote awareness about the incidence of cancer among children, the signs and symptoms of cancer in children, treatment options, and long-term follow-up. The bill supports the increased public and private investment in childhood cancer research to improve prevention, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, post-treatment monitoring, and long-term survival.

H.Res 323 supports the policies that provide incentives to encourage medical trainees and investigators to enter the field of pediatric oncology, to encourage the development of drugs and biologics designed to treat pediatric cancers, and encourages participation in clinical trials. The resolution supports the medical education curricula designed to improve pain management for cancer patients and policies that enhance education, services, and other resources related to late effects from treatment.

Background

Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children under age 15. An estimated 12,400 children will be diagnosed with cancer in the year 2005 and an estimated 2,300 children will die from cancer in the year 2005. Approximately 8 percent of deaths of those between 1 and 19 years old are caused by cancer. 1 in every 330 Americans develops cancer before age 20. The incidence of cancer among children in the United States is rising by about one percent each year.

While some progress has been made, a number of opportunities for childhood cancer research still remain unfunded or underfunded. Limited resources for childhood cancer research can hinder the recruitment of investigators and physicians to pediatric oncology.

Peer-reviewed clinical trials are the standard of care for pediatrics and have improved cancer survival rates among children. The number of survivors of childhood cancers continues to grow, with about 1 in 640 adults between ages 20 to 39 who have a history of cancer.

Up to two-thirds of childhood cancer survivors are likely to experience at least one late effect from treatment, many of which may be life-threatening. Some late effects of cancer treatment are identified early in follow-up and are easily resolved, while others may become chronic problems in adulthood and may have serious consequences. 89 percent of children with cancer experience substantial suffering in the last month of life

Legislative History

H.Res. 323 was introduced by Rep. Pryce (OH) on June 15, 2005. The bill was referred to the Energy and Commerce Committee, but was not considered.

For additional information or questions, please contact Rep. Pryce's office at 5-2015.

H.R. 9
Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006

Floor Situation

The House is scheduled to consider H.R. 9, pursuant to a rule, on Wednesday, June 21, 2006. 

On Tuesday, June 20, 2006, the Rules Committee granted a structured rule that: 

• Provides 90 minutes of general debate equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on the Judiciary.
   
• Waives all points of order against consideration of the bill.
   
• Provides that the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on the Judiciary now printed in the bill shall be considered as an original bill for the purpose of amendment and shall be considered as read.
   
• Makes in order only those amendments printed in the Rules Committee report accompanying the resolution.
   
• Provides that the amendments made in order may be offered only in the order printed in the report, may be offered only by a Member designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for the time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question in the House or in the Committee of the Whole.
   
• Waives all points of order against the amendments printed in the report.
   
• Provides one motion to recommit with or without instructions.

Summary

The Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006 renews the expiring provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 for another 25 years. The provisions include the requirement that covered jurisdictions “preclear” their voting rule changes with a federal district court or the Department of Justice (to ensure they are not discriminatory) before they can go into effect, and provisions that allow federal observers to monitor elections.

H.R. 9 also clarifies the preclearance provisions of the Voting Rights Act (VRA)in two ways. First, it makes clear that a voting rule change that is the result of purposeful and intentional discrimination cannot be precleared. Second, it makes clear that no voting rule change can be precleared if it diminishes the ability of the minority community to elect their candidates of choice (whomever they may be). The bill renews the provisions that allow for jurisdictions that are covered under the temporary provisions of the Voting Rights Act to become uncovered, and jurisdictions that are not covered to become covered, when necessary.

The Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006 also contains provisions that allow successful plaintiffs to have their expert witness fees paid for by the losing side, and provisions that require that the latest Census Bureau data be used to determine which jurisdictions are required to provide language assistance to citizens who can’t speak English. H.R. 9 also includes a provision, adopted at the Judiciary Committee markup, that requires the GAO to study the implementation, effectiveness, and efficiency of the current language assistance provisions and alternatives to the current implementation.

H.R. 9 also updates the Voting Rights Act by eliminating a category of federal official, called “federal examiners,” that have not been utilized for over 20 years.

Section 7 of H.R. 9 extends Sections 203 and 4(f) of the VRA, which require that election materials (such as notices, forms, instructions, ballots) be provided in select other languages (American Indian, Asian American, Alaskan Natives, and those of Spanish heritage) in certain covered jurisdictions, for a period of 25 years.

Section 8 of H.R. 9 updates Section 203 of the VRA to reflect the fact that the long form census, which had been used in Section 203 coverage determinations, will no longer be used by the Census Bureau after 2010. The American Community Survey (ACS) has replaced the long form and will be administered by the Census Bureau annually. H.R. 9 simply provides that determinations for coverage under Section 203 will be made by the Director of the Census based upon information compiled by the ACS on a rolling five-year average.

Amendments Proposed to be Made in Order

Rep. Norwood (GA) may offer an amendment (#8) on Wednesday, June 21, 2006; it is debatable for 40 minutes. The amendment updates the formula in section 4 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) that determines which states and jurisdictions will be covered under Section 5 of the VRA.  This updated formula would be a rolling test based off of the last three presidential elections.  Any state would be subject to Section 5 if it currently has a discriminatory test in place or voter turnout of less than 50% in any of the three most recent presidential elections. Contact: 5-4101

Rep. Westmoreland (GA) may offer an amendment (#4) on Wednesday, June 21, 2006; it is debatable for 40 minutes. The amendment provides for an expedited, proactive procedure to bail out from coverage under the preclearance portions of the Voting Rights Act, by requiring the Department of Justice to assemble a list of all jurisdictions eligible for bailout and to notify the jurisdictions. The Department of Justice is then required to consent to the entry of a declaratory judgment allowing bailout if a jurisdiction appears on the list. Contact: 5-5901

CBO Cost Estimate

CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 9 would cost $1 million in fiscal year 2007 and $15 million over the 2007-2011 period, subject to the availability of appropriated funds.

Legislative History

H.R. 9 was introduced by Rep. Sensenbrenner (WI) on April 2, 2006. The bill was ordered to be reported from the Judiciary Committee, by a recorded vote of 33-1, on April 10, 2006. House Report 109-478 was filed on April 22, 2006.

For additional information or questions, please contact the Judiciary Committee at 5-3951.