Summary of Amendments Submitted to the Rules Committee on
H. CON. RES. 95 - THE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2004
(in alphabetical order)
March 19, 2003 (12:40 p.m.)
Allen #2 Increases funding in Function 500, Education, Training, Employment, and Social Services, to fully fund the No Child Left Behind Act. Makes corresponding reductions in tax cuts each year for the next 10 fiscal years.
DeFazio #4 Increases National Resources and Environment budget authority and outlays by $1,693,000,000 and decreases authority and outlays for International Affairs by the same amount.
Edwards/Scott (VA)/Baldwin #11 Increases budget authority and outlays to allow for concurrent receipt of retirement and disability pay by military retirees.
Hill/Moore/Stenholm/Tanner #5 - Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute. Provides for spending at the levels contained in the President's budget as estimated by CBO. Includes reconciliation instructions for a tax package which would provide immediate tax relief for all taxpayers; incentives for business; immediate and permanent estate tax relief; and other items. Tax relief is offset by deferring a portion of additional tax cuts for upper income taxpayers if the budget remains in deficit because of the campaign in Iraq, the war on terrorism, or other factors. Directs the Ways and Means Committee and Energy and Commerce Committee to report reconciliation legislation providing a Medicare prescription drug benefit of $400 billion. Establishes discretionary spending limits, pay as you go rules, and other budget enforcement measures in the House of Representatives. Provides for an increase in the debt limit of $150 billion, which is projected to cover obligations through September 30, 2003, but prohibits any further increase in the debt limit of more than $100 billion until CBO certifies that the budget is on path to balance by 2009, except for any increase necessary to finance the costs of a war in Iraq. REVISED
Hooley #14 Increases funding for grants for first responders through the Department of Homeland Security by $2.2 billion for fiscal year 2003.
Hooley #15 Increases funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act by $2.151 billion in fiscal year 2004.
Jackson-Lee #18 Increases funding for child care by $1.36 billion 2004 to expand the number of low-income working families who will receive child care assistance for which they are eligible through the Child Care and Development Fund. Increases budget authority and outlays for Function 600 by $1.363 billion in fiscal year 2004 (budget authority) and $1.022 billion in fiscal year 2004 (outlays). LATE
Jackson-Lee #19 Strikes the reconciliation instructions to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs in section 201 (b)(2)(M) and increase mandatory budget authority and outlays for Function 700 by $463 million in fiscal year 2004 (budget authority) and $463 million in fiscal year 2004 (outlays). LATE
Jackson-Lee #20 Increases the discretionary budget authority and outlays for Function 700 by $1.844 billion (budget authority) in fiscal year 2004 and $1.295 billion (outlays) in fiscal year 2004. LATE
Jackson-Lee #21 Strikes the reconciliation instructions to the Committee on Education and the Workforce in section 201(2)(B) and increases the discretionary budget authority and outlays for Function 500 by $1 billion in fiscal year 2004 (budget authority) and $1 billion in fiscal year 2004 (outlays). LATE
Kind/Marshall/Edwards/Baldwin/Hooley #12 Increases funding for Medicare payments to rural hospitals by $8.1 billion over fiscal years 2004 to 2013. Reduces the tax cut by $8.1 billion and amount equal to the funding necessary to bring Medicare payment parity to rural hospitals. Extends the current Medicare payment policy for rural hospitals, providing payments to rural hospitals on par with those received by urban hospitals.
Michaud #7 Increases budget authority and outlays by $1.25 billion over 5 years to expand the number of low-income working families who receive child care assistance through the Child Care and Development Fund. It also devotes the same amount to deficit reduction. These costs are offset by corresponding reductions in the amounts devoted to the President's plan to eliminate the taxation of dividends.
Michaud #8 Increases budget authority and outlays by $211 million for the Dislocated Worker Program, a part of the Workforce Investment Act. It will devote the same amount to deficit reduction. These costs are offset by corresponding reductions in the amounts devoted to the President's plan to eliminate taxation of dividends.
Miller (FL) #3 Expresses the sense of the Congress that budget authority should be authorized to increase the annuities provided under the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) program for surviving spouses who are 62 years of age or older in order to reduce (and eventually eliminate) the different levels of annuities under the SBP program.
Owens/Cummings/Kucinich/Lee #17 Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute. Freezes the tax cut in order to generate greater revenue. Supports a level of funding for defense commensurate with the request of the President. Provides for more than 300 billion dollars for an immediate economic stimulus. Provides $528 billion for a Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit, most of which will be funded after year 2004. Restores cuts in education and increases the education budget by $20 billion. LATE/REVISED
Skelton #6 Establishes $20 billion reserve fund for conflict with Iraq and aftermath.
Spratt #9 - Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute. Restores $98 billion of direct spending cuts contained in the resolution as reported. Increases funding for homeland security, education, and other priorities. Provides $528 billion for a Medicare prescription drug benefit, but allows the committees of jurisdiction to increase this amount to whatever extent they find offsets. Achieves budget balance in 2010 and adds $573 billion less to the public debt over ten years than the committee-reported resolution.
Stupak #1 Expresses the sense of Congress that Congress should not enact new tax cuts until the Social Security and Medicare trust funds are secured and are projected by the Trustees to remain solvent throughout the current 75-year projection period.
Toomey #13 Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute. Achieves a balanced budget in 4 years and achieves balance excluding Social Security within 10 years. Provides $512 billion in tax relief over the next five years and $1.6 trillion over the next 10 years, all under reconciliation. Freezes total discretionary spending for one year and then permits growth at half of the approximate rate of inflation for two years and then at the rate of inflation for future years. Within the total level of discretionary spending, defense and homeland security are funded at the requested levels and non-defense is reduced to pay for these increases. Caps the mandatory spending increase (excluding Social Security) over last year's actual level at 1.5% for one year, then 3.1% annually for four years and then provides for growth at the annual baseline growth rates. Includes various budget enforcement mechanisms, including a definition of emergency spending. Includes a reserve fund for Social Security reform. Provides for real world scoring of tax measures, and a prohibition on tax increases to offset spending increases.
Waters #10 - WITHDRAWN. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Congress supports the Head Start program.
Wilson (NM) #16 - Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute. Substitutes the resolution as reported with the Senate version of the budget (S. Con. Res. 23), minus the Sense of the Senate provisions and the budget enforcement mechanisms relating to the Senate. Increases spending on education, Medicare, and Veterans. LATE
* Summaries derived from information submitted by the amendment sponsors.
