ALAWON: American Library Association Washington Office Newsline
Volume 11, Number 74 
September 12, 2002

In This Issue: IT'S SEPTEMBER WITH 13 APPROPRIATIONS BILLS STILL TO COMPLETE

Mid-September is fast approaching and an impasse seems to be building on the part of Congress and the Administration.  An agreement had been forged in July by conservative House members to vote on the most contentious bill, Labor HHS Education Appropriations, early in  September, perhaps as early as September 5.  While that did not occur, last week, Representative C.W. Young (R-FL), Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, introduced an appropriations bill for Labor, Health and Human Services and Education (H.R. 3720), that reflected the President's budget numbers.  This action was swiftly followed by a press conference and proposal released by Rep. David Obey, ranking minority member of the Labor HHS Education Appropriations subcommittee, that outlined a proposal to waive points of consideration for H.R. 3720 and for three separate substitutes and to let the House choose which alternative to follow.  Obey's choices were:
1. a substitute draft from the so-called "Republican Study Committee," a group of conservative Republicans in the House that would rearrange spending priorities to their liking and if they wished, cuts further below the President's level; 
2. A House substitute representing the best judgment of Appropriations Committee Republicans; and 
3. a Democratic alternative.

The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a Labor HHS Education Appropriations bill on July 18 (S. 2766), but that bill has yet to go to the Senate floor for a vote.  The Senate bill is above the President's numbers for education, but many in the education community feel the numbers for education should be even higher.  One clear rationale for this is the effects of serious state revenue drops with resulting cuts in funding for schools, libraries, and colleges and universities.

In addition, rumors abound that various House and Senate members have been discussing other possibilities for action, such as a Continuing Resolution for a set period or variations, with the ultimate being a Continuing Resolution until January 2003. Others have proposed adjourning for the election and returning for another "lame duck" session. 

Because this is an election year, Members of Congress intent on re-election will be pressuring the leadership of both the House and Senate to finish work in time for campaign appearances in October.

The President is urging fiscal control in his appearances across the country, but is still eager to pass legislation to set up a Homeland Security agency, with an obvious increase in costs.  In the Senate, a large emergency drought amendment was added to the Interior Appropriations bill on September 10, with a price tag of $6 billion.  The House Interior Appropriations bill does not include this measure and in conference the amount may be whittled down to some degree.  The Administration is saying the drought relief money should come out of the farm bill passed this summer (P.L. 107-171). 

How these difficult and differing views will be settled remains to be seen, but in past Congresses, agreements have been worked out by a few principal players and the Administration, and major bills have been rolled into omnibus measures and passed quickly when pressures rise to certain levels.  In order to avoid the disastrous results of a government shutdown, Congress and the Administration will have to resolve these major spending issues soon.



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