Yesterday, Senate Appropriations Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-HI) announced that the Senate will not advance earmark requests during the FY11 and FY12 appropriations cycles. The annoumcement follows decisions by the House of Representatives and President Obama to oppose the inclusion of special member projects in appropriations bills. Senator Inouye’s statement affirms his belief that Members of Congress should be able to direct spending in support of meritorious constituent projects and commits to reviewing the earmark process so that improvements can be made.
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FY11 Appropriations Come to a Halt
Yesterday evening, Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) decided to pull the FY11 omnibus appropriations package from the Senate schedule.The move came after several committed “aye” votes decided that they could no longer support the legislation due to concerns about the overall cost and presence of earmarks. The next step in the FY11 process will likely be a 3rd short-term continuing resolution that keeps the government running at FY10 levels until February and leaves spending decisions to the new Congress.
It is expected that there will be even less support for an omnibus appropriations bill in the new Congress, which potentially sets the stage for a year-long continuing resolution or funding at even lower levels if the new House majority is successful in their push to roll back spending to FY08 levels -an idea opposed by the Senate leadership and President Obama. Additional details will be provided as they become available.
2011 House Schedule Released
Leaders in the House have released a tentative schedule for calendar year 2011. However, the endgame for the current Congress and the FY11 appropriations process remains uncertain. Passage of appropriations bills for the current fiscal year now rest on the ability of the Senate leadership to garner the necessary 60 votes. It is expected that an outcome on FY11 appropriations will be clear by December 18th, by which time Congress will be required to act in order to continue government operations.
Expected 2011 Congressional Schedule Continue reading “2011 House Schedule Released”
UW FY12 Federal Agenda Development Process Opens
The Office of Federal Relations has released a notice calling for projects and agency/program funding recommendations for inclusion in the official UW FY12 Federal Agenda. The notice was distributed to UW deans, vice provosts, and other senior members of the administration. Individuals interested in learning more about the process are invited to contact the UW Office of Federal Relations. All submissions for the UW Federal Agenda must be approved by the relevant college/school or department. Please note that all projects will be thoroughly vetted and only a select few will advance in the process. The submission portal can be accessed here. All submissions must be completed by Friday October 29th.
House Passes Oil Spill Bill, Senate Struggle Will Continue in Fall
House Passes Oil Spill Bill
Before adjourning for the August recess, the House of Representatives passed an oil spill response bill, HR 3534, the Consolidated Land, Energy, and Aquatic Resources Act of 2010 (CLEAR Act). The House bill removes the $75 million cap on economic liability reimbursement for offshore oil spills, restructures the Department of Interior’s offshore drilling regulatory functions, and bolsters mandatory funding for research and development. The bill calls for a program of research, development, and risk assessment to address technology and development issues, associated with exploration for, and development and production of, energy and mineral resources on the outer Continental Shelf, with the primary purpose of informing its role relating to safety, environmental protection, and spill response.
The House bill also establishes an Ocean Resources Conservation and Assistance Fund (ORCA) that would be used to provide grants to coastal states and Regional Ocean Partnerships and the Regional Coordination Councils for activities that contribute to the protection, maintenance, and restoration of ocean, coastal and Great Lakes ecosystems.
Grants would also be available for coastal states to improve their oil spill response planning, and for the implementation and operation of an Integrated Ocean Observation System (IOOS). The University of Washington is a key partner of the Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems (NANOOS), which is 1 of 11 regional components of IOOS
Continue reading “House Passes Oil Spill Bill, Senate Struggle Will Continue in Fall”