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News and updates

FY10 Appropriations Process Comes to an End

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**Chart Updated 12/22**

With passage of the Defense Appropriations bill in the Senate over the past weekend, the FY10 appropriations process came to an end. The 2010 process included nearly $11 million of appropriations specifically for the University of Washington, including: $4.6 million for the Institute for Simulation and Interprofessional Studies, $4 million for the Puget Sound Ecosystem Research Initiative, $1 million for the Washington Biofuels Industry Development Project, $880,000 for the NW National Marine Renewable Energy Center, and $200,000 for the UW Bothell Nursing Faculty Consortium Training Program. Coverage of important federal agnecy/program figures can be founds here. In many cases, federal agencies that received significant funding through the Recovery Act (e.g. NIH, NSF, DoE Office of Science) saw only modest increases in the regular appropriations process.

Bill House Committee Full House Senate Committee Full Senate House Conference Senate Conference President
Agriculture 6/18 7/9 7/7 8/4 10/7 10/8 10/21
Commerce, Justice, Science 6/9 6/18 6/25 11/5 12/10 12/13  12/16 
Defense 7/22 7/30 9/10 10/6 12/16  12/19 12/19
Energy and Water 7/7 7/17 7/9 7/29 10/1 10/15 10/28
Financial Services 7/7 7/16 7/9 12/13  12/10  12/13  12/16 
Homeland Security 6/12 6/24 6/18 7/9 10/15 10/20 10/28
Interior, Environ. 6/18 6/26 6/25 9/24 10/29 10/29 10/31
Labor-HHS-Education 7/17 7/24 7/30 12/13  12/10  12/13  12/16
Leg. Branch 6/12 6/19 6/18 7/6 9/25 9/29 10/1
Military Con.-VA 6/23 7/10 7/7 11/17 12/10  12/13  12/16 
State-For. Ops. 6/23 7/9 7/9 12/13  12/10  12/13  12/16
Transpo.-HUD 7/17 7/23 7/30 9/17 12/10  12/13  12/16

Secretary of Educations Pens Op-Ed on Student Loan Overhaul

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Yesterday, The Wall Street Journal, published an op-ed by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. In the piece, Secretary Duncan makes the case that banks don’t belong in the federal student loan business and that the subsidies they currently receive through Federal Family Education Loan program would be better spent on student aid. The Senate is expected to act on the legislation when it returns in the new year.

The Wall Street Journal Op-Ed: Banks Don’t Belong in the Student Loan Business

House Passes Jobs Bill with Higher Ed. Provisions

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Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed a jobs package (H.R. 2847 -Jobs for Mainstreet Act of 2010) that provides $75 billion of unspent funds from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) for assistance to states and local governments in avoiding government layoffs and supporting infrastructure repair and modernization. 

Of note to the higher education community in the bill is an additional $300 million for the College Work-Study program, as well as the following aid for public colleges and universities:

“Education Jobs Fund: $23 billion for an Education Jobs Fund to help States support an estimated 250,000 education jobs over the next two years.  95% of the funds will be allocated by States to school districts and public institutions of higher education to retain or create jobs to provide educational services and to modernize, renovate, and repair public education facilities. The remaining 5% of funds is reserved for State education-related jobs and administration of the Education Jobs Fund.”

The Senate will not act on a companion bill until January at the earliest.

Appropriations Committee Summary of H.R. 2847

This Week on Capitol Hill December 14-18

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The Senate is expected to spend the week working through amendments to a health care overhaul bill. Both chambers are also expected to take up a Defense spending bill that will likely serve as a vehicle for several other end-of-year measures. Later in the week, the House will take up bills on community radio, and caller ID falsification.  International climate change talks continue in Copenhagen. President Obama will attend later in the week.

FLOOR ACTION IN THE HOUSE

On Monday, The House will convene at 2:00 pm to consider several bills including S 303 — Federal grant management.

 On Tuesday and the Balance of the Week the House is scheduled to consider:  

  • HR 3978 — First-responder antiterrorism training;
  • S 1472 — Human rights law enforcement;
  • HR 1110 — Caller ID falsification;
  • HR 1147 — Local community radio; 
  • HR 3326 — Defense spending and other provisions

 FLOOR ACTION IN THE SENATE

This week the Senate will continue consideration of HR 3590 — Health care overhaul, and later in the week may consider HR 3326 — Defense spending and other provisions (tentative)

 MARKUPS AND HEARINGS OF INTEREST:

Tuesday

  • House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee joint hearing on Afghanistan security policy with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
  • Senate Energy and Natural Resources hearing on legislation that would establish a program to reduce the costs of nuclear reactors

 Wednesday

  • House Natural Resources marks up natural resources bills
  • Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs marks up bills on domestic partner benefits for federal employees; federal energy efficiency; congressional awards. 
  • Senate Energy and Natural Resources marks up energy and natural resources legislation

 Thursday

  • Senate Judiciary marks up legislation on a criminal justice system review; medical bankruptcy; hate crimes against the homeless; juvenile delinquency prevention; maltreated infants.
  • Senate Indian Affairs marks up legislation on the Interior secretary’s authority to take land into trust and native Hawaiian government reorganization
  • Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs votes on the nomination of Ben S. Bernanke to continue as chairman of the Federal Reserve.
  • Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship marks up legislation on small-business exports and loan limits for small businesses

 Source: CQ Today Print Edition

Future of Tax Extenders Legislation Remains Unclear

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Despite House passage of the Tax Extenders Act of 2009 (H.R. 4213), it appears possible that tax provisions important to the higher education community may expire at the end of the month. The provisions include the education tuition deduction, the IRA charitable rollover, and the research and development tax credit. Disagreements in the Senate over offsets for the tax provisions, as well as the laser focus on health care reform, make passage of the legislation by the end of the month unlikely. However, it remains possible that the a bill will be passed in early 2010 that would be retroactive to the beginning of the year.