Saturday, January 17, 2009

 

This Week in Washington

PROGRESS ON SCHIP!

The House passed the SCHIP reauthorization bill on Wednesday by a strong bipartisan margin. The House version is very similar to the first vetoed bill from 2007 (CHIPRA1) with a few changes, and also includes ICHIA (optional coverage for legal immigrant children and pregnant women). Ohio Representatives Austria, Boccieri, Driehaus, Fudge, Kaptur, Kilroy, Kucinich, LaTourette, Ryan, Space, Sutton, Tiberi, Turner, and Wilson all voted for the bill.

The Senate Finance Committee marked up its version of the SCHIP reauthorization package Tuesday where ICHIA was added by amendment in a 12-7 vote. The committee also included an amendment offered by Senator Snowe to allow dental coverage of underinsured children as an option under SCHIP (i.e., children with private insurance who lack dental coverage).

Senate floor action will begin late next week with debate expected to continue into the following week.

Once the Senate passes its version, the legislation will go to a conference (formal or informal) to resolve remaining differences in the House and Senate bills.

ECONOMIC RECOVERY PACKAGE

Information on the Senate’s version of the recovery package is expected soon. The Senate Appropriations and Finance Committees could mark up as early as next week, with the full Senate considering the measure toward the end of the month or early February. The Senate package will be fully amendable.

The House Appropriations and Ways and Means Committees are expected to mark up their sections of the package next week. Floor consideration is likely the week of January 26 (most likely Wednesday). The package is not likely to be amendable.

Below is a list of key provisions in the package:
· FMAP: $87 billion in state fiscal relief through a temporary increase in the federal Medicaid match and relief to states by extending the moratoria on the regulations adopted last year;
· Other state fiscal relief: $79 billion in state fiscal relief to prevent cutbacks to key services, including $39 billion to local school districts and public colleges and universities, $15 billion to states as bonus grants for meeting performance measures, and $25 billion to states for public safety and other critical services, which may include education;
· Low-Income Home Energy Assistance: $1 billion in additional funding;
· Unemployment Insurance: encourages modernization, continues the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Program, and increases UI checks by $25/week;
· Child Tax Credit: temporarily lifts the earnings requirement for families to qualify;
· Earned Income Tax Credit: expanded for families with three or more children by increasing the “credit rate” — also known as the phase-in rate — to 45 percent (from the current 40 percent). Also extends the income range over which married couples qualify for the maximum EITC — known as “marriage penalty relief.”
· Higher education tax credit: $2,500 tax credit for the first four years of higher education expenses, which will now be partially refundable;
· Pell grants: $500 increase in the maximum Pell grant;
· Medicaid/COBRA: provides temporary subsidies for health insurance coverage to those who lose their jobs;
· Food Stamps: $20 billion for a temporary increases in food stamp benefits;
· TANF: allows states to qualify for “emergency contingency funds” for each quarter in 2009 and 2010 based on increased expenditures for basic assistance (if the state also has an increase in its caseload for that quarter compared to the same quarter in 2007 or 2008), increased expenditures for subsidized employment, and/or increased expenditures in short-term non-recurrent benefits. In each category, the state qualifies for an amount equal to 80 percent of the increased costs (if any).
· Public Housing Capital Fund: $5 billion for building repair and modernization;
· HOME Investment Partnerships: $1.5 billion to help local communities build and rehabilitate low-income housing using green technologies;
· Neighborhood Stabilization: $4.2 billion to help communities purchase and rehabilitate foreclosed, vacant properties;
· Homeless Assistance Grants: $1.5 billion for the Emergency Shelter Grant program to provide short term rental assistance, housing relocation, and stabilization services;
· Child Support Enforcement: $1 billion to provide federal incentive funds for states to collect support owed to families;
· SSI: provides a one-time payment to SSI recipients in 2009. For individual SSI recipients, the payment would equal the average one-month payment of singles; for couples, the payment would equal the average one-month payment;
· Child Care: $2 billion in additional funding for the remainder of 2009 and 2010;
· Head Start: $2.1 billion in additional funding over the 2009-2010 period; and
· WIA: House bill adds $4 billion total, including $1.2 billion for youth.

The House package is reported to cost $825 billion over two years. About $275 billion of that is through tax cuts.

Since different versions are likely to emerge, a conference is expected, but Obama officials have indicated they will work to have the differences reconciled quickly. The goal remains to complete work by Presidents’ Day.

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?