January 2007
Volume 6, Number 1
In this Issue:
Prevention Message Sent to Congress
Congress Seeks to Wrap up FY 2007 Appropriations
House Adopts New Budget Enforcement Rules
Prevention Message Sent to Capitol Hill
Prevent Child Abuse America would like to thank all of the prevention advocates across the country who helped us send a powerful message to the new Congress on the importance of turning the conversation on the prevention of child abuse and neglect towards more comprehensive and effective ways for communities and systems to provide and care for children and families.
On January 4th the first day of the 110th Congress Prevent Child Abuse America sent to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, House Republican Leader John Boehner, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell a petition signed by nearly 7,000 people stating:
We believe that the prevention of child abuse and neglect is a national priority. We believe that Congress should take a comprehensive approach to prevention that supports all parents and families so that they can provide healthy, safe and nurturing environments for children.
The petition was accompanied by a letter and an article entitled Making “Cents” of Prevention, which provides more details on this broad vision for prevention. The article was recently published in the November/December 2006 edition of the Council of State Government’s State News Magazine. The article and a similar letter were sent to every member of Congress alerting them to the overwhelming support the petition received.
In the coming year, Prevent Child Abuse America will continue to focus on “turning choices into change,” and building congressional support for a comprehensive approach to prevention that supports all parents and families so that they can provide healthy, safe and nurturing environments for children. We look forward to your continuing support and collaboration as we work to make prevention a priority for the 110th Congress and for the nation as a whole.
View the letter sent to Speaker Pelosi.
View the Making "Cents" of Prevention article.
Congress Seeks to Wrap Up FY 2007 Appropriations
Leaders of the U.S. House and Senate Appropriations Committees have drafted a $463.5 billion joint funding resolution to cover federal spending needs for FY 2007.
As reported in the December Prevention Advocate, the 109th Congress adjourned having passed just two out of 11 appropriations bills for federal fiscal year (FY) 2007, leaving the rest of the spending bills for the 110th Congress to complete. Federal spending not yet approved is being covered by a resolution that allows for the continuation of federal funding to programs through February 15th.
The measure drafted by Representative Obey (D-WI-7) and Senator Byrd (D-WV), Chairs of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, is a long-term continuing resolution (CR) providing funding through September 30, 2007 the official end of the fiscal year. Funding would be provided at FY 2006 levels. This differs from the current CR, which provides funding at the lowest of the FY 2007 House-passed allotment, the FY 2007 Senate-passed allotment, or the FY 2006 funding level.
Representative Obey and Senator Byrd made exceptions to the FY 2006 level-funding rule, providing increases to some programs including: a $3.6 billion increase to veterans’ health care; a $1 billion increase to education programs; a $103.7 million increase to Head Start; and a $1.7 billion increase to housing programs.
The House is expected to consider the measure on Wednesday, January 31st. The Senate could take it up the week of February 5th.
House Adopts New Budget Enforcement Rules
On January 5th, the U.S. House took an initial step in its attempt to begin reigning in the deficit. As one of its first priorities in the newly convened 110th Congress, the House, now under Democratic control, passed two significant budget reforms: the reinstatement of the “Pay-As-You-Go” (PAYGO) budget rule; and earmark reform. The package passed changes internal House process rules and expires at the end of the 110th Congress. The new rules, particularly PAYGO, could make federal spending increases including to child maltreatment prevention priorities more difficult to come by.
PAYGO
The new PAYGO rule mandates that any proposed entitlement spending increases or tax cuts be offset by spending cuts or tax increases elsewhere in the budget. How successful this rule will be is unclear. The last PAYGO rule in place officially expired in 2002; however the deficit was allowed to expand before that expiration date simply because Congress stopped adhering to the rule. Since the new PAYGO rule in the House can essentially be overturned by a majority vote, a lack of adherence by the 110th Congress is once again a potential pitfall for the rule’s success. To avoid this, House and Senate lawmakers on both sides of the aisle - including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid - have considered enacting a statutory form of PAYGO.
In the meantime, if the Democrats want to carry out their new agenda and adhere to the PAYGO rule they will need to either free up very sizable amounts of money currently being spent elsewhere or work to increase tax revenue. Any form of compromise on this matter could be difficult, as legislation that would limit the President from making his soon-to-expire tax cuts permanent would likely receive his veto. The White House has also proposed its own version of a PAYGO statute that would apply to entitlement increases and annual appropriations while leaving tax cuts exempt.
Earmark Reform
Also included were new rules intended to establish more transparency and justification for earmark spending. The earmark disclosure rules require that:
1) earmarks and their sponsors be disclosed;
2) legislators who request earmarks provide justification for the request; and
3) legislators who request earmarks certify that the provisions were not promised in exchange for votes on the legislation and will not benefit the legislator or his or her spouse.
On January 18th, the Senate passed new earmark disclosure requirements as part of broader reform legislation, the Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act of 2007 (S. 1). The bill would require earmarks and their sponsors to be disclosed on the Internet at least 48 hours prior to the Senate consideration of the legislation containing the provisions. The new Senate rules would also attempt to prevent earmarks that were not included in either chamber’s version of a bill from being added into House-Senate conference reports by creating a new point of order against provisions introduced in this manner. This point of order could be overridden by 60 votes. Unlike the House, which chose to focus on changing that chamber’s rules to address earmark disclosure, the Senate has opted to press for statutory changes that would impact both chambers. The House would have to pass the Senate bill and the President sign it for the new rules to go into effect.
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