This week, House appropriators began work on the FY2004 spending bills. The Appropriations Committee approved two bills, and five bills were approved by the subcommittees.
Military Construction
On June 17, the House Appropriations Committee approved the FY2004 Military Construction appropriations bill (as-yet-unnumbered) by voice vote. The measure would allocate $9.19 billion, a $1.5 billion decrease from the FY2003 appropriations bill (P.L. 107-249) and $41 million below the level requested by the President.
Under the measure, $3.9 billion would be allocated for military family housing, of which $1.2 billion would be allocated for new family housing units and improvements to existing units, and $2.7 billion would be used for the operation and maintenance of existing units. Congress allocated $4.23 billion in FY2003 for military family housing.
In addition, the measure would allocate $16 million for child development centers. In FY2003, Congress provided $18 million for child development centers.
As he did during subcommittee consideration of the bill (see The Source, 6/13/03), Ranking Member David Obey (D-WI) offered an amendment that would have allocated an additional $958 million above the Chair’s mark. The amendment was defeated on a party-line vote, 24-34.
Agriculture
Later that afternoon, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies approved, by voice vote, the FY2004 agriculture appropriations bill (as-yet-unnumbered). The measure would allocate $17.005 billion, an $872 million decrease from the FY2003 appropriations bill (P.L. 108-7).
The measure would provide $4.588 billion for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), a $107.7 million decrease below the FY2003 funding level and $180.9 million less than the President’s request. The recommendation includes a $150 million reserve should program costs or participation exceed estimates. Reductions in this program are based on new information from the USDA detailing declining program participation and lower food costs than originally estimated in the President’s FY04 budget request.
Child nutrition programs would receive $11.418 billion in FY2004, an $838 million increase over FY2003 as requested by the President.
Other funding levels include $1.389 billion for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), $15.5 million above last year and $5.4 million below the President’s request; and $1.192 billion for the Food for Peace Program, $7 million more than the level requested by the President.
Defense
On June 18, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense approved, by voice vote, its FY2004 appropriations bill (as-yet-unnumbered). The measure would allocate $368.7 billion in FY2004, a $13.6 billion increase over the FY2003 appropriations bill (P.L. 107-248).
The defense appropriations bill includes several women’s health research programs, but because the mark-up session was closed to the public, no additional information was made available.
The full committee is scheduled to consider the defense bill next week.
Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education
On June 19, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education approved,11-7, its FY2004 appropriations bill (as-yet-unnumbered). The measure would allocate $138.04 billion in FY2004, a $5.68 billion increase over the FY2003 appropriations bill (P.L. 108-7) and $50 million more than the President’s request.
Department of Labor
The Department of Labor Women’s Bureau would receive $9.608 million in FY2004. This amount maintains the FY2003 funding level, but is $982,000 more than the President’s request.
Dislocated workers assistance would receive $1.461 billion, maintaining the FY2003 funding level and adding $78 million over the President’s budget request.
As requested by the President, the bill would not provide any funds for the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations program. This program was funded at $993,000 in FY2003.
Department of Health and Human Services
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA): Under the bill, HRSA would receive $6.259 billion, a $203 million decrease below the FY2003 level and $587 million above the President’s request. Community Health Centers would receive $1.627 billion in FY2004, a $122.3 million increase over FY2003 as part of the President’s proposed expansion of health services through the Community Health Centers Program. In addition, $733 million would be provided for the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant, a $3 million increase above the FY2003 level, but $18 million less than the level requested by the President.
The Healthy Start infant mortality initiative would be level-funded at $98 million, $383,000 less than the President’s request. The measure also would maintain current funding of $9.935 million for universal newborn hearing screening. Under the President’s request, this program would not have been funded.
Ryan White: The Ryan White Care Act would receive a $5.6 million increase over the FY2003 funding level to $2 billion, slightly more than in the President’s budget.
Family Planning: Title X, the nation’s family planning program, would be level-funded at $273 million, approximately $9 million more than the President’s request.
Abstinence-only Education: The bill would provide $65 million for the abstinence education program in the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant, a $10 million increase over FY2003, but $8.04 million below the President’s request.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): The measure would allocate $4.55 billion in FY2004, $57 million above the FY2003 level and $233 million above the President’s request. Of this total, $106 million would be provided for the prevention of birth defects, developmental disabilities, and disability and health activities. That would represent an $8 million increase over the FY2003 level and a $19 million increase over the President’s request.
Chronic disease prevention and health promotion would receive $862 million, a $72 million increase over last year and $28 million over the President’s request.
The bill would provide $1.247 billion for HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and tuberculosis prevention at the CDC, an increase of $61 million over last year and $18 million more than the President’s request. Of that amount, $243 million would be provided for global HIV/AIDS programs, $60 million more than FY2003, but $51 million less than the level requested by the President.
National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH would receive $27.664 billion in FY2004, a $681 million increase over the FY2003 appropriations bill and equal to the President’s request.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): SAMHSA would receive $3.345 billion in FY2004. This allocation is $133 million more than the FY2003 level, but is $64 million less than the President’s request. Under the measure, the Substance Abuse Performance Partnership would receive $1.7 billion, $10 million less than the President’s request and $82.8 million more than FY2003. The Mental Health Performance Partnership would receive $435 million, $2 million more than the President’s request and $2 million less than last year.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ): The bill would maintain the current funding level of $304 million for AHRQ in FY2004, $25 million more than the President’s request.
Administration for Children and Families
Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG): The bill would grant the President’s request and provide $2.1 billion to CCDBG in FY2004, an increase of $14 million over FY2003.
Child Support Enforcement: The bill would allocate $4.625 billion in FY2004 for payments to states for child support enforcement; this amount is $588.5 million over the FY2003 level and equal to the President’s request.
Social Services Block Grant: The Social Services Block Grant would be level-funded at $1.7 billion as requested by the President.
International Trafficking: Under the Refugee and Entrant Assistance account, a program to aid victims of trafficking would receive $10 million, $65,000 more than the FY2003 level and equal to the President’s request.
Child and Family Services Programs: Head Start would receive a $148 million increase over FY2003, bringing the total to $6.8 billion. This funding level would allow Head Start to maintain current service levels, while ensuring that quality improvements and training elements are fully implemented.
The committee recommendation does not include the $10 million that the President requested for the Maternity Group Homes program.
Programs to increase abandoned infant assistance would receive $12.08 million, equal to the President’s request, but $40,000 below the FY2003 level.
Child welfare services would increase slightly to $291 million as requested by the President.
The committee recommendation does not include the $20 million that the President requested for promoting responsible fatherhood.
Adoption: The bill would provide $27.3 million for adoption opportunities, $116,000 more than the FY2003 level and the same amount as the President’s request. The measure also would level-fund adoption incentives at $43 million and grant the President’s request of $12.9 million for Adoption Awareness programs, an increase of $84,000 over FY2003.
Mentoring Children of Prisoners: The bill would provide $25 million for a program to mentor the children of prisoners, an increase of $15 million over the FY2003 appropriations bill, but $25 million less than the President’s request.
Promoting Safe and Stable Families: As requested by the President, the bill would provide $305 million for the Promoting Safe and Stable Families program, maintaining the current FY2003 level.
Violence Against Women Act (VAWA): The measure would fund several VAWA programs. The National Domestic Violence Hotline would receive $3 million, maintaining current funding as requested by the President. In addition, battered women’s shelters would be level-funded at $126.4 million, $1.9 million more than the funding level requested by the President.
Administration on Aging: The Administration on Aging would receive $1.377 billion in FY2004, a $10 million increase over the FY2003 level and $33 million more than the President’s request.
National Family Caregiver Support: The bill would provide $168.5 million for the National Family Caregiver Support program, an increase of $13.266 million over the FY2003 level and $27 million above the President’s request.
Public Health Service’s Office of Women’s Health (PHS-OWH): The Office of Women’s Health would receive the current FY2003 funding level of $28.6 million, $250,000 less than the President’s request.
Public Health Service’s Office on Minority Health (PHS-OMH): The measure would allocate $48.3 million to the Office of Minority Health, $7.9 million less than the FY2003 level, but $1.3 million above the President’s request.
Department of Education
No Child Left Behind: Grants to local educational agencies under the No Child Left Behind Act (P.L. 107-110) would receive an increase of $666 million, for a total of $12.350 billion in FY2004.
Reading First and Early Reading First: The bill would fully fund the Reading First program at the requested level of $1.05 billion, a $56.5 million increase over FY2003. The Early Reading First program would receive $100 million, $25 million less than last year as requested by the President.
Even Start: The Even Start family literacy program would receive $250 million in FY2004, $1.6 million more than the FY2003 level and $75 million more than the President’s request.
Teacher Quality: The measure would allocate level funding of $2.93 billion for professional development programs to provide states and school districts with the tools to improve teacher quality, $80.8 million more than the President’s request. The bill also would provide $49.4 million for Transition to Teaching to assist eligible members of the armed forces and mid-career professionals to obtain certification as teachers. As requested by the President, this amount is $7.6 million more than FY2003. Math and Science Partnerships would be funded at $150 million, an increase of nearly $50 million over FY2003 to increase the number of teachers trained in the fields of math and science.
21st Century Community Learning Centers: The bill would provide $1 billion for 21st Century Community Learning Centers in FY2004, $6.5 million more than FY2003 and $400 million more than the President’s request.
Loan Forgiveness for Child Care: As requested by the President, the bill would not provide any funding for student loan forgiveness for child care expenses. $994 million was provided in FY2003.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): Total spending for special education in FY2004 would be $11 billion, a $1 billion increase over FY2003 and $359.6 million more than the President’s request.
Of this amount, $447 million would be provided for grants for the Infants and Families program that makes available early intervention services to all children with disabilities ages two and under, and their families. This funding level is the same as the President’s request and $12.8 million more than the FY2003 allocation.
Education for Homeless Children and Youth: The bill would provide $60 million for education for homeless children and youth, $5.4 million more than FY2003 and $10 million more than the President’s request.
Vocational Education: In FY2004, $1.32 billion would be provided for vocational education, $6.6 million less than FY2003, but $319.2 million more than the President’s request.
Adult Education: The measure would provide $600 million for adult education, a $13 million increase over the FY2003 level and $9.2 million more than the level requested by the President.
Pell Grants: The bill would level-fund Pell grants at $4.050 billion, $50 million more than the President’s request.
Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CAMPUS): Funding for the CAMPUS program would be reduced by $1 million to $15 million in FY2004 as requested by the President.
Office for Civil Rights: The bill would provide $91.2 million for the Office for Civil Rights to enforce laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, and age in all programs and institutions funded by the Department of Education. This funding level is $5.5 million more than the FY2003 appropriation and the same amount requested by the President.
The full committee is scheduled to consider the Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill on June 25.
