Just over a week before the President is scheduled to send his FY2005 budget to Congress, the Senate approved, 65-28, the FY2004 Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 2673) on January 22. The House approved the measure on December 8 (see The Source, 12/10/03). It will now go to the White House for the President’s signature. A summary of funding levels specific to programs affecting women and their families is included in the FY2004 Appropriations Summary (see The Source, 1/22/03).
The measure incorporates the following seven spending bills that were still pending when Congress recessed for Thanksgiving: Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies; Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies; District of Columbia; Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs; Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies; Transportation, Treasury, and Independent Agencies; and Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies.
Senate Democrats were able to temporarily block final passage of the bill after Republicans were unable to garner the 60 votes necessary to cut off debate and a cloture vote failed, 48-45. Democrats used the extra debate time to air their grievances regarding specific provisions of the bill that were altered during conference. One such item was a provision deleted from the Senate bill that would have prohibited the use of federal funds by the Department of Labor to implement a March 31, 2003, proposal to change regulations concerning overtime pay. Under the proposal, workers earning less than $22,100 a year would automatically be eligible for overtime pay, up from the current $8,060. Most workers with an annual salary of $65,000 or who were in “a position of responsibility” would no longer be eligible for overtime pay.
Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) was one of the most vocal opponents to the proposed rule and argued that women would be at a particular disadvantage if the overtime changes were to go into effect. “As women have increased their time in the paid labor market, their contributions to family income have also increased. These contributions have been particularly important to lower and middle-income families. An increase in time spent at work creates child care and other family challenges. These added work hours have had a negative effect on a parent’s ability to be at home after school, help with homework, or care for an ill or aging family member…The Bush proposal would take away overtime protections for millions of American women, ensuring that they work longer hours for less pay.”
Republican speakers chose to focus their comments on the important programs that would be funded under H.R. 2673. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) noted that the only alternative to not passing the omnibus bill would be a continuing resolution through October 1, ensuring that all programs in the measure would be funded at their FY2003 levels. She stated that the Senate must pass the bill to “give our children a chance, and our country a chance, to have the increases we need for homeland security, and the education of our children, and the research into cancer to find the cause and the cure. We must pass the omnibus bill to go forward in all of these aspects.”
