House Narrowly Passes Labor-HHS-Education Bill - Women's Congressional Policy Institute

After four days of debate on a plethora of amendments, the House on June 14 voted 217-214 to narrowly pass the FY2001 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education spending bill (H.R. 4577). The vote marked the first time since 1997 that Members cast a vote on a stand-alone Labor-Health and Human Services-Education spending bill.

In an unusual turn of events, the bill did not become a battleground over family planning and abortion-related amendments. Rather, Democrats offered a number of amendments aimed at highlighting their spending priorities while criticizing the Republican tax cut plan, and Republicans focused their amendments on increasing funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Among the rejected amendments were:

An amendment by Rep. David Vitter (R-LA) that would have increased funding for IDEA by $1.4 billion. As an offset, the amendment proposed cutting a number of education programs. The amendment was rejected by voice vote.
An amendment by Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) that would have increased funding for IDEA by $383 million. Under the amendment, the funding increase would have been offset by cutting the education for the disadvantaged program, school improvement programs, and Indian education. The amendment was rejected by voice vote.
An amendment by Rep. Charles Bass (R-NH) that would have increased funding for IDEA by $200 million. The amendment proposed to cut the Gear Up program by $200 million as an offset. The amendment was defeated, 98-319.
An amendment by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) that would have increased funding for IDEA by $300 million. The offset would have come from the 21st Century Learning Centers program. The amendment was defeated, 124-293.
An amendment by Rep. Gary Miller (R-CA) that would have increased funding for IDEA by $16 million. As an offset, the amendment would have eliminated the ready to learn television program. The amendment was defeated, 150-269.
An amendment by Rep. Bob Schaffer (R-CO) that would have increased funding for IDEA by $10.3 million. The amendment would have offset the funding increase by cutting $10 million from education research. The amendment was defeated, 132-287.
Another amendment by Rep. Schaffer that would have increased funding for IDEA by $43 million. The offset would have come from the Job Corps. The amendment was defeated, 102-315. Among the amendments struck on a point of order because they did not include an offset were:
An amendment by Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) that would have increased funding for substance abuse and mental health programs by $600 million.
An amendment by Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) that would have increased funding for Head Start, the Child Care and Development Block Grant, and other children’s programs by $1.8 billion.
An amendment by Rep. Pelosi that would have increased funding for the National Institutes of Health by $1.7 billion.
An amendment by Rep. David Obey (D-WI) that would have added $1 billion for a teacher quality initiative and $1.8 billion for a class size reduction initiative.
An amendment by Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY) that would have added $1.3 billion for school construction.
An amendment by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) that would have added $1.5 billion for IDEA.
An amendment by Rep. Lowey that would have increased the maximum Pell Grant award from $3,500 to $3,800.
Another amendment by Rep. DeLauro that would have increased funding for several seniors programs, including Meals on Wheels and family caregivers, by $661 million.

Rep. Obey also offered an amendment that would have expressed the sense of Congress that a tax cut should not be enacted until a prescription drug benefit has been enacted. The amendment was struck on a point of order because it violated House rules that prohibit legislating on an appropriations bill.