December 21, 2007
- CHN: SCHIP Extended Until 2009
Despite broad public and Congressional support, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) was not reauthorized this year. Instead, Congress passed a bill, the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 (S. 2499) that will, among other things, extend SCHIP until March 31, 2009. S. 2499 provides sufficient funding so states can continue covering Read More »
Posted in Health Comments Off - CHN: AMT Passes – Child Tax Credit Left Behind
Beginning in 2001, Congress has annually passed one-year Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) ‘patches’ to prevent certain taxpayers from paying more in taxes under the AMT than they would in the regular income tax system. At the beginning of the year Congress knew it would pass an AMT patch. The outstanding question was whether the legislation Read More »
Posted in Tax Policy Comments Off - CHN: Senate Passes Farm Bill – Still a Ways to Go
On December 14 after weeks of stalemate, the Senate passed the 2007 Farm Bill with nutrition provisions that closely mirror those passed by the House in July (http://www.chn.org/humanneeds/070803b.html). The Senate version of the Farm, Nutrition and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (H.R. 2419) passed 79-14. The House bill adds $3.3 billion to the Food Stamp Program Read More »
Posted in Food and Nutrition, SNAP Comments Off - CHN: Congress Finishes Head Start and Leaves Some Unfinished Business
Congress adjourned on December 19 having finally passed Head Start reauthorization which expired in 2003. It, however, failed to advert cuts in the Child Support Enforcement Program and to address needed improvements to the unemployment insurance program. Head Start On December 12, President Bush signed the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act, H.R. 1429, Read More »
Posted in Early Childhood Education, Education and Youth Policy, Income Support, Labor and Employment, Unemployment Insurance Comments Off - CHN: Congress Passes Omnibus Appropriations Bill for FY 2008
The final days of the first session of Congress came to a close with passage of a $555 billion omnibus appropriations bill, H.R. 2764, that provides funding for 11 of the 12 spending bills Congress must pass each year. (The bill funding the Pentagon’s regular budget, not including the wars, passed earlier.) In order to Read More »
Posted in Budget and Appropriations Comments Off
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