Yearly Archives: 2011
- CHN: Senate Rejects Balanced Budget Amendments
On December 14 the Senate failed to garner the two-thirds majority (67 votes) needed to pass two separate constitutional amendments to balance the federal budget (balanced budget amendments or BBAs). S.J. Res 10, the Republican BBA, failed by a vote of 47-53, strictly along party lines. This BBA is one of the most restrictive versions Read More »
Posted in Budget and Appropriations, Economy Comments Off - CHN: Congress Not Anxious to Raise Working Families’ Taxes in January
Congress wants to go home. But they don’t want to leave without ensuring that workers’ payroll taxes don’t go up with the new year. Nor do they want to let federal unemployment benefits expire altogether, although the prospects for preserving the current level of assistance seemed problematic as the negotiations wore on. Preventing a 27 Read More »
Posted in Budget and Appropriations, Labor and Employment, Medicare, Tax Policy, Unemployment Insurance Comments Off - CHN: Congress Poised to Pass Omnibus Fiscal Year 2012 Appropriation Bill
The House and Senate have agreed to a $915 billion bill (H.R. 2055) that funds the nine remaining appropriations bills covering a wide range of government activities including defense, foreign aid, children’s services, public health, education and training, veterans, the environment, and homeland security. At press time plans are for the bill to be passed Read More »
Posted in Budget and Appropriations, Education and Youth Policy, Housing and Homelessness, Labor and Employment, Unemployment Insurance Comments Off - CHN: Victory for In-Home Care Workers: Obama Administration Announces New Rules to Provide Minimum Wage and Overtime Protections
Nearly 2 million home care workers serve seniors and people with disabilities. They have been exempted from minimum wage and overtime law protections – until now. The Obama Administration announced new rules to extend those protections to this group of workers on December 15. In-home workers were exempted from the Fair Labor Standards Act protections Read More »
Posted in Labor and Employment Comments Off - CHN: House Rejects Balanced Budget Amendment
On November 18 the House failed to garner the two-thirds majority (290 votes) needed to pass H. J. Res. 2, a constitutional amendment to balance the federal budget (BBA). The vote was 261-165. All Republicans except 4 voted for the resolution and all but 25 Democrats voted against the bill. This version of a BBA Read More »
Posted in Budget and Appropriations Comments Off - CHN: First Fiscal Year 2012 Appropriations Bills Pass Congress
On November 17 the House and Senate both passed a $128.1 billion minibus Appropriations bill, H.R. 2112, that combines funding for FY 2012 for the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Transportation, HUD and Science programs including NASA. The bill contains an additional $2.3 billion for emergency disaster relief activities. The House adopted the package 298-121 Read More »
Posted in Budget and Appropriations Comments Off - CHN: Super Committee Cannot Leap Over Ideological Chasm; President Warns He Will Not Allow Gutting of Automatic Cuts
Monday, November 21 was the day the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction had to provide details of its plan to the Congressional Budget Office so its costs and savings could be estimated. Unable to agree on a plan, the Committee’s co-chairs Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) released a statement acknowledging that. The Read More »
Posted in Budget and Appropriations, Economy Comments Off - CHN: Congress Passes Provision in President’s Jobs Bill
On November 21 the President signed into law a modest bill, H.R. 674, pairing small business tax breaks for companies that hire veterans and repeal of a three percent withholding tax on all government contractors. The veterans’ hiring incentives were part of the President’s legislative package to create jobs; the withholding repeal was not, but Read More »
Posted in Labor and Employment, Unemployment Insurance Comments Off - CHN: Disappointing Reports of Deficit Plans from Super Committee Democrats and Republicans
After weeks of behind-closed-doors discussions among the dozen members of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, last week reports began to emerge about a proposal unveiled by a majority of the panel’s Democrats and another plan put forward by its Republicans. Neither plan has been made public and reports are that both were discussed Read More »
Posted in Budget and Appropriations, Economy Comments Off - CHN: FY 2012 Minibus Spending Bill Moves Toward Passage
Hoping to avoid a showdown over federal spending, the Senate is taking the lead in moving Fiscal Year 2012 appropriations bills by packaging the twelve FY 2012 appropriations bills that fund discretionary programs into smaller ‘minibus’ bills. These bills are expected to be less contentious and move more quickly than an omnibus bill or individual Read More »
Posted in Budget and Appropriations Comments Off
Click here to visit the HNR Archives
