Human Needs Report

The Human Needs Report is the Coalition on Human Needs' newsletter on national policy issues affecting low-income and vulnerable populations. It is published every other week while Congress is in session.

If you would like to receive the Human Needs Report by email, send an message to Adam Hughes with "subscibe Human Needs Report" in the subject line.

Articles from April 14, 2003

• Senate Passes Pared Down Faith-Based Legislation
  On Wednesday, April 9, the Senate passed a slimmed-down version of President Bush's "faith-based initiative" (S 476) by a vote of 95-5. The measure, a centerpiece of Bush's social policy agenda, is intended to boost incentives for charitable donations and increase funding for religious groups that provide social services. The bill originally included a provision that opponents argue would have allowed faith-based groups to proselytize or discriminate in hiring based on a candidate's religion while running federally funded programs. Bill sponsor Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) removed this controversial provision in order to ensure bipartisan support, claiming that there are other vehicles for the provision, including the upcoming reauthorization of welfare.
  (More >)
  
  
• House Education and Workforce Committee Reauthorizes IDEA
  On Thursday, April 10, the House Education and the Workforce Committee approved legislation to rewrite and reauthorize the nation's special education law, the 1975 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (PL 105-17). Known by its acronym, IDEA guarantees students with disabilities a free public education in the "least restrictive environment" and authorizes the federal government to reimburse states for 40 percent of the average per pupil special education cost. The House committee's reauthorizing legislation (HR 1350) was passed on a 29-19 vote with support from all committee Republicans and three Democrats - Representatives Robert E. Andrews (NJ), Ron Kind (WI), and Denise L. Majette (GA).
  (More >)

• Congress Approves Unusual Budget Resolution
  Intra-party disagreements over how much of a tax cut the country can afford led Republican leaders down an unprecedented path for adopting a conference agreement on the fiscal year 2004 budget resolution. For the first time in history, a budget resolution - which sets tax and spending parameters for the year - has been crafted that allows the House and Senate to pass tax cuts that differ in size from one another. The $2.3 trillion budget resolution calls for a $350 billion tax cut in the Senate and at least $550 billion in tax cuts in the House.
  (More >)