| 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. - School Lunch and Other Child Nutrition Programs Reauthorized
Child nutrition advocates celebrated a key victory last week after the Senate and House each unanimously passed the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act (S 2507 and HR 3873). The Senate agreed to the bill on June 23, the House on June 24, and the President signed it June 30. The House and Senate have been negotiating final details of the bill for months and the bill is a rare example of strong bipartisanship.
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- House Rejects Dangerous Budget Process Bill
In a major win for advocates, the House of Representatives decisively rejected legislation June 24 that would have resulted in major cuts to services for low-income working families, seniors, children, those with disabilities and other vulnerable people.
(More >) - Congress Starts Work on Appropriations
Despite the lack of a fiscal year 2005 budget resolution, House and Senate appropriators have begun making decisions on next year's spending levels for the programs that must be appropriated annually - known as the "discretionary" programs. Lawmakers have agreed to a total discretionary spending amount of $821 billion to fund the government next fiscal year. This amount is higher than last year's $785.8 billion but even less the President recommended in his fiscal year 2005 budget ($823 billion). The President's budget included cuts in a number of human needs programs.
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- Debate Over Financing Stalls Family Opportunity Act
The Family Opportunity Act (HR 1811), a bill that would allow families of children with disabilities to buy into the federal Medicaid program, hit a snag last week in the House. The Senate passed a similar bill on May 6 and the House had been scheduled to vote on the bill June 14 under suspension of the rules. Usually reserved for proposals with broad support, a vote under suspension of the rules requires a two-thirds majority to pass and does not allow for amendments. Opposition to the House bill as currently drafted caused it to be pulled from the floor.
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- National Paid Sick Leave Legislation is Introduced in the House and Senate
Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CA) held a press conference on June 15, 2004 to introduce the Healthy Families Act or 2004 (S 2520, HR 4575). The Kennedy/DeLauro bill would provide full-time employees at companies with 15 or more employees with seven paid sick days a year to be used for their own medical needs or to tend to the medical needs of a child, spouse or parent. Part-time employees would receive a share of paid sick days based on the number of hours they work per week. The Senate bill has six original cosponsors and the House bill has 51.
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- Yet Again - TANF Extended
With no resolution to the differences between the House and Senate in sight, Congress enacted the seventh extension of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) a few days before its latest June 30 expiration date (HR 4589). This extension lasts for three months, until September 30. Three months before, Chairman Herger (R-CA) of the Human Resources Subcommittee of the House Committee on Ways and Means said in floor debate that if there were the need for another extension, it would not simply continue current law, but would include one or another of the provisions the House wants. Chairman Herger had earlier introduced extension bills that included the House's harsher work requirements and new marriage promotion funds. However, in a bit of good news for state administrators and families relying on TANF assistance, the last-minute controversy of an "un-clean" TANF extension bill was avoided.
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