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.

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Articles from July 16, 2004

• Senate and House Leadership Look to Pass More Tax Breaks - Still Not Paid For
  House and Senate leaders are pushing this week for a floor vote to extend expiring tax breaks. The three popular middle class tax breaks that are set to expire at the end of this year unless action is taken include tax breaks for married couples, the $1,000 per child tax credit, and the ten percent income tax bracket. Legislators may also consider extending for one year expanded exemptions for the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT).
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• House Committee Approves Bill Funding Departments of Labor, HHS and Education
  Amid much debate over overtime rules and restrictions on funding of abortions, the House Appropriations Committee passed a nearly $500 billion appropriations bill for fiscal 2005 on Wednesday, July 14 to fund the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education. The bill authorizes the government to fund $349.8 billion for entitlements programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid and $142.5 billion for discretionary programs. The level of discretionary spending in the Labor-HHS-Ed bill is $200 million more than President Bush requested and an increase of 2.2 percent over last year's level.
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• House Set To Consider Section 8 Appropriations
  This week the House is scheduled to respond to the Bush administration's FY 2005 budget proposal that slashes funding for the Section 8 voucher rental assistance program. The Appropriations Subcommittee is planning to mark up the VA-HUD and Independent Agencies Appropriations bill on Tuesday, July 20 with the full House Appropriations committee following on Friday, July 23. This bill funds all of the federal government's housing programs.
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• House Subcommittee Votes on Perkins Grants Reauthorization
  On Wednesday July 14, 2004, the House Education and the Workforce subcommittee voted to reauthorize Perkins Grants, the nation's major vocational education program. The measure (HR 4496) authorizes more than $1.3 billion for vocational and adult education programs in fiscal year 2005, under the Carl. D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act.
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• Bill to Change Federal Child Welfare Funding in Draft Form
  Representative Wally Herger (D-CA), Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee's Human Resources Subcommittee, is suggesting basic changes in funding federal payments for foster care as well as changes in federal support for services to children and families to prevent or treat abuse or neglect. Chairman Herger has created a discussion draft entitled the Child SAFE Act, which trades new federal child welfare funding caps and lower match rates for certain provisions long sought by states and advocates.
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