News
This week in Washington
April 6, 2009
The Obama Administration and Congress continue to focus on resolving the economic crisis facing the nation. With passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) last month, as well as the Omnibus Appropriations Bill of FY2009, Congress has now turned its attention to the Fiscal Year 2010 budget process. President Obama sent his budget outline to the Hill on February 26 and is expected to send a more detailed version sometime in late April. In the meantime, the House and Senate have each passed their own FY10 budget resolutions, though differences between the versions must be resolved.
Congress is in recess for the Spring District Work Period until the week of April 20. The following is a recap of recent activities in Washington, D.C.
Congress Considers FY2010 Budget Resolution
On April 2, the House and Senate approved separate versions of a $3.5 trillion spending plan for FY10. The annual budget resolution is a non-binding agreement that establishes various budgetary totals for the upcoming fiscal year and divides spending into functional areas as part of an overall blueprint for major federal programs. These areas draw distinctions between mandatory spending such as Medicare and discretionary programs such as research.
The House and Senate budget resolutions differ slightly from one another but both trim President Obama’s proposed $3.6 trillion FY10 spending plan and curtail some proposed tax cuts. In general, both versions set the stage for work on several of the President’s priorities including an expansion of health-care coverage for the uninsured, more money for college loans, and a cap-and-trade system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
While Congress is away on recess, aides from the House and Senate Budget Committees will work to reconcile the differences between the versions of the budget resolution. Members will vote on the final conference report when they return the week of April 20.
For more information and specific details about each budget resolution, see the Budget Committee sites at http://budget.house.gov/and http://budget.senate.gov/.
DREAM Act Introduced in the House
On March 26, Senator Durbin (D-IL) and Congressman Howard Berman (D-Van Nuys) introduced the latest version of the federal DREAM Act. The DREAM Act is bipartisan legislation targeted to help students who came to the U.S. as children and do not have proper immigration documentation. To qualify for DREAM Act benefits students have to be long-term U.S. residents, have good moral character, and enlist in the military or attend college for at least two years. In exchange, they would earn stabilized immigration status and have the opportunity to pursue postsecondary education.
Nationally, more than 60,000 students who graduate from high school every year would benefit from the DREAM Act. Right now, only one out of twenty of these graduates is able to find a way to attend college. In California, undocumented students are not currently eligible for federal, state, or institutional aid. The DREAM Act would grant qualified undocumented students temporary legal status to allow them to qualify for some aid.
The DREAM Act would allow states to decide on their own how to determine eligibility and residency for in-state tuition purposes.
Senate Committee Considers Patent Reform Bill
On April 2, the Senate Judiciary Committee completed markup of the Patent Reform Act of 2009 after first approving a comprehensive amendment that addresses the two primary concerns of the university community: the determination of damages and the scope of the inter partes reexamination procedure.
The amendment, which was introduced by Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Ranking Member Arlen Specter (R-PA), and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), was supported by a group of higher education associations that have been working together on patent reform.
For more on the Leahy-Specter-Feinstein amendment and to read the statement from the higher education community on the Senate Patent Reform bill, see http://www.aau.edu/policy/patent_policy.aspx?id=7372
House Energy and Commerce Committee Introduces Climate Change Legislation
On April 1, Chairman Henry Waxman (D- Los Angeles) and Ed Markey (D-MA) released a "discussion draft" of the American Clean Energy and Security Act as a starting point for a comprehensive energy and climate legislation. Waxman and Markey have stated their intention that the Energy and Commerce Committee pass this legislation by Memorial Day. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has indicated that the full House may consider comprehensive energy and climate change policy before the end of the year.
The bill is divided into four major titles - Clean Energy, Energy Efficiency, Reducing Global Warming Pollution, and Transitioning to a Clean Energy Economy. For a summary of the provisions and link to the full text of the discussion draft, please visit the House Energy and Commerce website.
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