CDCAN News Report Gov Appoints Degadillo As Director of DDS

cdcan NEWS REPORT
Report #023-2007 February 14, 2007 - Wednesday evening
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US Congress
* CONGRESS TAKES FINAL ACTION ON 2007 BUDGET - HJR 20
* US SENATE PASSES $463 BILLION SPENDING PLAN 81-15
* HOUSE PREVIOUSLY APPROVED 286-140 ON JAN 31
* HEADS TO PRESIDENT BUSH FOR EXPECTED APPROVAL
* INCLUDES INCREASES FOR PUBLIC HOUSING
* CHANGE IN SECTION 8 HOUSING FORMULA

WASHINGTON DC - The United States Senate, by a vote of 81-15, approved as expected HJR 20, the $463.5 billion spending plan that covers the remaining parts of the federal budget that was not approved last year, with 33 Senate Republicans joining the 46 Senate Democrats and 2 independents (note: 3 Democratic Senators were not present for the vote). The action by the US Senate completes work on the 2007 federal budget more than four months late and now heads to President Bush, who has indicated he will sign the bill.

The bill as passed by both houses would:
* Make significant increases in public housing, including operations; increasing funding for scientific research; and increasing the Labor, Health and Education spending to keep up with inflation,
* Fund most federal programs at the 2006 levels adjusted for increased pay costs
* Limited adjustments to meet new needs in Veterans Healthcare
* Eliminates more than 9,300 pet projects (called "ear marks") proposed by various members of Congress, including those proposed by many Democrats covering a wide range of projects and programs.

Attention - beyond the debate on the war in Iraq, will focus on the 2008 federal budget, that includes major proposed reductions in spending for Medicare, Medicaid and also reductions in public housing. Democrats in both houses have indicated strong opposition to many of President Bush's proposed budget reductions for 2008.

House Previously Approved HJR 20 On January 31
* The US House of Representatives previously approved by a vote of 286-140, the spending plan, officially titled the "Revised Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2007" for the federal budget year that began last October 1, 2006 and ends September 30, 2007. House Republicans provided 57 of the 286 votes for passage.
* The outcome in the US Senate was never in doubt after passage in the House - with the Senate the previous day (Feb 13) approving a motion to end further debate on HJR 20 by a vote of 71-26. Democrats also fought off attempts by Senate Republicans to amend the bill, who complained that they were not allowed to fully debate the measure.

Increases for Housing Authorities & Change in Section 8 Housing Formula
The spending plan includes funding increases for Public Housing Authorities operations, Section 8 and public housing - though not at the levels hoped for by housing advocates - but better than the reductions previously proposed last year by President Bush. The President has proposed for 2008 reductions in funding for housing authorities (see previous CDCAN Report on federal budget for 2008).
* HJR 20, also called an "omnibus appropriations bill" includes funding of $3.8 billion for public housing authorities, an increase of $300 million to allow these agencies to address critical operating needs, including unexpected increases in utility costs. The increase in funding, according to the US House Appropriations Committee, will help restore staffing levels, maintenance, service coordinators for the elderly, security and equipment needs.
* The funding increase - while not at the level housing advocates say is necessary to fund housing needs is still a reversal of President Bush's original proposal that called for overall spending reductions in public housing and will have important impact to people with disabilities, mental health needs and low income seniors living in public housing in California and across the nation.
* Housing advocates - and the House Appropriations Committee have previously said that the public housing authorities is still about $672 million short of the total funding that is needed for operating needs.
* In addition, the HJR 20 includes language to change the funding formula for the Section 8 Tenant-Based Program. The current formula is based on information from 2004 that is out of date and results in some Public Housing Authorities getting more funding then they can spend while others have less than what is needed, and the revised language corrects that problem. The change could provide relief to concerns in many parts of California for people with disabilities and seniors who are in such housing.
* NOTE: there is a CDCAN "Advocacy Without Borders" Townhall Telemeeting focusing on accessible and affordable housing and transportation for people with disabilities, mental health needs and seniors today (Feb 22) at 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM featuring the director of the California Department of Housing and Community Development, Lynn Jacobs and other department officials. It is free and open to the public. Dial this toll free number for the Townhall Telemeetings 1-800-608-4143 Note: there is NO passcode. Tell the operator you want to join the CDCAN Townhall Telemeeting or see CDCAN website at www.cdcan.us for details.

Congress Unable to Pass Spending Bills Last Year
* Congress last year approved only two of eleven spending bills for the federal budget year (October 1, 2006 to September 30, 2007). To keep federal programs and agencies running, the 109th US Congress last December voted a resolution to continue spending for most of the federal agencies at 2005-2006 spending levels until February 15, 2007. (the California budget year runs on a different calendar, July 1 to June 30)
* In January the Democrats took control of both houses in the new 110th US Congress.
* In December, then incoming House Appropriations Committee Chair David Obey (Democrat - Wisconsin) and then incoming Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Robert Byrd (Democrat - West Virginia.) said that they would complete action on 2007 spending bills through one "omnibus appropriations bill" - meaning combining the spending for programs and agencies into one bill, in order to keep programs and agencies running through the end of the federal budget year (September 30, 2007)
* Both chairs wanted to get the spending plan for the current federal budget year resolved and out of the way in order to focus attention on next year's federal budget (October 1, 2007 through September 30, 2008), which the President submitted February 5.

SUMMARY OF SOME SIGNIFICANT SPENDING INCREASES OR ACTIONS IN FEDERALSPENDING PLAN PASSED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JANUARY 31, 2007 AND US SENATE ON FEB 14, 2007

HOUSING
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Public Housing Operating Fund (increase):
* $3.8 billion, an increase of $300 million to allow Public Housing Authorities to address critical operating needs and will help to restore staffing levels, maintenance activities, elderly service coordinators, security officers and equipment.
* The Department of Housing and Community Development is currently funding Public Housing Authorities at 76% of their authorized operating fund levels, which the House Appropriations Committee says is still $672 million short of the total estimated need of $4.5 billion.
Section 8 Tenant-Based Program (increase):
* $15.9 billion, an increase of $502 million to allow HUD to renew 70,000 housing vouchers currently in use by individuals and families
Section 8 Project-Based Program (increase)
* $5.9 billion, an increase of $939 million to allow HUD to renew 157,000 housing vouchers currently in use by individuals and families
Section 8 Formula
* Language is included to change the funding formula for the Section 8 Tenant-Based Program.
* The current formula is based on information from 2004 that is out of date and results in some Public Housing Authorities getting more funding then they can spend while others have less than what is needed.
* This provision would correct that problem by directing the Department of Housing and Urban Development to use the most recent 12-month leasing and cost data.
* Last week HUD announced that a similar provision would be included in their 2008 budget request to be implemented in 2009.
* By including the language now, 2007 funds will be put to their intended use – funding housing units for low-income families and individuals rather than sitting unspent.

EDUCATION
Special Education
* $10.7 billion for IDEA Part B state grants, an increase of $200 million to help school districts serve 6.9 million children with disabilities.
Title I K-12 Grants
* $12.8 billion, an increase of $125 million to provide
Title I School Improvement Fund:
* $125 million for this new program to target assistance to the 6,700 schools that failed to meet No Child Left Behind requirements in the 2005-2006 school year, enabling them to implement improvement activities, such as teacher training, tutoring programs, and curriculum upgrades.
Head Start:
* $6.9 billion, an increase of $103.7 million to help prevent a drop in Head Start enrollments. According to the House Appropriations Committee, the Head Start Program has been cut by 11% since 2002, which has forced programs across the country to cut hours, transportation, and educational instruction in order to sustain enrollments.

TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration: the Federal-aid highway program
* Fully funded at the level guaranteed in the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) by providing an obligation limitation of $39.1 billion for federal budget year of 2007, $3.5 billion over the 2006 approved spending level.
Federal Transit Administration:
* $8.97 billion for federal transit programs, an increase of $470 million to meet the transit funding guarantees as required by SAFETEA-LU.

VETERANS
Veterans Healthcare
* $32.3 billion, an increase of $3.6 billion above the 2006 approved spending level to provide service for an anticipated increase of at least 325,000 veterans and to meet rising healthcare costs.

PUBLIC HEALTH
Community Health Centers:
* $1.9 billion, an increase of $206.9 million to finance over 300 new or expanded health centers, serving an estimated 1.2 million new patients, of which $25 million will provide additional funding to existing health centers in order to maintain critical health services.
Ryan White CARE Grants
$1.2 billion, an increase of $75.8 million to bring it to the authorized level.

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The California Disability Community Action Network is a non-partisan network connecting tens of thousands of Californians in every community, including people of color, people of every type of disability, including people with physical disabilities, people with developmental and other disabilities, people with traumatic brain and other injuries, people with mental health needs, seniors, people with MS, Alzheimer's and others, and families, community organizations and providers, in-home, direct care and other workers, and other advocates.

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