LEGISLATIVE BULLETIN | May 22, 2008

H.R. 2642, the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008

Summary 

H.R. 2642, the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008, includes provisions to meet the needs of our troops and fund ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, while also addressing critical international and domestic needs. The bill provides a 21st century G.I. bill that honors the service and sacrifice of our service members and veterans; ensures extended unemployment insurance benefits; places a moratorium on harmful Medicaid regulations; and funds continued Hurricane Katrina recovery for the Gulf Coast. The Senate version of the legislation provides a total of $212.2 billion for Fiscal Years 2008 and 2009, which is $28 billion above the President's request and $10.5 billion above the House-passed bill. 

Amendment #1 provides emergency funding for critical domestic and humanitarian priorities. Amendment #2 provides $165.4 billion for DOD funding to fund ongoing military and intelligence operations related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, including $99.5 billion in Fiscal Year 2008 funding and $65.9 billion in "bridge funding" for Fiscal Year 2009. Today, the Senate passed Amendment #1 by a vote of 75-22 and Amendment #2 by a vote of 70-26.

 

Major Provisions

AMENDMENT #1

 

Title I - Military Construction, International, And Other Security Matters

Chapter 1: Department of Agriculture

International Food Assistance.The bill would provide a total of $1.245 billion in P.L. 480 Title II grants, including $850 million in Fiscal Year 2008 funds and an additional $395 million available beginning October 1, 2008. This amount is $500 million above the requested amount.

 

Chapter 2: Department of Justice 

Inspector General.H.R. 2642 would provide $4 million for the Inspector General to continue reviewing the Federal Bureau of Investigation's use of National Security Letters (NSL) and section 215 orders for business records. 

DOJ Criminal Division. The bill would provide$1.648 million for DOJ Criminal Division to investigate and prosecute corruption in Iraq reconstruction. 

U.S. Attorneys. H.R. 2642 includes$5 million for U.S. attorneys for litigation expenses associated with terrorism prosecutions in the United States. 

U.S. Marshalls Service.The bill includes $18.62 million for the United States Marshals Service, including $7.95 million for enhanced security at high-threat terrorist trials in the United States; $3.7 million for increased court and witness security in Afghanistan Court Security and Witness security programs, protective equipment and training for U.S. Marshalls, and assistance for extradition of individuals who finance terrorism through the illegal sale of opium and heroin; and $6.97 million for Adam Walsh Act enforcement. 

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).H.R. 2642 would provide $164.965 million for the FBI for Fiscal Year 2008, including $139.965 million to support counterterrorism and counter-proliferation activities and equipment, terrorism intelligence gathering efforts, and law enforcement training in Iraq and Afghanistan; $20 million to reduce forensic backlogs; and $5 million to investigate contract fraud investigations in Iraq and Afghanistan. It also includes $82.6 billion in bridge funding for Fiscal Year 2009.
 

The bill also includes funding as follows: 

•$22.666 million for the Drug Enforcement Administration for counter-narcotics and narco-terrorism programs;

•$4 million for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to support provide technical assistance to the military in identifying and dismantling IEDs in the global war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan; and

•$9.1 million for the Bureau of Prisons to monitor communications of incarcerated terrorists, collect intelligence, and disseminate relevant intelligence to other law enforcement agencies.

 

Chapter 3: Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs 

Military Construction. Highlights of the bill's proposed military construction appropriations include:

Military Construction	Senate Proposal	President's Request	Change from Budget Request
Army	$1.17 billion	$1.44 billion	- $270.5 million
Navy and Marine Corps	$300 million	$237.5 million	+ $62.6 million
Air Force	$361.9 million	$305 million	+ $56.9 million
Defense-wide	$27.6 million	$27.6 million	$0

Iraq and Afghanistan.H.R. 2642 includes a total of $1.2 billion for military construction in Iraq, Afghanistan and other locations in the Central Command (CENTCOM) Area of Responsibility. Of that amount, $574 million, or 48 percent, is for construction in Iraq. 

Child Development Center Initiative.The bill includes $372.6 million to accelerate the construction of 31 child development centers on military installations, currently programmed for construction in Fiscal Years 2009, 2010, and 2011. 

Army Barracks Improvements.H.R. 2642 would provide $200 million for the Army to undertake major improvements to existing barracks and accelerate the construction of new barracks. This funding is critical to addressing deplorable conditions uncovered in some Army barracks, including those that house soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. As the Army's Permanent Party Barracks Modernization Program is not projected to be completed until 2013, this emergency funding is necessary to complete urgent major renovations and barracks upgrades. 

Veterans Educational Assistance.The bill would provide $100 million for the general operating expenses of the Education Service at the Veterans Benefits Administration, to fund provisions in the Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008. It also includes $20 million for modernization and enhancements of information technology systems related to the Act. 

Polytrauma Center Initiative.H.R. 2642 includes $437.1 million for construction at VA polytrauma centers, which serve as critical centers for the treatment and rehabilitation of active-duty service members and veterans wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.

 

Chapter 4: Department of State

The bill would provide $1.4 billion for Diplomatic and Consular Programs in Fiscal Year 2008 supplemental funds, which is $294.3 million below the President's request, and $652 million for similar purposes in Fiscal Year 2009 bridge funding, which is $412 million below the President's request. 

Iraq.The bill includes $1.095 billion for U.S. Embassy operations, security, logistics support, information technology and operations of Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) in Fiscal Year 2008 supplemental funds, which is $450.6 million below the President's request, and $500 million for similar purposes in Fiscal Year 2009 bridge funding, which is $135 million below the President's request. 

Afghanistan. H.R. 2642 would provide $195.2 million for diplomatic and security operations in Afghanistan in Fiscal Year 2008 supplemental funds, which is $32.8 million above the requested amount, and $87 million for similar purposes in Fiscal Year 2009 bridge funding. 

Additional funding provided in the Fiscal Year 2008 supplemental subchapter of the bill, which was not included in the President's request, as follows: 

•$7.5 million for operations, security, and personnel engaged in diplomatic and economic development activities in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) along the Pakistan and Afghanistan border (requested as a transfer from Department of Defense);

•$5 million for the establishment of a U.S. Consulate in Lhasa, Tibet;

•$1 million for the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative to expand public outreach efforts related to the Initiative's implementation;

•$50 million for worldwide security protection to restore 100 positions in the global diplomatic security guard force that were redirected to Iraq to address urgent security requirements for United States personnel elsewhere in the world (requested as a transfer from the Department of Defense);

•$60 million for the Civilian Workforce Initiative, including $30 million for the initial development and deployment of a civilian capacity to respond to post-conflict stabilization and reconstruction challenges and $30 million to strengthen capabilities of the United States diplomatic corps and promote broader engagement with the rest of the world; and

•$5 million for Public Diplomacyto expand new media for targeted Arabic language television programs.

 

Office of the Inspector General.H.R. 2642 includes a total of $69.5 million of combined Fiscal Year 2008 supplemental and Fiscal Year 2009 bridge funding for the Office of the Inspector General at the Department of State, including $20.5 million for the Department of State Inspector General's oversight of programs in Iraq and Afghanistan; $39 million for the Special Inspector for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR), and $10 million for the operations of the Special Inspector General of Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR). These funds were not included in the President's request 

Educational and Cultural Exchange Programs.The bill would provide $10 million for these programs in Fiscal Year 2008 supplemental funds, which were not requested by the President. 

Embassy Security, Construction, and Maintenance.H.R. 2642 includes a total of $118 million for security, construction, and maintenance needs for the U.S. Mission staff in Afghanistan in Fiscal Year 2008 supplemental funds and Fiscal Year 2009 bridge funding, which is $42 million below the request. 

Contributions to International Organizations.The bill would provide a total of $141 million for contributions to international organizations in combined Fiscal Year 2008 supplemental and Fiscal Year 2009 bridge funds. This amount includes $53 million in Fiscal Year 2008 and $40 million in Fiscal Year 2009 for U.S. contributions to the U.N Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and the U.N. Assistance Mission in Iraq, which is equal to the requested amount. It also includes Fiscal Year 2008 dues for organizations critical to protection U.S. national security interests, including the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. 

Contributions for International Peacekeeping Operations.The bill would provide $383.6 million in Fiscal Year 2008 supplemental funding for costs to U.N. peacekeeping operations, including $333.6 million to fully fund the mission in Darfur, and $50 million to support missions to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Haiti, Lebanon, Liberia, and southern Sudan, and an additional $150.5 million in Fiscal Year 2009 bridge funds for similar purposes. 

International Broadcasting Operations.H.R. 2642 would provide $3 million in Fiscal Year 2008 supplemental funding to continue increased broadcasting to Tibet, and an additional $6 million in Fiscal Year 2009 bridge funds. 

International Disaster Assistance.The bill includes $735 million in combined Fiscal Year 2008 supplemental and Fiscal Year 2009 bridge funds for International Disaster Assistance to respond to urgent humanitarian requirements worldwide, including in Burma, Bangladesh, China and countries severely affected by the international food crisis. This amount is $465 million higher than the President's request. 

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Operating Expenses.The bill would provide $149.5 million for operating expenses for USAID in Fiscal Year 2008 supplemental and $93 million in Fiscal Year 2009 bridge funding, which includes $41 million to support security needs in Iraq and Afghanistan, equal to the President's request. Funds above the requested amount are included as follows: $29 million for additional personnel in Afghanistan and Sudan; $19.5 million for Pakistan; $25 million for the development and deployment of a civilian capacity to respond to post-conflict stabilization and reconstruction needs, under the Active and Standby Response Corps; and $35 million to accelerate USAID initiatives to recruit and hire at least 100 additional Foreign Service Officers in Fiscal Year 2008. 

USAID Inspector General (IG).H.R. 2642 includes an additional $5 million for the USAID IG in Fiscal Year 2008 supplemental and Fiscal Year 2009 bridge funding to support increased oversight of programs in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Economic Support Fund (ESF).The bill would provide $1.962 billion for the ESF in Fiscal Year 2008 supplemental funding, which is $46.5 million below the President's request, and $1.232 billion in Fiscal Year 2009 bridge funding, which is $65 million below the President's request. This includes: 

•$899 million for Afghanistan in Fiscal Year 2008, which is $65 million above the request, and $455 million in Fiscal Year 2009, which is $295 million below the request;

•$398 million for Iraq in Fiscal Year 2008, which is $399 million below the request, and $110 million in Fiscal Year 2009, which is $103 million below the request;

•$150 million in Fiscal Year 2008 and $200 million in Fiscal Year 2009 for assistance for Jordan, including for Iraqi refugees, not included in the request;

•$200 million for economic assistance for the West Bank in FY08 supplemental funds and $150 million in Fiscal Year 2009 bridge funds, amounts equal to the request;

•$53 million for energy assistance to North Korea in Fiscal Year 2008 and $15 million in Fiscal Year 2009, in support of the Six-Party talks;

•$60 million for assistance to Pakistan in Fiscal Year 2008 supplemental funds, which is equal to the request, and $150 million in Fiscal Year 2009 bridge funds, which is $80 million above the request; and

•$40 million for assistance for Central America for an economic and social development fund. 

Democracy Fund.The bill includes $75 million for the Democracy Fund for political development programs in Iraq in Fiscal Year 2008 supplemental funding, which is $25 million above the request. 

International Narcotics and Law Enforcement.The bill includes $520 million for International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement activities in Afghanistan, Iraq, Mexico, Central America, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and the West Bank in Fiscal Year 2008 supplemental funds, which is $214 million below the requested amount, and $151 million in Fiscal Year 2009 bridge funding, which is $74 million below the request. 

Migration and Refugee Assistance.H.R. 2642 would provide $330.5 million in Fiscal Year 2008 supplemental funding and $350 million in Fiscal Year 2009 bridge funds for migration and refugee assistance to address critical refugee needs, including Iraqi refugees in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt, as well as internally-displaced persons in Iraq. The President only requested $30 million in Fiscal Year 2008 and $191 million in Fiscal Year 2009. The bill also includes $36.6 million for the United States Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund. 

Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, Demining and Related Programs.The bill includes $10 million for programs under this heading in Fiscal Year 2008 supplemental funds and $4.5 million under these programs for humanitarian demining in Iraq in Fiscal Year 2009 bridge funding. 

Foreign Military Financing Program.H.R. 2642 includes $200 million in Fiscal Year 2008 supplemental funding and $145 million in Fiscal Year 2009 bridge funding for this program, including a total of $300 million for assistance to Jordan and $45 million for assistance to Lebanon. 

Peacekeeping Operations.The bill would provide $10 million for peacekeeping operations in Fiscal Year 2008 supplemental funding and $85 million in Fiscal Year 2009 bridge funding, which is $35 million more than requested, for programs in Africa, including Darfur.

 

 

TITLE II - Domestic Matters

 

Chapter 1: Department of Health and Human Services

Food and Drug Administration.The bill includes $265 million for FDA salaries and expenses, including $125 million for activities related to food protection; $100 million for activities related to drug, device, and biologics safety; and $40 million to enhance FDA science programs. The bill also would provide $10 million for FDA to bring its laboratories outside of the Washington region in line with public health safety standards.

 

Chapter 2: Department of Commerce and Department of Justice

Periodic Censuses and Programs.The bill includes $210 million for increased costs for 2010 decennial census. 

United States Marshals Service.The bill includes $50 million to implement and enforce the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act. 

Federal Prisons.The bill would provide $178 million for additional costs of the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) related to the custody and care of inmates and the maintenance and operation of correctional and penal institutions. 

State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance.The bill includes $490 million for Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants, to help state and local police forces prevent, fight, and prosecute crime. Additionally, the bill includes $100 million for competitive grants for programs that provide assistance and equipment to local law enforcement along the Southern border or in High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas to combat criminal narcotic activity. 

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).The bill includes $200 million for NASA to address costs associated with the return to flight of the space shuttle. 

National Science Foundation (NSF).The bill will provide for $150 million for research and related activities at NSF and $50 million for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics [STEM] scholarship programs.

 

Chapter 3: Department of Energy

This chapter would provide funding as follows: 

•$5 million for Non-Defense Environmental Cleanup;

•$52 million for Uranium Enrichment Decontamination and Decommissioning Fund;

•$100 million for the Science budget; and

•$243 million for Defense Environmental Cleanup. 

USEC Privatization Act Amendment.The bill includes a general provision under this chapter to amend the USEC Privatization Actto provide market incentives for Russia to continue to down-blend weapon-origin highly enriched uranium (HEU) and protects domestic enrichment market from flood of Russian low-enriched uranium (LEU).

 

Chapter 4: General Provisions

This chapter includes $600,000 for the Small Business Administration to fund grants to veterans' business resource centers.

 

Chapter 5: General Provisions

This chapter would provide an additional $400 million for payments to states under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000.

 

Chapter 6: Department of Labor and Department of Health and Human Services

State Unemployment Insurance and Employment Service Operations.The bill would provide $110 million to reimburse states for the costs of administering the unemployment insurance program. 

Disease Control, Research, and Training.The bill includes $26 million for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for research, education and outreach activities for the prevention of and response to medical errors. 

National Institutes of Health (NIH).The bill would provide $400 million for the NIH. 

Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). The bill includes $1 billion for LIHEAP funding.

 

Chapter 7: Related Agency

This chapter includes $10 million for the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) Foreign Currency Fluctuations Account.

 

TITLE III - Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, And Other Natural Disasters

 

Chapter 1: Department of Agriculture

Emergency Conservation Program. The bill would provide $49.4 million for this program for recovery from floods, storms, and other natural disasters. 

Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations.The bill includes $130.4 million for the Emergency Watershed Protection Program for recovery from floods, storms, and other natural disasters.

 

Chapter 2: Department of Commerce and Department of Justice

Economic Development Assistance Programs (EDAP).The bill would provide $75 million for EDAP to assist in the relocation of public facilities of the Port of New Orleans as a result of the closure of the deep draft channel of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet. 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.The bill includes $75 million to help alleviate the economic impacts associated with commercial fishery failures, fishery resource disasters, and State and Federal regulations. 

Edward Byrne Discretionary Grants.The bill would provide $75 million for these grants to assist state and local law enforcement in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama to continue to rebuild capacity and fight rising crime in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

 

Chapter 3: Department of Defense - Civil

Army Corps of Engineers:

•Construction.The bill includes $4.362 billion for hurricane and storm damage reduction projects in Louisiana. The bill also includes $604.7 million for hurricane and storm damage reduction, flood damage reduction and ecosystem restoration along the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. Both the Louisiana and Mississippi funds are not available October 1, 2008. Additionally, it includes $66.6 million for the Corps to repair and rehabilitate a number of projects that are currently under construction that have been damaged by storm and flood events. 

•Mississippi River and Tributaries.The bill includes $17.7 million to repair damages to federal projects caused by natural disasters. 

•Operation and Maintenance.The bill includes $338.8 million for the Corps to restore identified navigation channels and harbors that have been impacted by storm and flood events. 

•Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies.The bill includes $2.926 billion for work related to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which is equal to the President's request. Additionally, the Bill includes $348 million to restore historic levels of storm damage reduction to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Neither the Louisiana nor the Mississippi funds are available until October 1, 2008. The bill provides $94.4 million to be available to repair damages to eligible projects nationwide and address emergency situations in response to natural disasters. 

•Oversight and Management.The bill would provide $1.5 million for additional oversight and management expenses associated with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. 

 

Chapter 6: Department of the Interior

Wildland Fire Management.The bill includes $125 million for wildland fire management activities, including $100 million for urgent wildland fire suppression and $25 million for burned area rehabilitation. 

Historic Preservation Fund.The bill would provide $15 million for the Fund for expenses related to Hurricane Katrina. 

State and Tribal Assistance Grants.The bill includes $5 million for this account for expenses related to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. 

Department of Agriculture: Wildland Fire Management.The bill also includes $325 million for the wildland fire management account to fund wildland fire suppression and rehabilitation and restoration of burned-over forest lands.

 

Chapter 7: Department of Health and Human Services

This chapter would provide $350 million for grants to hospitals in the gulf coast region affected by Hurricane Katrina to stabilize the workforce for patient care.

 

Chapter 8: Military Construction

This chapter would provide $11.5 million for Army National Guard construction to reconstruct a Battalion Supply building and billeting areas at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, that were destroyed as a result of tornado damage on March 4, 2008. 

The bill also allows the Navy access to additional funds for military family housing privatization at Gulfport, MS.

 

Chapter 9: Department of Transportation and Department of Housing and Urban Development

Federal Aid Highways.The bill includes $451.1 million to repair roads and bridges in 21 states that have been destroyed by declared natural disasters and catastrophes since fiscal year 2005. 

Permanent Supportive Housing.The bill includes $73 million to fund permanent supportive housing in Louisiana for elderly, disabled and at-risk homeless individuals that have been impacted by Hurricane Katrina. 

Project-based Rental Assistance. The bill would provide $20 million to fund vouchers for project-based rental assistance in the State of Mississippi to assist low-income individuals and families that were impacted by Hurricane Katrina. 

Housing Transition Assistance.The bill includes $3 million for the State of Louisiana for case management and housing transition services for families in areas impacted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. 

Community Development Fund (CDBG).The bill provides $50 million in Community CDBG funds for the State of Alabama for disaster relief efforts to cover uncompensated housing damage that has resulted from Hurricane Katrina. 

 

TITLE IV - Veterans Educational Assistance

21^st Century G.I. Bill.The bill includes provisions for establishing a new program of educational assistance for service members who have served on active duty since September 11, 2001. This title includes the provisions of S. 22, the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act. Specifically, the bill would: 

•Provide increased educational benefits to all members of the military who have served on active duty for at least three months since September 11, 2001;

•Offer educational assistance in proportion to the total length of active duty service on or after 9/11, from three to 36 months, to provide a maximum benefit of the cost of any in-state public school's tuition and fees for four academic years;

•Create a new program in which the government would match any additional contributions to veterans from colleges and universities whose tuition is more expensive than the maximum assistance provided; and

•Allow veterans up to fifteen years after they leave active duty to use their educational assistance benefit, rather than ten years currently provided under the Montgomery G.I. program.

 

TITLE V - Emergency Unemployment Compensation 

Emergency Unemployment Insurance.H.R. 2642 includes a provision to extend unemployment benefits by 13 weeks for all workers, nationwide, and would provide for an additional 13 weeks for workers in high-unemployment areas. 

 

TITLE V I - Other Health Matters 

Medicaid regulations.The bill includes a provision that would impose delays on seven Medicaid regulations issued by the Administration (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)), which would reduce or eliminate Medicaid payments for a number of hospital and outpatient services, school-based transportation services, and services for individuals with disabilities. 

These regulations will shift millions of dollars in health care costs to state and local budgets at a time when they already face economic strain. Congress has already implemented moratoria on four of these regulations, but two of these moratoria will expire on May 25 and the other two on June 30. The bill would delay until next April implementation of all seven regulations. 

Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).The bill includes a provision that would delay, until April of next year, the August 17 Children's Health Insurance Program directive issued by CMS. The August 17 directive would impose several restrictions on states that currently cover, or plan to cover, children in families with incomes above 250 percent of the federal poverty level. Both the Congressional Research Service and the Government Accountability Office have issued opinions indicating that CMS's issuance of the August 17 directive violates the Congressional Review Act..

 

TITLE VII - Accountability in Government Contracting

Chapter 1: Contractor Fraud. This chapter is identical to the language of H.R. 5712, Close the Contractor Fraud Loophole Act, passed by the House of Representatives on April 23, 2008. It closes a loophole in a proposed rule so that mandatory fraud reporting requirements would apply to U.S. contractors working overseas as well as to contractors working here at home. 

Chapter 2: Government Funding Transparency.This chapter is identical to the language of H.R. 3928, the Government Funding Transparency Act of 2007, passed by the House of Representatives on April 23, 2008. It requires any company or organization receiving at least $25,000,000 and 80 percent or more of their revenue from federal payments to disclose the salaries of their most highly compensated officers. 

 

TITLE VIII - General Provisions 

Avoidance of U.S. Payroll Tax Contributions.The bill includes a provision to prohibit the use of funds to contract with U.S. corporations which hire U.S. employees through foreign offshore subsidiaries to avoid U.S. payroll tax contributions. 

 

AMENDMENT #2

TITLE IX - Defense Matters

Chapter 1: Supplemental Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2008

The bill would provide $99.5 billion in emergency spending for the DOD for Fiscal Year 2008, to fund ongoing military and intelligence operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). This amount is $500 million below the President's request.

 

Highlight's of the bill's proposed defense-related appropriations for Fiscal Year 2008 include: 

•$18 billion for Military Personnel;

•$34.4 billion for Operation and Maintenance;

•$42 billion for Procurement;

•$1.7 billion for Research, Development, Test and Evaluation;

•$1.8 billion for Revolving and Management Funds;

•$1.4 billion for the Defense Health Program; and

•$65.3 million for Drug Interdiction and Counter-Drug Activities.

 

Case Management and Disability Evaluation for Wounded Warriors. The bill includes $94.8 million to address gaps identified by the President's Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors. The funding will provide for improvements in case management, data sharing, the disability evaluation system (DES), and the ongoing DES Pilot program and information technology development. 

Wounded Warriors Programs.The recommendation fully funds the identified requirements for enhanced Traumatic Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (TSGLI) benefits and wounded service members' separation pay, and provides additional funding for health care professional bonuses to support the recruitment of additional medical personnel. 

Defense Health Program.These appropriations include $1.488 billion for the Defense Health Program to provide medical and dental services to OEF/OIF active forces and mobilized Reserve Components and their family members. The funding also provides for costs associated with the treatment of combat-related injuries. Further, the recommendation includes $293 million for facilities sustainment, restoration and maintenance; $1 million for the Center of Excellence for Eye Injuries; $70 million for the Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine; and $47.1 million in various budget activities for disability evaluation systems and case management. 

Grow the Force.The bill would provide funding to support the Army and Marine Corps plans to grow their end strength in an effort to better sustain operational tempo and relieve strain on current units. 

Commander's Emergency Response Program (CERP).The bill would provide a total of $1.2 billion in CERP funding, including $479.9 million for CERP in Afghanistan, and $2 million for ongoing efforts in the war on terror in the Philippines. It also includes a provision to require the Department of Defense to establish minimum guidelines for CERP projects and reporting requirements to Congress on the use of CERP funding. 

National Guard and Reserve Equipment.The bill includes a total of $825 million, including $675 million for the Army National Guard and $150 million for the U.S. Army Reserve to meet urgent equipment needs.

 

Chapter 2: Bridge Fund for Fiscal Year 2009

Chapter 2 includes $65.9 billion for supplemental appropriations for the Department of Defense, not including military construction. Highlight's of the bill's proposed defense-related appropriations for Fiscal Year 2009 include: 

•$1.19 billion for Military Personnel;

•$54.9 billion for Operation and Maintenance;

•$4.4 billion for Procurement;

•$387 million for Research, Development, Test and Evaluation;

•$1.1 billion for the Defense Health Program;

•$2 billion for the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat fund;

•$1.7 billion for the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle fund; and

•$188 million for Drug Interdiction and Counter-Drug Activities. 

Traumatic Brain Injury and Psychological Health.These funds include $300 million to support programs and activities relating to the treatment, care, rehabilitation, recovery and support of the Armed Forces for traumatic brain injury and psychological health issues.

 

Legislative History

On May 15, 2008, the House of Representatives voted on each of their bill's three amendments to the Senate amendment to H.R. 2642, the FY2008 appropriations for military construction and veterans affairs. The House failed to pass amendment No. 1 (related to funding for the wars) by a vote of 141-149; agreed to amendment No. 2 (related to Iraq policy conditions) by a vote of 227-196; and agreed to amendment No. 3 (related domestic and other spending) by a vote of 256-166.  

 

Statement of Administration Policy

On May 20, 2008, the Bush Administration issued a Statement of Administration Policy for the Senate amendments to H.R. 2642, the Supplemental Appropriations Bill of 2008. The Statement can be accessed on the Office of Management and Budget's website: (http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/legislative/sap/110-2/saphr2642-s.pdf).  

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