SPECIAL REPORT | May 22, 2008

Democratic Accomplishments in the 110th Congress: A New Direction for America

In the Face of Relentless Republican Obstructionism, Senate Democrats Remain Committed to Working for Change 

In 2006, Democrats were elected to take the country in a new direction by advancing the priorities of the American people. By the end of the first session, under Democratic leadership, the 110^th Congress had made significant down-payments on those expectations. After nearly a decade of Republican control, Democrats have worked to stimulate the slowing economy, restore fiscal responsibility in Washington,fund the government, and pass key legislation on Housing, consumer product safety, economic security, countering terrorism,homeland security, troop readiness,veterans' care, crime, energy independence,competitiveness,ethics reform, labor and wages, small businesses, health care, nutrition, education, stem cell research, water infrastructure,government accountability, and Gulf Coast revitalization. 

Though proud of these accomplishments for the country, Senate Democrats are far from satisfied. President Bush and Bush Republicans have stood in the way of progress time and time again and have often refused to work with Democrats in good faith to address the needs of the nation. The American people are fed-up; they are tired of partisan politics, and Democrats share their frustration. 

 

Table of Contents 

Stimulating the Economy, Restoring Fiscal Responsibility, and Investing in America's Priorities

Strengthening the Economy and American Competitiveness,

Combating Terrorism and Strengthening Homeland Security

Fighting Crime and Injustice Across the Nation and the Around the World

Supporting, Honoring, and Caring for Our Troops and Veterans

Improving the Health of Americans

Expanding Educational Opportunities

Demanding Transparency, Accountability, and Ethics in Washington

Advancing Energy Independence, Improving Infrastructure, and Focusing on the Environment

Securing a Sound Agricultural Future

Stimulating the Economy, Restoring Fiscal Responsibility, and Investing in America's Priorities

 

The Democratic-led Congress responded to the needs of the nation by passing a stimulus package that helps America's families.On February 7, 2008, both Houses of Congress passed H.R. 5140, the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, by overwhelmingly bipartisan votes. In passing this legislation so quickly, the Democratic-led Congress has kept its promise to respond to this economic downturn. While we recognize that there are structural problems in the economy that the short-term stimulus measure will not solve, the bill will provide direct financial relief to those who need it most and are most likely to use it to jumpstart the slowing economy. The measure, signed into law (P.L. 110-185) on February 13, will: 

•Issue a $300 - $600 rebate for individuals, or a $600 - $1200 rebate for married couples, including seniors living only on Social Security and disabled veterans;

•Provide a $300-per child tax credit;

•Help families at risk of foreclosure by expanding mortgage financing opportunities; and

•Promote job-creating business investments by providing tax relief for American businesses, especially small businesses.

 

With Democrats at the helm, Congress passed a budget that restores fiscal discipline and puts middle-class families first, without raising new taxes. In 2001, the country enjoyed a $5.6 trillion ten-year projected surplus. During the Bush Administration, that surplus was squandered, and the national debt ballooned from $5.8 trillion in 2001 to a projected $9 trillion by the end of 2007, all the while key domestic programs were left un-funded or under-funded and, as a result, average Americans suffered. 

In May 2007, the Democrat-led Congress began the process of reversing six years of fiscal mismanagement and irresponsible budget cuts by passing S. Con. Res. 21,the Budget Resolution for Fiscal Year 2008 (2008 Budget Resolution). Measures in the 2008 Budget Resolution provided for cutting middle-class taxes, and funding domestic andforeign priorities, including education, children's health care, veterans' care, troop readiness, energy independence, and environmental protection. Under the resolution,the federal budget would be balanced within five years and, by 2012, there would be a surplus of more than $40 billion, all without raising a penny of new taxes. The2008 Budget Resolution also re-established the pay-as-you-go rule in the Senate, which requires that any new mandatory spending or tax cuts be offset or get 60 votes. This rule helped restore fiscal discipline before, in the 1990s, and its reinstatement represents a major step toward fiscal responsibility now. 

This year, the Democrat-led Senate took another step towards reclaiming a balanced budget and surplus by approvingS. Con. Res. 70, the Fiscal Year 2009 Budget Resolution (2009 Budget Resolution),by a 51-44 vote. The 2009 Democratic Budget outlines the proposed federal budget for next year, as well as proposed budget levels for Fiscal Years 2010 through 2013. The Senate-passed2009 Budget Resolution reflects the Democratic commitment to strengthening the economy by creating jobs, cutting middle-class taxes, and making key investments in energy, education, and infrastructure. It would cut middle-class taxes and rejects the cuts proposed by Republicans that would harm middle-class priorities -- all while maintaining fiscal discipline and without raising a penny in new taxes. 

See the DPC Fact Sheet entitled, Democrats Pass Budget That Restores Fiscal Discipline, Invests in Middle-Class Priorities, for more information on the 2008 Budget Resolution, and The Democratic Budget: Strengthening the Economy and the American Middle Class, for more information on the 2009 Budget Resolution.

 

The 110^thCongress achieved what the last year's Republican-led Congress did not: Democrats funded America's priorities for Fiscal Year 2008...in 2007. 

•Democrats passed legislation to strengthen our military and ensure adequate funding for the Department of Defense.On October 3, 2007 the Democratic-led Senate approved H.R. 3222, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2008. The bill provides $459.3 billion in funding to the Department of Defense, which represents an increase of 9.5 percent over Fiscal Year 2007 levels. These funds will help restore the readiness of our overstretched forces and fully support the needs of our servicemen and women by investing in equipment, training, and cutting-edge weaponry, and also providing our military personnel and their families with the care and benefits they have earned and deserve. The bill was signed into law by the President on November 13, 2007 (P.L. 110-116). Specifically, the legislation will provide: 

•Military health care.The bill provides $23.5 billion for military health care, which is $918 million above the President's requested amount. 

•Military pay raise.The bill funds a 3.5 percent raise for all military personnel, which is 0.5 percent above the President's request. 

•National Guard and Reserve equipment.The bill includes $980 billion above the President's requested amount to address critical equipment shortfalls. 

•Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles.The bill includes $11.6 billion for MRAP funding, to better-protect our troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan from deadly roadside bombs; 

•Family support initiatives.The bill provides $2.6 billion for family support and advocacy programs, which is $237 million above the President's request; and 

•Readiness programs.The bill includes $140.1 billion for key readiness programs that prepare forces for combat operations as well as critical peace-time missions. 

•The Democratic-led Senate approved a funding bill that better reflects America's priorities for Fiscal Year 2008. In spite of Senate Republicans who have been committed to blocking critical needs and a President who has refused to negotiate in good faith, the Democratic Congress passed a Fiscal Year 2008 appropriations bill that addresses the needs and priorities of the American people. Specifically, H.R. 2764, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008(P.L. 110-151) signed by the President on December 12, 2007)makes investments to: 

•Support agriculture, forestry, and rural development programs.(Agriculture). 

Division A of the bill provides $18.1 billion in total funding with $16.26 billion for the operations at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), $1.71 billion for work at the Food and Drug Administration, and $111 million for United States Commodity Future Trading Commission. This rejects the President's proposed $24 million cut to the USDA and is $263 million above the President's budget request. The bill makes investments to: 

•Ensure the safety of our food supply; 

•Serve approximately 8.55 million low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk; and 

•Help rural America better handle the current problems in the housing market by providing funding for single and multi-family rural housing needs; 

•Strengthen the economy and promote American competitiveness, protect our nation against terrorism and violent crime, and promote scientific advancements. (Commerce-Justice-Science)
 

Division B of H.R. 2764 will strengthen the economy and promote American competitiveness, protect our nation against terrorism and violent crime, and promote scientific advancements by providing $51.8 billion in funding for the Department of Commerce (including the National Institute of Standards and Technology Research (NIST)), Department of Justice (including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)), and Science-related agencies (including the National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA)) for Fiscal Year 2008. This is $688 million above the president's request and $1.5 billion over Fiscal Year 2007 funding levels. Division B also includes $286 million in emergency appropriations for border and cyber security. The bill makes investments to: 

•Help the FBI focus on counterterrorism and crime prevention activities; 

•Provide $2.7 billion for state and local law enforcement and crime prevention grants, including the Community Organized Policing Services' (COPS) and COPS hiring program, which gives police departments across the country the tools needed to prevent, detect, and stop traditional street crime; and 

•Fight illegal drug use. 

•Help ensure that the country maintains its position as the global leader in science research and technology through the National Science Foundation; 

•Promotes U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by assisting industry in developing technology to improve product quality, modernize manufacturing processes, ensure product reliability, and facilitate rapid commercialization of products based on new scientific discoveries through NIST; and 

•Provide important funding for NASA to ensure that the United States remains the world's preeminent leader in manned space flight. 

•Help reduce America's dependence on oil, protect the environment, and support development of our nation's water resources. (Energy and Water) 
 

Division C of H.R. 2764 will fund important programs within the Department of Energy, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Bureau of Reclamation by providing provides $30.9 billion in funding for programs that will help reduce America's dependence on oil, improve the environment, and support development of our America's water resources. This funding amount matches the President's proposed budget numbers and $1.6 billion more than enacted Fiscal Year 2007 levels. The bill makes investments to: 

•Conduct essential research into reducing America's reliance on oil and developing renewable energy technologies that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions; 

•Support a series of advanced technology projects and climate change research; and 

•Help the Army Corps of Engineers protect, improve, and rebuild the nation's water resources infrastructure. 

•Enhance consumer protections, strengthen local economies, provide support for small businesses, and improve services for American taxpayers. (Financial Services and General Government) 

Division D ofH.R. 2764 provides $20.6 billion in funding for the Department of the Treasury, Executive Office of the President, the Judiciary, the District of Columbia, and 20 independent agencies. This is $1.1 billion below the President's request and $1.1 billion over Fiscal Year 2007 funding. Division D also includes $250 million in emergency funds for border security.

 

The bill makes investments to: 

•Provide additional funding for the Consumer Product Safety Commission to improve its ability to safeguard consumers against dangerous products and redouble its efforts to keep dangerous toys and other products out of children's hands; 

•Support community and economic development through the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, which promotes access to capital and spur economic growth in urban and rural low-income communities across the nation; and encourage the entrepreneurship that is the engine of the U.S. economy through small business programs; 

•Improve taxpayer services Taxpayer Services to help make the often daunting process of filing tax returns simpler and less burdensome; and create a demonstration grant program to help Community Volunteer Tax Assistance (VITA) programs provide volunteer income tax preparation services for low-income individual taxpayers; 

•Provide a 3.5 percent cost-of-living adjustment for the civilian federal workforce to continue the tradition of pay-parity between civilian and military employees; 

•Protect judicial personnel, witnesses, and family members of judicial personnel; 

•Implement of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) to provide grants to help states comply with the federal law, including upgrading voting machines and voter registration databases so that they are ready for the 2008 Presidential Election; 

•Permit the District to spend local funds for a needle exchange program to combat the epidemic spread of HIV/AIDS. While, on average, the United States has 14 cases of HIV per 100,000 people, there are 128 cases per 100,000 people in Washington, D.C. In previous appropriations for the District, use of federal and local funds for this purpose was prohibited; and 

•Help continue the progress on capital improvements in the Judiciary Square complex, including restoration of the Old Courthouse for occupancy by the Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. 

•Improve disaster preparedness programs and better secure American borders, ports, and transit systems against terrorist threats. (Homeland Security)

 

Division E of H.R. 2764 provides $34.85 billion in base funding, which is $550 million above the President's budget request and nearly $3 billion above Fiscal Year 2007 levels, excluding emergency supplemental appropriations. The bill also provides an additional $2.7 billion in emergency funding for Fiscal Year 2008 for border security, not requested by the President. The bill makes investments to: 

•Support critical homeland security grant programs; 

•Increase funding for state and local first responder grants and training programs, including Urban Area, homeland security, transit, fire, Emergency Management Performance, Metropolitan Medical Response System, and Regional Catastrophic Preparedness grants; 

•Provide REAL ID grants to help states comply with DHS requirements for drivers' licenses; 

•Fund port security grants under the SAFE Port Act and provide funding for Coast Guard port and maritime security programs; address the shortage of Coast Guard response boats protecting our ports; hire up to 200 additional Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officers at ports nationwide; fund improvements in container security (C-TPAT); and improve intelligence, information-sharing and coordination among federal, state and local maritime authorities; 

•Bolsteraviation security, including increasing the procurement and installation of explosives detection equipment at airports; enhancing screening of air cargo placed on passenger aircraft; increasing vulnerability assessments of general aviation aircraft; increasing the number of canine explosive detection teams; funding card reader pilot programs for the transportation worker identification credential (TWIC) and airport checkpoint screening technologies; 

•Provide border security fencing, infrastructure and technology and CBP facility construction funding; additional helicopters and eleven new marine enforcement units for northern border surveillance; and support the US-VISIT program; 

•Support Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) initiatives to identify and provide removal proceedings for criminal aliens and provide funding for detention and removal operations; 

•Help the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) rebuild its core competencies and improve management and ensure that state and local governments are prepared to respond to disasters; 

•Address unmet border security and immigration enforcement needs through Emergency Border Security Funding; and 

•Fund the chemical site inspection program. 

•Provide future and current generations with clean air and water, support firefighting activities, and improve America's national parks.(Interior/Environmental Protection)

 

Division F of H.R. 2764 provides $26.6 billion in funding to support programs that will help. This funding amount is $900 million above the President's budget request and $200 million more than enacted Fiscal Year 2007 appropriations. The bill also includes $300 million in emergency funding for firefighting. The bill makes investments to: 

•Fund the drinking water state revolving fund, the clean water state revolving fund, and sewer and water grants to improve drinking water quality and polluted waters across the United States; 

•Distribute clean air grants to states, and fund clean air research grants to reduce emissions from diesel fuel; 

•Take important steps to protect the environment and the health of all Americans by allocating funding for the Superfund, air toxics and quality, and the Toxic Substances and Disease Registry; 

•Provide critical financial assistance through the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program to those counties across the country that have large amount of land owned by the federal government. 

•Fund the nation's labor, health, and education programs. (Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies)

 

Division G of H.R. 2764 provides $144.8 billion in discretionary funding for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and related agencies. This amount is $300 million above the Fiscal Year 2007 comparable level for these agencies and departments and $3.9 billion above the President's budget proposal. In addition to the funding in the base bill, H.R. 2764 will also provide $307 million in emergency funds for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and for health monitoring and treatment needs for emergency responders, residents, and workers exposed to toxins at or around the World Trade Center Disaster site. The bill makes investments to: 

•Support critical medical researchat theNational Institutes of Health, including biomedical research and research into diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease;. 

•Increase access to health care through the Community Health Centers program, which includes community health centers, migrant health centers, and health care centers for the homeless. These organizations provide primary health care and social services for those without other access to care; 

•Increase Title I grants for K-12 education, providing extra academic support to help raise the achievement of disadvantaged students in high-poverty schools or districts; 

•Expand and improve the successful Head Start early childhood education program; 

•Provide financial assistance to make college more affordable for millions of studentsthrough and increase in the maximum Pell Grant, need-based financial assistance that helps low- and middle-income undergraduate students and their families pay the costs of postsecondary education and vocational training; 

•Provide greater assistance to students with disabilities to ensure they have access to a free, appropriate public education; 

•Alleviate poverty through the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) program, which provides states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, U.S. Territories, Indian Tribes and tribal organizations, community action agencies, migrant and seasonal farm workers or other organizations designated by the states, funds to alleviate the causes and conditions of poverty in communities; 

•Assist low-income households in meeting the rising costs of home energy through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) awards grants to states, territories, Indian tribes, and tribal organizations to assist low-income households in meeting the costs of home energy; 

•Invest in workforce development programs, which enhance job training and employment assistance services at the local level for economically disadvantaged veterans, dislocated workers, civilian adults, and at-risk youth; 

•Fundthe International Labor Affairs Bureau (ILAB) to support the effort to eliminate exploitative and abusive child labor and to support a new initiative to address worker rights in foreign countries with which the US has trade preference programs; 

•Help the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) meet its legal obligation to conduct 100 percent of mandatory health and safety inspections; and 

•Reduce the backlog of Social Security disability claims. Currently, it takes more than 550 days to process an appeal, up more than 300 days from fiscal year 2000. 

•Fund the legislative branch of government.(Legislative Branch)

 

Division H of H.R. 2764 funds the activities of the legislative branch at $4 billion, which is $400 million below the President's proposal but $100 million more than the Fiscal Year 2007 enacted level. This bill makes investments to fund: 

•the House of Representatives and the Senate;

•the Library of Congress, the Congressional Budget Office, the Government Printing Office, and the Government Accountability Office to help improve Congressional oversight efforts;

•the Architect of the Capitol and the Capitol Police, which will be merged with the Library of Congress Police.

•Provide the largest increase in veterans' spending in the history of the United States. (Military Construction and Veterans' Affairs)

 

Division I of H.R. 2764 provides a total of $60.2 billion in discretionary funding for military construction and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), as well as an additional $3.7 billion in emergency funding for veterans. The total amount provided is $3.2 billion above the President's budget request, and $14.1 billion above the Fiscal Year 2007 funding level. Veterans' affairs programs would receive $43.1 billion, which is $3.7 billion above the President's proposal and $6.6 billion above enacted Fiscal Year 2007 appropriations (excluding FY 2007 emergency supplemental funding). The bill makes investments to: 

•Fully fund veterans' medical care, VA hospitals and clinics, and medical research; 

•Allow the VA to increase funding for the growing number of combat-related injuries such as Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, without shortchanging the health care needs of veterans from previous conflicts; 

•Improve the management and efficiency of the VA health care system; 

•Fund medical facilities, including non-recurring maintenance of VA hospitals and clinics to ensure that VA facilities do not fall to the same neglect experienced at Walter Reed; 

•Provide for medical and prosthetic research; 

•Hire up to 1,800 new claims processors to address the backlog of the more than 400,000 disability claims pending at the Veterans Benefits Administration; 

•Fund construction needs at VA hospitals and clinics; and 

•Address the construction and maintenance needs, including critical renovations and repairs, at military facilities and military family housing.

•Fight international terrorism, strengthen diplomacy, and combat the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. (State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs)

 

Division J of H.R. 2764 provides $32.8 billion in funding for Department of State operations, embassy security and foreign aid programs, as well as U.S. contributions to international organizations. This is $2.1 billion below the President's proposal and $1.5 billion over enacted Fiscal Year 2007 appropriations. The bill makes investments to: 

•Promote global health, including HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care programs around the world; Global Fund grants to countries for AIDS, TB and malaria prevention, treatment and care programs; and Global Health and Child Survival programs; 

•Help displaced people around the world with food, water, shelter and other basic needs; 

•Support peacekeeping activities, includingthe UN-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur as well as peacekeeping missions throughout the world, including in Liberia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, southern Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Haiti, Timor-Leste, the Middle East, and Kosovo; 

•Fund the participation of over 42,000 individuals in educational, cultural and professional exchange programs worldwide; and 

•Provide funding for radio programs critical to the nation's overall public diplomacy efforts.

•Improve America's transportation infrastructure and a variety community development programs.(Transportation, Housing and Urban Development)

 

Division K of H.R. 2764 provides $103.4 billion for the Department of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development. This represents an increase of $3.1 billion above the President's request and $4.9 billion more than the Fiscal Year 2007 enacted level. The bill makes investments to: 

•Providecritical funding to help address the glaring needs to rehabilitate and construct roads and bridges throughout the country, including $195 million for emergency reconstruction funds for Minneapolis to rebuild the I-35W bridge; 

•Prevent Amtrak's bankruptcy and continue the ongoing work to improve the railroad's infrastructure and current services. 

•Supporta number of measures that will improve air traffic congestion and safety, including providing airport modernization, safety, and efficiency grants; funding aviation safety activities and FAA procurement requirements; speeding up the deployment of the next generation of air traffic control equipment; and restoring the President's proposed $60 million cut to the Essential Air Service, which helps maintain aviation service to our nation's rural communities;
 

Provide funding for Section 8 tenant based voucher program to subsidize housing costs, provide relocation assistance, and assist residents with job training; ensure the development of affordable housing for 1.3 million low-income families and individuals; and create housing for low-income elderly and disabled Americans; 

•Provide new housing vouchers for more than 7,500 homeless veterans, including those returning from Iraq; 

•Restore funding for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Hope VI programs, which invest in housing infrastructure projects in states and localities to provide affordable housing for low- and moderate-income Americans; 

•Provide grants to state and local governments to conduct lead-based paint hazard reduction and abatement activities in private low-income housing; and 

•Address the nation's worsening housing crisis by providing funding for housing counseling, which includes a new program specifically targeted to foreclosure avoidance/mitigation assistance programs. 

See the DPC Fact Sheet entitled, Democratic Funding Bill More Closely Reflects America's Priorities than President Bush's Budget, for more information on the 2008 appropriations bills.

 

Under Democratic leadership, the Senate passed the Fiscal Year 2008 Defense Authorization bill. On January 22, Senate Democrats led the effort to pass H.R. 4986, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (2008 Defense Authorization), by a vote of 91 to 3. After vetoing the initial version of the bill (H.R. 1585) in late December, the President signed the revised version (H.R. 4986) into law on January 28 (P.L. 110-181). The bill fully authorizes the President's requested base budget of $507 billion for Fiscal Year 2008 defense-related spending, as well as an additional $189.5 billion in emergency supplemental funding to support military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and related purposes. The bill will advance Democratic priorities for troops and veterans by: 

•Authorizing a 3.5 percent pay raise for all uniformed service personnel;

•Providing our service members with the resources, equipment, cutting-edge technology, and training they need for missions at home and around the world;

•Ensuring our troops and returning veterans are provided fair compensation, benefits, and first-rate health care;

•Advancing a comprehensive plan for improving the care, management, and transition of wounded service members; and

•Investing in programs that promote small business entrepreneurship amongst veterans and reservists.

 

Additionally, the conference report includes provisions to advance Democratic priorities on national security by: 

•Promoting the transition of our military to meet 21^st Century threats;

•Strengthening nonproliferation and cooperative threat reduction programs;

•Eliminating terrorist safe havens in Pakistan and strengthening initiatives to combat al Qaeda and bring Osama bin Laden to justice;

•Ensuring a fair process for detainees held at Guantanamo Bay;

•Improving the management and efficiency of Defense Department programs; and

•Strengthening oversight and accountability of war-time contractors.

 

Congressional Democrats began the 110^th Congress by completing the fiscal work of the Republican Do-Nothing Congress. After running up trillions of dollars in new debt, last year's Republican-led Congress left town without trying to pass a budget resolution and after completing only two of 11 annual appropriations bills. As a result, three months into the fiscal year that began in October 2006, 13 of 15 federal agencies were left to operate under a series of short-term continuing resolutions. Within six weeks of convening the 110^th Congress, before beginning the 2008 budget and appropriations process, Democrats passed H. J. Res. 20, the Revised Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2007 (2007 Continuing Resolution), which provided funding for the nine remaining appropriations bills that were not completed by Republicans in the 109^th Congress. President Bush signed the bill into law (P.L. 110-5) on September 9, 2007. 

•Additional funding for health and education programs. Democrats stayed within budget limits, eliminated earmarks, and increased funding for programs, including Pell grants, elementary and secondary education, the National Institutes of Health, and global AIDS prevention and treatment. 

•Additional funding for veterans health care. The resolution also provided a total of $32 billion for VA medical care, which was an increase of $3.5 billion over Fiscal Year 2006 levels, and the funding level approved by the Republican-passed Continuing Resolution during the last Congress. These funds were vital for improving mental health services, enhancing inpatient and outpatient care for veterans, and also allowing the VA to better address its backlog of pending benefits claims. 

•Additional funding for law enforcement.Democrats further provided $2.6 billion for state and local law enforcement assistance programs. Included in the funding was $519 million for the Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants (Byrne/JAG) program, which is an increase of $108.7 million over Fiscal Year 2006 levels, and $541.7 million for the Community Oriented Policing Services Program (COPS), which is an increase of $67.9 million from Fiscal Year 2006 levels. 

•Additional funding for energy and environmental programs.Democrats increased funding for basic science research at the Department of Energy by $200 million and for energy efficiency and renewable energy programs by $300 million. Efficiency and conservation are the cheapest and fastest ways to reduce energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

 

Senate Democrats passed an emergency spending bill to meet critical Fiscal Year 2007 national security funding needs.The U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007 (2007 Emergency Supplemental) (P.L. 110-28)included $120 billion in emergency funds, primarily for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, critical health care improvements for returning troops and veterans, Gulf Coast recovery efforts, and for addressing major shortfalls in homeland security funding needs and providing emergency drought relief to farmers. Specifically, the bill provided: 

•A $1 billion funding increase for National Guard equipment needs;

•An additional $1.1 billion for military housing requirements;

•$3 billion, or $1.2 billion above the President's requested amount, for Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles;

•$4.8 billion to fund health care improvements for troops and veterans;

•$6.4 billion for continued recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast, including $25 million for the small business economic injury disaster loan program;

•$3 billion to help farmers and ranchers recover from severe drought and agricultural disasters; and

•More than $1 billion in homeland security investments, including funds for port and mass transit security, and the installation of explosives detection equipment at airports. 

The legislation also included measures to increase the minimum wage, provide tax incentives for small businesses and promote small business entrepreneurship amongst women.

 

Strengthening the Economy and American Competitiveness 

Senate Democrats passed landmark legislation to protect American consumers from dangerous products and our children from toxic toys.Multiple, high-profile recalls in the summer and fall of 2007, most notably the deadly Magnetix toy, lead-based toys, and pet-food recalls, brought to light major gaps in the nation's ability to protect American consumers and their families from dangerous products of domestic andforeign origin. Worse, it unmasked serious funding, staffing, resource, authority, enforcement tool, and process deficiencies at the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which have crippled the agency's ability to fulfill its mission "of protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard or can injure children." 

The CPSC estimates that products under its jurisdiction are related to 28,200 deaths and 33.6 million injuries each year, all of which cost the American people $800 billion annually, and the number, scope, and technological complexity of consumer products has increased. Yet, the Commission is staffed at only half the level it was 30 years ago and is funded at only a fraction of the level needed to ensure the standards and frequency of product inspections and the effectiveness of recalls. Moreover, the CPSC is operating with out-dated rules and laws that are inadequate to meet the needs of a rapidly changing marketplace. What is more, as word has spread about unsafe children's toys and products, consumer confidence has dwindled to levels that threaten the retail market. 

Recognizing this crisis as a threat to the safety of our nation and the stability of our economy, Senate Democrats worked in a bipartisan manner with Administration officials, consumer and child safety advocates, and states to create a broad-sweeping reform package that will strengthen the Commission and laws to better safeguard and restore consumer confidence in the products on American shelves. The Senate-passed CPSC Reform Act, which passed on March 6 on a 79 to 13 vote, would: 

•Strengthen CPSC resources and effectivenessby increasing funding by 50 percent over the next seven years, restoring the Board of Commissioners to a five member panel (from the current three member panel), increasing CPSC staff to at least 500 employees by 2013, and streamlining product safety rulemaking procedures; 

•Protect children from unsafe productsby banning lead in children's products, requiring third-party testing and certification of children's products, and mandating label tracking for children's products; 

•Prevent deadly importsby improving information sharing among relevant federal, state, local, and foreign agencies, increasing the numbers of CPSC employees at our nation's ports, requiring safety certification of products, and banning the importation of recalled products; 

•Provide greater penalties for violators and resources for law enforcement by increasing civil penalties up to $250,000 per violation, creating criminal penalties of up to five years in jail, authorizing State Attorneys General to pursue injunctive relief, and extending whistleblower protections to manufacturers' employees; and 

•Enhance recall effectiveness by banning the sale of recalled products, requiring manufacturers and importers to ensure the funding of recalls, creating an online product safety database, increase public access to recall information, and enhance CPSC authority to order recalls and other corrective actions. 

See the DPC Legislative Bulletin entitled,S. 2663, the Consumer Product Safety Commission Reform Act, for more information on this legislation and issue.

 

Senate Democrats passed a law that improves car safety for children. On February 28, 2008, the President signed into law the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act of 2007(P.L. 110-198). The law reflects Democrats' ongoing commitment to ensuring product safety for American families and decreasing the number of deaths and injuries that have resulted from children being backed over, strangled by power windows, or killed when they inadvertently shift a car into gear causing an accident. The law would:

•Provide drivers with a means of detecting the presence of a person or object behind their vehicle; 

•Provide for the vehicle service brake to be engaged to prevent vehicles from unintentionally rolling away; 

•Require the government to study making power windows automatically reverse direction when they detect an obstruction to prevent children from being trapped, injured, or killed; and 

•Establish a child safety information program to collect non-traffic incident data and disseminate information to parents about these hazards and ways to mitigate them.

 

Senate Democrats are committed ensuring that Americans can buy a home -- and keep a home.From coast to coast, American families are facing a record number of mortgage payment delinquencies and foreclosures. An estimated two million households may lose their homes to foreclosure this past year and next, resulting in hundreds of billions of lost home equity.Unwilling to do nothing as millions stand to lose everything, Democrats have been focused on fixing the nation's housing problems -- by working with the private sector, government agencies, and homeowner advocacy groups to find real world solutions. 

On April 10, 2008, the Senate passed legislation to address the national housing crisis and help Americans avoid foreclosure by an 84-12 vote. TheForeclosure Prevention Act of 2008 (H.R. 3221) is an important step that builds on recently-enacted economic stimulus legislation (H.R. 5140). The bill would address some of the problems spawned by a housing foreclosure crisis and help lift struggling homeowners, neighborhoods, and our economy.If enacted, this legislation would:

 

•Expand and enhance the Fair Housing Administration to ensure that additional families can benefit from safe, fixed-rate mortgages; 

•Increase mortgage foreclosure protections for service members; 

•Help communities impacted by foreclosuresby allowing localities with high foreclosure rates to access Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) funds to purchase foreclosed properties for rehabilitation, rent or re-sale; 

•Help families keep their homesby increasing pre-foreclosure counseling funds and expanding refinancing-opportunities;

•Help families avoid foreclosure in the futureby amending the Truth-in-Lending Actto improve loan disclosures during the original loan and refinancing process; and

•Provide tax relief for homeowners, homebuyers, and homebuildersto help the housing market recover.
 

On December 14, 2007, the Senate passed S. 2338, the Federal Housing Administration Modernization Act of 2007, which would help homeowners facing foreclosure obtain safe and affordable homes loans and bring stability to the economy and local communities. The bill would make FHA loans a more viable alternative to the subprime market by: 

•raising loan limits; 

•making FHA insurance more accessible to certain buyers; 

•removing the cap on the number of "reverse mortgages" made through Home Equity Conversion Mortgage; 

•lowering fees; and 

•improving the FHA loss mitigation process. 

The legislation would also expand access to post-purchase homeownership counseling, enhance fraud protection, and expand access to credit for borrowers without sufficient credit histories. Further, the measure would enhance access to affordable housing by restructuring FHA insurance for manufactured housing and increasing consumer protections for residents of manufactured homes. 

On December 14, 2007, the Democratic-led Senate unanimously approved an amended version of the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 (H.R. 3648), which the House later approved on December 18 and the President signed into law (P.L. 110-142) on December 20. The new law offers tax relief to American families caught in the sub-prime mortgage crisis. Specifically, this fully off-set measure creates a three-year exception for debt forgiveness on home loans - helping families already unable to meet their mortgages to avoid incurring large tax bills as well - and extends a provision allowing homeowners to deduct mortgage insurance payments from their taxable income. The law also gives a surviving spouse an additional two years from the spouse's death to sell their home and claim the full $500,000 exclusion from capital gains tax. 

See the DPC Fact Sheets entitled, S. 2338, the FHA Modernization Act of 2007and Senate Democrats Are Committed to Protecting the American Dream of Homeownership, for more information on this legislation and issue.

Democratic Congress passes alternative minimum tax relief for America's working families. In fall 2007, the Democratic-led Senate and House sentH.R. 3996, the Temporary Tax Relief Act of 2007 to the President for signature, which he signed into law (P.L. 110-166) on December 26. This law will protect 19 million American families from being hit by the alternative minimum tax (AMT). While the AMT was created in 1969 to keep wealthy people from avoiding taxes altogether, it has started to hit working families instead. Without this measure, the hard-working American families that would have been ensnared by the AMT would have been hit with an average tax increase of nearly $2,000. 
 

Democrats sought better pay for working Americans by passing legislation to raise the minimum wage. In May 2007, after a ten year battle, Congress, under Democratic leadership, gave workers a long overdue raise by increasing the federal minimum wage to $7.25/hour. While the Senate passed H.R. 2, theFair Minimum Wage Act of 2007, earlier in the year, the wage was finally increased as part of 2007 Emergency Supplemental. 

The bill, which raises the minimum wage from $5.15/hour to $7.25/hour in three steps over two years, will benefit 13 million workers -- 5.6 million directly and 7.4 million indirectly -- and help reverse years of wage stagnation, without harming the economy. Nearly 59 percent of those who will benefit are women and 10 percent are single parents. Minimum wage earners also serve as the sole breadwinners of 46 percent of families who will benefit. Moreover, the raise will help well-over six million children under the age of 18 whose parents will receive an increase in earnings. 

The increase of $2.10/hour will help many of the approximately 37 million (or 12.6 percent) Americans who live below the poverty line by adding nearly $4,400 to a full-time, year round minimum wage worker's income. In some areas of the country, this additional money could be enough for a low-income family of three to cover months of groceries, utilities, or rent or nearly two years of child care or college tuition at a public two-year college. When combined with the Earned Income Tax Creditand assistance programs, the additional income could lift a family of four above the poverty line, even afterpayroll taxes. While more needs to be done, raising the federal minimum wage was an important step toward economic security for working Americans. 

See the DPC Fact Sheet entitled, After a Ten Year Battle, Democrats Raised the Minimum Wage for American Workers, for more information on this legislation and issue.

 

The 110^th Congress is determined to keep America competitive in the global economy. In early August 2007, on a broad bipartisan basis and with the strong support of the technology, business, and academic community, the House and the Senate approved the conference report to H.R. 2272, the AmericaCreating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science Act (America COMPETES). The bill was signed into public law (P.L. 110-69) on August 9, 2007. The law ensures that the United States retains its competitive position in the world through increased resources for math and science education for teachers and students in elementary through graduate school; and increased investments in science and technology research and innovation in the public sector. America COMPETES also supports private sector research and innovation, including investing in programs that ensure small- and medium-sized businesses have the tools needed to contribute to the global economy. 

America COMPETES is the culmination of a two-year, bipartisan, bicameral effort to pass a package of competitiveness bills in response to recommendations in the 2005 National Academies report, "Rising Above the Gathering Storm." Earlier in the year, the House and Senate passed comprehensive legislation (H.R. 2272, S. 761) that served as the basis for the multidisciplinary America COMPETES conference agreement, which passed the House on an overwhelming 367 to 57 vote and the Senate by unanimous consent. It was then signed into law by President Bush on December 26, 2007 (P.L. 110-169). TheAmerica COMPETES Act follows through on a commitment by Democratic Leadership to ensure U.S. students, teachers, businesses and workers are prepared to continue leading the world in innovation, research, and technology -- well into the future. 

See the DPC Legislative Bulletin entitled,The 110th Congress Passes a Bipartisan Initiative to Strengthen American Competitivenessand S. 1745, the Departments of Commerce and Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, 2008for more information on this issue.

 

The Democratic-led Senate approved flood insurance reform to better protect homeowners, businesses, and taxpayers. Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma caused 1,700 deaths, families and businesses and catastrophic property losses associated with massive flooding. The devastation of the 2005 hurricane season exposed millions of Americans to the consequences of the lack of affordable insurance, revealed the inadequacy of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to handle a catastrophe of this magnitude, and left the program with staggering debt. On May 13, 2008, the Senate approved an amended version of the Flood Insurance Reform and Modernization Act of 2007 (H.R. 3121) by a strong, bipartisan 92 to 6 vote. This measure would ensure sufficient funds and establish financial soundness for NFIP, expand and encourage the purchase of flood insurance, modernize the flood mapping program; protect policyholders and taxpayers; and reform the procedures associated with the reimbursement of insurance companies. 

The Democratic-led Senate unanimously passed important disaster aid legislation. In August 2007, as the two-year anniversary of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma approaches, the Senate unanimously approved bipartisan legislation to improve assistance to business owners and homeowners after a disaster. S. 163, the Small Business Disaster Response and Loan Improvements Act, would improve assistance to disaster victims by: 1) establishing a private disaster loan program to be used in the aftermath of catastrophic disasters; 2) creating a new expedited disaster assistance business loan program; 3) creating a new presidential declaration of "Catastrophic National Disaster" that will allow the Small Business Administration to issue nationwide economic injury disaster loans to small businesses affected by a large-scale disaster; 4) improving the disaster loan application process; and 5) increasing the maximum size of a disaster loan and allows non-profit groups to be eligible for disaster loans.

 

Democrats enacted small business tax relief. The Small Business and Work Opportunity Tax Act, passed and signed into law as a part of the 2007 Emergency Supplemental, provides important tax relief for America's small businesses. These deficit-neutral tax incentives include measures to: 

•Encourage the hiring of low-income and disadvantaged workers (extension of the Work Opportunity Tax Credit); 

•Help growing businesses save when they buy new equipment (extension and expansion of Section 179 Small Business Expensing); 

•Assist economic growth in the Gulf Opportunity Zone - the area still struggling to recover from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma (enhancement of GO Zone tax incentives); 

•Reduce reporting requirements for family businesses (family business tax simplification);

•Help entrepreneurs hit by the alternative minimum tax (waiver of individual and corporate AMT limitations on WOTC and tip credits); 

•Make sure employers don't lose current tax benefits when the minimum wage increases (enhanced tip credit); and

•Help small businesses keep the tax benefits of being a small business, even as they grow (S-Corp tax incentives).
 

The Senate unanimously extended a program to assist workers who have been adversely affected by international trade. On September 28, 2007, the President signed into law (P.L. 110-89) a three-month extension of the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program. Originally established by the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, the TAA program provides temporary federal assistance to hundreds of thousands of individuals, farmers and firms facing job losses as a consequence of free trade agreements, when it can be demonstrated that the job losses resulted from increased imports or production being moved overseas due to a trade agreement. Eligible individuals, who currently include workers in the textiles, electronic, transportation, apparel, and other industries, can receive reemployment services, training in new occupational skills, and income support while the worker is in training. The extension ensured that eligible U.S. workers, farmers, fishermen, and manufacturing firms do not fall through the cracks while Congress completes its work on a broad expansion and reauthorization of the current program. Democrats attempted to pass an additional extension authority for the TAA program in December 2007, but Republicans blocked this effort, and the program has now lapsed. 
 

The Senate also passed legislation to give travelers and commuters more options, relieve crowding on highways and in airports, and reduce oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.S. 294, the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2007 would reauthorize Amtrak for six-years at $11.6 billion. This legislation would: 

•Improve Amtrak's operations save taxpayer money by reducing Amtrak's federal operating subsidy by 40 percent;

•Repair Amtrak's deteriorating infrastructure by authorizing $818 million in capital grants per year, $1.4 billion in grants to states for new passenger rail projects, funding to return the Northeast Corridor -- America's busiest rail corridor, running from Boston, MA, to Washington, DC -- to a state of good repair;

•Expand Amtrak's operations and allow it to operate more efficiently by authorizing $11.4 billion over six years to fully fund Amtrak's capital and operating needs; and 

•Improve the service of Amtrak's passengers by setting a minimum standard of 80 percent on-time performance record for Amtrak trains and allowing the Surface Transportation Board to issue fines to freight railroad companies for delaying Amtrak trains. 

See the DPC Fact Sheet entitled, Senate Democrats Invest in Passenger Rail Service: American Travelers, Taxpayers, and our Environment Benefit, for more information on this issue.

 

Congress passed a law to extend the moratorium on taxes on Internet usage and electronic commerce. In October 2007, Congress passed and the President signed the Internet Tax Freedom Act Amendments Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-108). The new law will extend the moratorium for seven years and ensure that that certain internet services, such as e-mail and homepages, remain included in the definition of tax-exempt internet access. 

The 110^thCongress, under Democratic leadership, passed legislation to keep experienced pilots in the air.On December 11, 2007, the Senate passed H.R. 4343, Fair Treatment for Experienced Pilots Act; two days later the bill was signed into law (P.L. 110-135) by the President. The measure will raise the mandatory retirement age for pilots from 60 to 65 and will ensure that older pilots are not discriminated against in health guidelines. 

TheSenate strengthened the national do-not-call registry. On February 6, 2008 the Senate passedH.R. 3541, theDo-Not-Call Improvement Act of 2007, which would revoke the previous rule that requires phone numbers to be automatically removed from the registry after five years. The do-no-call registry is an extremely popular program -- with more than 145 million numbers registered -- that protects the American people from unwanted, often times aggressive and excessive, telemarketing calls. The bill was signed into law on February 15, 2008 (P.L. 110-187). 

The Senate also passed S. 781, the Do-Not-Call Extension Act, which is a measure to permanently authorize the FTC to collect do-not-call registry fees from telecommunications companies for the operation and enforcement of the registry. These fees enable the FTC to keep the registry free for consumers. The bill was also signed into law on February 15 (P.L. 110-188). 

Democratic-led Congress grants trade preferences to reduce poverty and to develop economies across Latin America. On February 28, 2008,the Senate unanimously approved the Andean Trade Preference Extension Act of 2008 (ATPA) (H.R. 5264). This bill extends through December 31, 2008 preferences for four Andean countries - Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia - providing them with duty-free access to the U.S. market for a variety of products including fuels, textiles and apparel, agricultural goods, and jewelry (but not for products considered "import sensitive" in the United States). ATPA was established in 1991 as part of a U.S. effort to encourage these developing countries to diversify their economies away from illegal drug production. The trade preferences help to reduce poverty and to develop economies across Latin America and are conditioned upon the meeting of eligibility criteria related to investment, labor rights, intellectual property rights, and drug eradication. On February 29, 2008, the President signed this measure into law (P.L. 110-191).

 

Combating Terrorism and Strengthening Homeland Security 

Despite White House obstruction, Senate Democrats are committed to giving the intelligence community the tools it needs to protect our nation from terrorist attack.On October 3, the Senate passed H.R. 2082 theIntelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, to authorize appropriations for Fiscal Year 2008 for intelligence and intelligence-related activities of the United States government, including the nation's 16 intelligence agencies and the director of National Intelligence. The bill included provisions that would ensure greater flexibility and authority to the Director of National Intelligence; require greater accountability from the Intelligence Community and its managers; improve the mechanisms for conducting oversight of intelligence programs; and reform acquisition procedures. The bill also included a classified annex including detailed budget recommendations. While the Republican-led Senate failed to pass the Intelligence Authorization bill for the past two years, Democrats have made this critical national security bill a top priority. 

Unfortunately, on March 8, 2008, President Bush vetoed this legislation, objecting to the bill's provision that would require all federal agencies - not just the Pentagon - to abide by the Army Field Manual. While the President claimed that this provision would "take away one of the most valuable tools in the war on terror," referring to the CIA's interrogation program that permits so-called "enhanced" interrogation methods, including waterboarding and other cruel and inhumane treatment, Democrats strongly regret this veto and reject the President's claims. Democrats believe that that outlawing such harsh interrogation methods and reaffirming America's commitment to the Geneva Conventions is critical to restoring the credibility of the United States in the international community and vital to winning the fight against global terrorism. 

In the face of Republican obstructionism, Congressional Democrats are working to better secure our nationand safeguard our civil liberties by updating the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.Last August, the Bush Administration came to Congress seeking emergency changes to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) so that the government could legally continue its warrantless wiretapping program -- a program it had previously operated in secret, without the authorization of Congress and in violation of FISA. Though the President had wasted precious years disregarding existing law and denying the program's existence, Democratic leaders worked with the Administration to provide the intelligence community the tools it needs to protect the nation from terrorism. Congress moved quickly to pass the Protect America Act of 2007 (PAA) -- a six-month, temporary amendment to FISA to ensure that there would be no surveillance gaps while Congress considered longer-term amendments to the statute. 

Since that time, Democrats have worked with the Administration, the intelligence community, and privacy advocates to develop several proposals for amendments to FISA, all which are improvements over the PAA. The road has not been easy, with Republican obstructionism frustrating and delaying the process time and time again, but on February 12, Senate Democrats passed S. 2248, the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 (as a substitute amendment to H.R. 3773). The bill would: 

•Strengthen our national security by providing the Intelligence Community the tools it needs to target non-U.S. persons reasonably believed to be outside the United States; 

•Provide better protections for Americansby increasing the role of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) in reviewing and approving minimization procedures and approving orders targeting U.S. persons overseas and ensuring that traditional FISA warrant rules still apply for purely domestic communications; and 

•Increase oversight and accountability of government actionsby requiring that additional data be reported in semi-annual reports to Congress on intelligence collection, yearly audits be conducted of the surveillance program; and relevant Offices of Inspector General review the impact of new authorities on U.S. persons and communications. 

Despite the importance of this legislation, Senate Republicans have blocked efforts to advance the bill through the legislative process by refusing to conference with the House to resolve differences between H.R. 3773 andS. 2248. And even while President Bush criticizes Congress for not moving more quickly, he and Senate Republicans have repeatedly blocked efforts to extend the PAA until the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 is finalized. As Democrats move forward to enacted final passage of this legislation, Democrats encourage President Bush and Senate Republicans to set-aside partisan politics in favor of working with Democrats to send a message to the world that America is strong, secure, and united in our commitment to fight terrorism and embrace democracy at home and abroad. 

See the DPC Fact Sheet entitled, Securing Our Nation and Safeguarding Our Liberties: Senate Democrats are Working to Pass the FISA Amendments Act of 2008,for more information on this issue.

 

Democrats led the way toward implementing key 9/11 Commission recommendations.Congressional Democrats' first priority is to protect our nation from further terrorist attack. After years of inadequate action on critical homeland security needs, the 110th Congress passed H.R. 1, the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007. The bill was signed into law (P.L. 110-53) by the President in early August 2007. This law will make America more secure by giving our first responders the tools they need to keep us safe, making it more difficult for potential terrorists to travel into our country; advancing efforts to secure our rail, air, and mass transit systems; and improving intelligence and information sharing between state, local, and federal law enforcement. The new law will also enhance the existing Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board to ensure government adherence to civil liberties guidelines. 

See the DPC Fact Sheet entitled, The Bush Administration Has Not Made America More Secure From Terrorism,for more information on this issue.

 

Democrats approved important reforms that will strengthen the nation's economy and security. In July, the Democratic-led Congress presented H.R. 556, the Foreign Investment and National Security Act of 2007 to the President for his signature, which he signed into law (P.L. 110-49) on July 26, 2007. The measure implements important reforms to ensure that there is a comprehensive and transparent process for assessing the national security implications of foreign investments in the United States. The new law strengthens the role of the Director of National Intelligence, makes the process more accountable to Congress and the public, and provides for a review and investigation, if warranted, of transactions covered by the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States to determine its effects on national security. This lawrepresents long-overdue, balanced reform that will strengthen our nation's security and provide a more predictable process that enhances our security and encourages job-creating foreign investment in the United States. 

The Senate unanimously approved a Democratic initiative to enhance compliance with U.S. sanctions law. On June 26, 2007, the Senate unanimously approved S. 1612, the International Emergency Economic Powers Enhancement Act, whichwould increase penalties on violators of U.S. sanctions law. The bill was passed by the House on October 2 and was signed into law on October 16 (P.L. 110-96). Under the bill, individuals who have invested in a country or terrorist organization designated by the President as a major threat to the United States - such as Iran or Sudan - would be subject to significant fines. 

Democratic Congress extended a program to help American businesses and workers recover from terrorist attacks. In November 2007,the Democratic-led Senate unanimously approved the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 (H.R. 2761). On December 18, the House agreed to the Senate-passed version, and the President signed the bill into law (P.L.110-160) on December 26. This legislation extends for seven years a program that was originally passed by Congress and signed into law after the terrorist attacks of September 11th to provide a federal backstop against catastrophic losses in the property and casualty insurance marketplace associated with massive terrorism damages. Without this extension, the program was scheduled to expire at the end of 2007. Large and small businesses, labor unions, manufacturers, builders, lenders, universities, hospitals, as well as insurers, have all voiced their support for this initiative to stabilize the market and ensure the availability of affordable insurance against terrorist attacks. 

The Senate passed a bill to prohibit the recruitment of child soldiers.On December 18, 2007 the Senate passed S. 2135, the Child Soldiers Accountability Act of 2007, which would impose a fine and/or 20-year prison term for recruiting, enlisting, or conscripting a child under 15 years of age into an armed force or group or into active combat hostilities. The bill also expands jurisdiction for prosecuting U.S. nationals and aliens who violate the Act.

The Senate passed legislation to assist 9/11 families in resolving legal claims from that tragic day. In the wake of 9/11, survivors and the families of those who did not survive had many tough choices to make, including legal ones, in addition to dealing with their grief. One of those decisions was whether to participate in the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund. Many chose to opt out of the fund and bring civil suits instead, and Congress required that victims and families bring those suits in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, however, this meant that they could only subpoena testimony and documents within 100 miles of that court. The unintended result was that many parties were legally barred from securing much-needed documents and testimony for their cases. In October, the Senate voted unanimously to fix this problem by passing S. 2106, the Procedural Fairness for September 11^th Victims Act, which will give nation wide subpoena power to all parties -- victims, families, and defendants -- when litigating 9/11 claims. The President signed the bill into law (P.L. 110-113) on November 8, 2007.

Fighting Crime and Injustice Across the Nation and the Around the World 

Senate Democrats are working to restore federal funding to state and local law enforcement programs. For years local law enforcement officers across the country have warned that funding cuts to state and local law enforcement programs at a time when law enforcement agencies are already stretched-thin by increasing homeland security responsibilities and national guard deployments would lead to fewer cops on the street, fewer resources for traditional crime fighting, and, eventually, an increase in violent crime. President Bush and Congressional Republicans, however, ignored their warning in favor of drastic funding cuts to critical law enforcement programs, including the COPS program and the Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program. In 2005, the country reaped the consequences of that failed fiscal policy when the nation's violent crime rate increased significantly for the first time in nearly 15 years and then increased again in 2006. 

Democrats are committed to reversing the nation's violent crime trend by funding the law enforcement programs that keep our nation safe from crime both foreign and domestic. In addition to funding included in the 2007 Continuing Resolution and the 2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act, the Senate passed S. 231, a bill to authorize the appropriations for the Byrne/JAG program through Fiscal Year 2012, in June 2007. 

See the DPC Fact Sheet entitled, Bush Republicans Cut Law Enforcement Funding, Violent Crime Increases For Second Consecutive Year,for more information on this issue.
 

The Democratic-led Senate refuses to sit idle as methamphetamine abuse spreads across our nation. As far too many American families know, methamphetamine (meth) is a highly addictive, debilitating, and deadly drug that has ruined the lives of millions of Americans in 2007 alone. Beyond negatively impacting users and their families, meth abuse and production pose significant threats to communities, especially rural and tribal communities, and the environment. Congressional Democrats have renewed our longstanding commitment to employing innovative and comprehensive strategies to combat methamphetamine abuse by introducing several measures in the 110^th Congress.

On December 12, 2007, the Senate passed H.R. 365, the Methamphetamine Remediation Research Act of 2007, a bill to address the environmental dangers of meth production. According to the Partnership for a Drug Free America, for every pound of meth that is produced, five to six pounds of hazardous, toxic waste is generated. Meth cooks often dump that waste -- the evidence of their crime -- into local waterways, woods, or other areas exposed the public. Moreover, these labs are not easily cleaned, poisonous vapors and residue from the cooking process settle into insulation, ceilings, and carpets and require costly, specialized Hazmat scrubs to repair the site. H.R. 365 requires the EPA to establish voluntary guidelines for the decontamination and remediation of former meth labs. The bill also requires the NIST to support a research program to develop new technologies and procedures to better detect meth. The President signed the bill into law (P.L. 110-143) on December 21, 2007.

On February 11, 2008, the Senate also passedS. 2071, the Combat Methamphetamine Enhancement Act of 2007,which would enhance regulation requirements for sellers and persons dealing in certain listed chemicals used to produce meth. The bill would require all retail sellers of these products to submit self-certifications of compliance with the Controlled Substances Act and create a civil penalty for the negligent failure to do so. The Attorney General would be required to develop and make public a list of all self-certified individuals on the Drug Enforcement Administration's website. The bill would then prohibit distributors from selling meth-producing products to persons not listed.

See the DPC Fact Sheet entitled, Senate Democrats Are Committed to Combating Methamphetamine Abuse Across the Nation,for more information on this issue.

 

The 110^thCongress passed legislation to strengthen the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and protect children from online predators.On May 20, 2008, the Senate passed H.R. 2517, the Protecting Our Children Comes First Act by unanimous consent. This bill would increase federal funding to help locate missing children, assist their families, and codify already existing, successful activities of the Center. This bill is critical to improving the Center's ability to protect children in the Internet age. Since 1998, reports to Center's CyberTipline have jumped from 3,500 to 110,000.

Also on May 20, the Senate passed S. 431, the Keeping the Internet Devoid of Sexual Predators Act of 2008, which would require convicted sex offenders to include their e-mail, instant message address, or other Internet identifier in the National Sex Offender Registry. The bill would impose a fine and up to 10 years imprisonment for failing to include this information. The bill would then require the Attorney General to maintain a system to allow commercial social networking sites to cross-check their user databases with the Internet identifiers included in the registry. The bill would also amend the federal criminal code to impose a fine and up to 20 years imprisonment for age misrepresentation with the intent to engage in criminal sexual conduct with a minor. 

The Senate passed legislation to target those who sell drugs illegally online. On April 1, 2008, the Senate passed the S. 980, the Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act of 2008, a bipartisan bill to amend the Controlled Substances Act to prohibit the delivery, distribution, or dispensing of controlled substances over the Internet without a valid prescription. The bill would enhance penalties for and further aid law enforcement in prosecuting those who sell drugs illegally online. While Democrats recognize the importance of the internet in providing greater access to convenient and affordable medicine, illegal online pharmacies pose a threat to legitimate patients as well as enable illegal drug abuse. Eliminating these rogue pharmacies is a key battle in the war on drug abuse, one that Republicans and Democrats alike are committed to winning. 

The Democratic-controlled Congress enacted a law to rehabilitate ex-offenders in an effort to reduce recidivism and rebuild families and communities. The United States currently imprisons more than two million people, more than any other industrialized nation. Ninety-five percent of those prisoners are eventually released, which means that approximately 650,000 offenders are released back into the civilian population each year. Having had virtually no rehabilitation inside the prison walls and virtually no transitional assistance outside the prison walls, offenders return to their families, neighborhoods, and troubles often worse-off than they were before, but now with the added stigma of being and ex-offender, physical and mental health problems generated or exacerbated in jail, the continued lack of education, and the inability to find a job. As a result, two out of three ex-offenders find themselves committing and being rearrested for new crimes within the first three years of their release; youth offenders are at an even greater risk of recidivism. 

Given the toll that incarceration has on families and communities, especially those that are already vulnerable, given the 40,000 per year in taxpayer dollars it costs to house prisoners, and given the economic and social impact that crime has on the country as a whole, a bipartisan group of Representatives and Senators worked to pass the Second Chance Act of 2007. This comprehensive and landmark bill authorizes a series of federal grant programs and initiatives aimed at rehabilitating inmates and transitioning ex-offenders into lawful and productive citizens. In providing ex-offenders a second chance at life, the nation also benefits via reduced recidivism, saved imprisonment costs, stronger families, and safer communities. On April 9, 2008, the President signed the bill into law (P.L. 110-199). 

The Senate passed legislation to improve criminal background checks for gun purchases. H.R. 2640, the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007, which the President later signed into law (P.L. 110-180). The law is designed to improve the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), the country's foremost background check system for gun purchases. Drafted in response to the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech this past year, the bill: makes clear that only correct records will be incorporated into the NICS system, and that incorrect records will be promptly removed from the national system; contains provisions to direct Federal and State agencies to establish relief from disabilities programs through which individuals who have overcome a disqualifying mental illness or disability may reclaim their right to purchase or possess a firearm; creates a legal regime where the reporting of disqualifying mental health records on both the State and Federal level will be improved; requires Federal agencies to report mental health and other disqualifying records into NICS; creates new incentives for States to report mental health and other disqualifying records; and provides States support to meet the goals outlined in the NICS Amendments Act. 

The Senate passed a bill to combat gang violence across the country. On September 21, 2007, the Senate passed S. 456, the Gang Abatement and Prevention Act of 2007. This bipartisan, comprehensive legislation would provide more than $1 billion in funding for gang prevention, intervention, and suppression programs, as well as create tough federal penalties to deter and punish members of illegal street gangs. Included in this allocation is $411.5 million in funding over five years for newly designated "High Intensity" Gang Activity Areas, gang protection block grants, and mentoring and after-school programs, all of which will focus on prevention and intervention efforts. The bill would also authorize $100 million over five years to expand crime control grants to state and local governments to better enable them to investigate and prosecute more cases against gangs and violent criminals, and allocate $100 for the expansion of the Project Safe Neighborhood, which will focus on preventing violence and gun crimes by gang members. The bill would further authorize $270 million over three years for witness protection efforts and increases penalties for interfering with witnesses. The bill would also establish new federal crimes, including making it illegal to recruit members for a criminal street gang. 

Democrat-led Senate passed legislation to fight identity theft and cyber crime. As the number of Americans using the Internet to conduct business transactions increases so do the incidents of internet crime. In 2006, more than 200,000 Internet fraud crimes alone were reported to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center. These crimes wreak havoc on their victims, ruining finances and lives. S. 2168, the Identity Theft Enforcement and Restitution Act of 2007, would assist the victims and aid in the prosecution and punishment of perpetrators of identity theft and cyber crimes, including spyware crimes. The bill would: 

•Allow victims to seek restitution for the loss of time and money spent restoring credit; 

•Close loopholes to ensure identity thieves who impersonate businesses to steal sensitive data can be prosecuted under federal identity theft laws; 

•Extend federal jurisdiction over intrastate identity theft crimes; 

•Establish a misdemeanor charge for unauthorized access to a computer where the damage is less than $5,000; 

•Make it a felony to employ spyware or key-loggers to damage ten or more computers, regardless of damage amount;

•Make it a crime to threaten to steal or release information from a computer; and 

•Enhance the ability of federal prosecutors to combat cyber crime by adding civil and criminal forfeiture to the list of crimes that can be used to prosecute offenders. 

 

The Democratic Congress passed a strong measure to aid in the effort to end the genocide in Sudan. In response to the ongoing genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan, the Democratic-led Senate unanimously approved S. 2271, the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Acton December 12, 2007. This legislation would allow American investors, taxpayers, and pensioners to divest from businesses directly contributing to the violence and misery of hundreds of thousands of innocent Darfuris. S. 2271 would permit states and localities to adopt measures for divesting from certain companies involved in Sudan. The measure would also allow mutual fund and private pension fund managers to cut ties with these companies. It would require federal government contractors to certify that they are not involved in business in four key sectors of Sudan's economy and require the Departments of State and the Treasury to report on the effectiveness of current Sudan sanctions. On December 18, the House unanimously passed the bill, and on December 31, the President signed the bill into law (P.L. 110-174). 

The Senate, under Democratic leadership, passed legislation to ensure the safety of our courts and judicial officers. Recent violence against judges and their families, including the murders of United States District Judge Joan Lefkow's mother and husband in Chicago and the murders of Superior Court Judge Rowland W. Barnes, a court reporter, and a deputy in Atlanta, has heightened concerns about judicial security. In an effort to better protect witnesses and the officers and personnel who work in our courts, the 110^th Congress passed H.R. 660,the Court Security Improvement Act of 2007 on December 17, 2007. The bill was signed into law on January 7 (P.L. 110-177). The new law would improve court security by enhancing measures that protect judicial personnel, witnesses, and family members of judicial personnel; increasing funding for judicial security at the federal and state levels; and strengthening relevant criminal penalties. The Democratic-lead Congress also passed, and the President signed, the Judicial Disclosure Responsibility Act (P.L. 110-24), which amended rules relating to judicial disclosure forms to better shield judges and their family from danger. 

Senate Democrats passed legislation that would better protect the attorney-client privilege.In recent years, the costs associated with discovery and the protection of privileged materials has skyrocketed to billions each year and countless hours, days, and years in court. The advent of e-mail has increased the number of documents that may contain privileged information and increased the likelihood of an inadvertent disclosure of privileged materials, which could result in a waiver of attorney client privilege for undisclosed, unrelated documents. On February 28, 2008, Senate Democrats passed S. 2450, a bipartisan bill that would modernize the Federal Rules of Evidence to reduce the likelihood of inadvertent waivers. The bill would provide that a disclosure only waives the attorney client privilege for undisclosed documents if the waiver is intentional; the disclosed and undisclosed communications or information concern the same subject matter; and fairness requires that both types of documents be consider jointly.

 

Supporting, Honoring, and Caring for Our Troops and Veterans 

Under Democratic Leadership, the Senate passed legislation to enhance veterans' assistance programs and extend benefits to Filipino veterans of World War II. On April 24, 2008, the Senate passed S. 1315, theVeterans Benefits Enhancement Act of 2007 by a vote of 96-1. The bill would enhance life insurance programs for disabled veterans; provide increased benefits for education programs; improve housing programs for disabled service members; and modify pay and service requirements for judges of the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. The bill also would grant limited pension benefits to Filipino veterans who fought under U.S. command in World War II. 

Democrats passed landmark legislation to care for wounded warriors.The neglect and mismanagement discovered at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center has highlighted the Bush Administration's failure to protect the well-being of our nation's veterans and service members. H.R. 1538, theWounded Warrior Assistance Act of 2007, will reverse the Administration's record of neglect, by providing a comprehensive plan to ensure the proper care of our wounded service members. The legislation will effectively improve military health care facilities, significantly enhance the treatment of mental health conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI), fill in gaps in health insurance coverage, increase severance pay, and ensure a seamless transition from active duty to the Department of Veterans Affairs. The measure was included in the 2008 Defense Authorization bill, which was signed into law by the President on January 28, 2008. 

Democrats advance legislation to protect military bonuses for wounded warriors.On December 14, 2007, the Senate unanimously adopted S. 2400, the Wounded Warrior Bonus Equity Act. The legislation will guarantee full payment of bonuses and incentives to veterans who have been medically discharged from service due to combat-related injuries. It effectively closes a loophole in the current law which has prevented some wounded veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan from receiving full enlistment bonuses. The legislation also requires the Pentagon to conduct an audit of such cases dating back to 2001 and to restore their rightful payments. 

The Democratic-led Senate passed a measure to strengthen veterans' suicide prevention initiatives.According to DoD, suicide rates in the Army are the highest they have been since the Vietnam War. Today, the suicide rate for Iraq war veterans is 35 percent higher than that of the general population. Democrats led the effort to advance a bipartisan initiative to address this growing problem. H.R. 327, the Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act of 2007, would significantly improve mental health services for returning war veterans. Specifically, the measure would ensure 24-hour access to mental health care for veterans at risk for suicide; provide suicide prevention education for VA staff and medical personnel caring for veterans; create a family education program to address the mental health needs of veterans, and implement a veterans peer support program to program to augment mental health services and suicide prevention efforts. The President signed the bill into law (P.L. 110-110) on November 5, 2007. 

Under Democratic leadership, the Senate provided a cost of living increase to veterans. On October 18, 2007, the Senate passed H.R. 1284, the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2007, to provide a 2.3 percent cost of living increase for veterans. The bill was signed into law by the President on November 5, 2007 (P.L. 110-111).

The Senate adopted legislation to expand benefits for veterans with service-related vision impairment and enhance VA burial and memorial benefits.On December 17, 2007, the Democratic-led Senate adopted H.R. 797, the Blinded Veterans Paired Organ Act of 2007. Under the VA's current eligibility requirements, some veterans who are legally blind have been prevented from receiving compensation. This legislation will modify the VA's strict standard to ensure that veterans with multiple disabilities that include vision impairment and veterans with service-connected blindness in one eye who later lose vision in the other are provided compensation. The bill also includes several provisions to improve burial and memorial benefits to veterans. The bill was signed into law (P.L. 110-157) by the President on December 26, 2007. 

See the DPC Fact Sheet entitled, Senate Democrats' Commitment: Honoring the Service of Our Nation's Veterans,for more information on veterans' issues.

 

Under Democratic leadership, the Senate passed legislation to enhance support for veteran-owned businesses.On December 19, 2007, the Senate passed the Military Reservist and Veteran Small Business Reauthorization and Opportunity Act of 2007 by unanimous consent. The bill reauthorized the Small Business Administration (SBA) programs for veterans and reservists for two years and provide $4.4 million for Veterans Business Outreach Centers. It included several additional provisions to expand technical and regulatory assistance and strengthen outreach programs to small businesses owned by veterans and military reservists. On February 14, 2008, the President signed this bill into law (P.L. 110-186). 

The Democratic-led Senate approved tax relief for America's military men and women. On December 18, 2007, the Senate unanimously approved a modified version of the H.R. 3997, theHeroes Earnings Assistance and Relief Tax Act of 2007, legislation that ensures that military families are able to buy homes, save for the future, and meet day-to-day expenses. The bill includes all of the provisions in the S. 1593, the Defenders of Freedom Tax Relief Act, which the Senate approved earlier. If approved by the House and signed by the President, this bill would provide tax relieffor members of the military who are receiving combat pay, saving for retirement, or purchasing their own homes. It would provide benefits for employers of military reservists and for members of the National Guard who provide assistance to employees who are called to active duty. The legislation would also create a new special enrollment right for reservists formerly covered under TRICARE to opt back into a civilian employer's health insurance plan at any time and would create special distribution rules for reservists' unused benefits in a health flexible spending account or in a civilian employer's cafeteria plan. 

The Senate, under Democratic leadership, passed unanimously legislation to streamline the citizenship process for military service members. On March 12, 2008, the Senate passedS. 2516, the Kendell Frederick Citizenship Assistance Act, in honor of a fallen soldier who was a citizen of Trinidad but served in the U.S. Army. Spc. Frederick was killed when he left the base to process his citizenship application. At that time, he had been attempting to become a U.S. citizen for more than a year, but his application was delayed several times due to administrative red tape and miscommunication. His citizenship was eventually granted posthumously. In recognition of his service to our nation, Senate Democrats dedicated themselves to ensuring that no other soldier fighting enemies overseas on behalf of the United States should have to fight unnecessary administrative red tape to become a citizen. S. 2516, along with the House companion bill, demands better coordination between the military and immigration officials, including ensuring that fingerprint records for enlistment suffice as fingerprint records for naturalization and changes to DHS rules pertaining to naturalization procedures for military personnel be reflected in updated versions of applications, instructions and guidebooks.

 

Improving the Health of Americans

Democrats passed much-needed, landmark legislation to modernize and improve health care services for Native Americans. On February 26, 2008, the Senate passed S. 1200, the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (IHCIA) Amendments of 2008, by a vote of 83 to 10. The passage of IHCIA comes after more than a decade of work by Democrats to improve health care services for Native peoples. The bill would:

•Establish objectives for minimizing the health disparities that exist between Indians and the rest of the U.S. population;

•Enhance the ability of the Indian Health Service (IHS) and tribal health programs to attract and retain qualified Indian health care professionals;

•Develop new mechanisms for completing health facilities and reducing the backlog in construction;

•Establish a continuum of care through integrated behavioral health programs to address the substance abuse problems and the social service and mental health needs of Indian people;

•Facilitate improved decision-making regarding program operations and priorities at the local tribal level in order to improve services to tribal populations;

•Enable Native Americans to use modern methods of health care delivery not currently available to them;

•Improve the efficiency of the IHS; and

•Facilitate participation in Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP by eligible Indians and Indian health programs.

 

Congress, under the leadership of Democrats, is working to ensure health care coverage for children in need.The Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) has played a crucial role in helping to reduce the rate of uninsured low-income children over the past ten years. By every measure, CHIP is cost-effective, and has been shown to work well in meeting the basic health care needs of our nation's children. In September, the House and Senate overwhelmingly approved a bipartisan, bi-cameral agreement to invest significant new federal resources into the program and cover millions more low-income uninsured children who are eligible for the CHIP and Medicaid, but whose families cannot afford private insurance. But President Bush vetoed the legislation. Although the President's arguments against the legislation to renew CHIP are unfounded, Democrats and Republicans worked together once again to produce a revised CHIP reauthorization bill that addressed the issues raised by the President and those Republicans who opposed the original bill. In October 2007, Congress overwhelmingly approved this updated CHIP legislation, which -- like the CHIP legislation passed in September -- would cover nearly ten million low-income American children whose families cannot afford private insurance.

Despite the overwhelming support for this legislation and the promise it offers to our nation's children, President Bush has, again, vetoed it -- for the second time denying millions of our nation's most vulnerable children the care they need when they're sick, and the checkups they need to stay well. As a result of the President's actions, Congress was forced to merely extend the current CHIP program though March 31, 2009, thereby protecting coverage for currently enrolled children, but not making any headway in reducing the number of uninsured children. Despite the President's vetoes of this critical legislation, 69 Senators, 43 governors, hundreds of organizations, and the vast majority of the American people continue to support the bipartisan CHIP reauthorization legislation.

See the DPC Fact Sheets entitled,President Bush Threatens to Veto Kids' Health Care...Again and Improving Children's Health Coverage is the Top Health Priority for a Bipartisan Majority in Congress. . .But President Bush Stands in the Way, for more information about this issue.

 

The 110^th Congress succeeded in passing bipartisan legislation to protect all Americans from genetic discrimination. On May 19, 2008, the Democratic-led Congress sent to the President's desk H.R. 493, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA). A version of this bill has been introduced, considered, and/or passed in at least one chamber of every Congress since the 103^rd Congress but has yet to make it to the President's desk, until now. 

GINA would establish strong protections against discrimination on the basis of genetic information by health insurance companies and employers (private and public) by: 

•Prohibiting insurance enrollment restrictions and premium adjustment on the basis of genetic information or genetic services;

•Preventing health plans and insurers from requesting or requiring that an individual take a genetic test;

•Covering all health insurance programs, including ERISA, state-regulated plans, and the individual market;

•Prohibiting employers from discriminating against workers in hiring, compensation and other personnel decisions; and

•Prohibiting employers from collecting genetic information, save only to monitor the adverse effects of hazardous workplace exposures. 

Scientists have completed the historic task of mapping the human genome, which has given physicians better tools to diagnose, prevent, and treat diseases. To fulfill the promise of this new knowledge, however, Americans need to be assured that their genetic information will not be used to discriminate against them.

Surveys reveal that the public's concern about the misuse of genetic information has led many to refrain from taking life-saving genetic tests and participating in critical genetic research. Moreover, the patchwork of existing state and federal laws are confusing to everyone -- insurers, employers, patients, and workers -- and inadequate to protect against genetic discrimination. GINA would ensure that genetic information is safeguarded and give Americans the confidence they need to take advantage of genetic services. 
 

Congress approved legislation ensuring Medicare payments to physicians for six months and helping rural seniors receive care.Both the House and Senate approved legislation that will block a scheduled 10.1 percent cut to the Medicare physician reimbursement rate in 2008, and replace it with a 0.5 percent increase through June 30, 2008. The bill will also extend a number of expiring provisions, including measures to ensure rural seniors' access to care. The bill also extends CHIP through March 31, 2009 (as further discussed above), and extends funding for the Transitional Medicaid Assistance and special diabetes programs. In addition, the bill imposes a six month moratorium on the implementation of the Bush Administration's proposed Medicaid regulations on rehabilitation services and school-based services, which, if allowed to go into effect, would cut nearly $6 billion from Medicaid services for vulnerable children and people with disabilities. Democrats are committed to passing CHIP and more comprehensive Medicare legislation in the next session. 
 

Senate Democrats led the way toward creating a stronger Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by establishing a new and better direction for the safety of the drugs we take and the food we eat.On September 27, 2007, the President signed into law the Food and Drug Amendments Act of 2007, legislation that will reauthorize the successful drug and medical-device user-fee programs; greatly improve the FDA's oversight of drug safety; and provide important incentives for the development of drugs for children. The legislation provides over $400 million for the review of drugs and medical devices at FDA, and over $50 million for needed safety reforms to give the agency the tools it needs to do the job we are counting on it to do. To help patients, providers and researchers learn more and make better health care decisions, the legislation creates a public registry of clinical trials and their results. The bill helps preserve the integrity of scientific review by improving the FDA's safeguards against conflicts of interest. The bill also addresses misleading prescription drug ads by putting in place parameters for strong safety disclosures for direct-to-consumer ads, coupled with an effective enforcement mechanism. The legislation will further end the abuse of so-called "citizen petitions," still allowing ordinary citizens to submit petitions to the agency about drugs it is reviewing to protect public health, but precluding those who seek only to delay the entry onto the market of generic drugs from using the process to do so. By creating a registry and a requirement to report problems, the legislation also takes important first steps toward ensuring a safer food supply. 

In this new era for the life sciences, Democrats have no doubt that medical advances will continue to bring immense benefits for our citizens. Thus, we are working to ensure that we have strong, vigilant public health watchdogs to guarantee that new drugs and medical devices are safe and beneficial, and that they actually reach the patients who urgently need them. 

See the background and summary section of the DPC Legislative Bulletin entitled,S. 1082, the Food and Drug Administration Revitalization Act, for more information on this legislation.

 

The Senate unanimously approved mental health parity legislation.Mental illness is a pervasive and often devastating health problem that, fortunately, is often treatable. Yet many Americans do not receive necessary mental health services due to financial constraints, stigma, and other factors. To help reduce these barriers to care, the Democratic-led Senate has approved S. 558, the Mental Health Parity Act of 2007. This bipartisan legislation prohibits a group health plan that offers mental health coverage from imposing financial requirements or treatment limitations on mental health benefits that are more restrictive than the financial requirements or treatment limitations applied to the plan's medical and surgical benefits. While the legislation does not mandate that group health plans provide mental health coverage, it does not preempt states laws that require mental health benefits.
 

Senate Democrats passed landmark legislation to ban the use of asbestos.On October 4, 2007, the Senate unanimously passed S. 742, the Ban Asbestos in America Act of 2007. The use of asbestos in a number of materials commonly found throughout homes and businesses like fire insulation, floor tiles, and textured paints. Exposure to asbestos fibers can accumulate in lungs that can cause cancer, mesothelima, and scarring of long tissues. The legislation will:

•Require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ensure that asbestos products go out of circulation within two years of the bill becoming law; 

•Allow researchers to expand the clearinghouse of information available to scientists; 

•Strengthen the existing asbestos disease registry by enabling it to include information on patients with assorted types of asbestos-related diseases; 

•Expand the treatment and research of asbestos-related diseases by creating a $50 million account to provide for the construction of treatment centers across the country; and 

•Require the Administrator at the EPA to conduct a public education campaign with a wide range of public health groups to educate the public on the dangers of using asbestos-related projects in their homes and places of business.

 

Critical legislation to expand programs and funding to treat traumatic brain injuries has become law.On December 11, 2007, the Senate approved S. 793, legislation to reauthorize the Traumatic Brain Injury Act, to continue funding for a range of traumatic brain injury programs. The bill would reauthorize grants that have been assisting states in building or enhancing coordinating systems of community-based services and support for adults and children with traumatic brain injuries. Every year 1.5 million people in the United States sustain a traumatic brain injury, including approximately 475,000 children. This bill would provide assistance to the millions of adults and children in our nation who are facing an array of problems due to their injury. This legislation was signed into law on April 28, 2008. 

The Senate has approved legislation to help our nation's most disadvantaged children get a healthy start in life. The United States's infant mortality rate ranks 32nd out of 33 of the world's industrialized nations. To combat this problem, the Healthy Start program provides services to improve access to, and the quality of, health care for at-risk mothers and infants. That is why on April 30, the Senate approved the Healthy Start Reauthorization Act of 2007, which will reauthorize the Healthy Start program for five years. This legislation is essential to helping our nation's most disadvantaged children survive infancy and start life healthy. 

Congress has approved legislation to improve health screenings for newborn children.While some newborn screening occurs in every state, fewer than half of all states screen for all 29 of the medical conditions recommended by the American College of Medical Genetics and the Department of Health and Human Services. On December 13, 2007, the Senate unanimously approved S. 1858, the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2007, which will educate parents and health care providers about newborn health screening; improve follow-up care for infants with an illness detected through newborn screening; and help states expand and improve their newborn screening programs. This legislation was signed into law on April 24, 2008 (P.L. 110-204). 

The 110^thCongress worked in a bipartisan manner to ensure the availability of breast and cervical cancer screenings for low-income women. In April, 2007, the President signed into law (P.L.110-18), theNational Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program Reauthorization Act of 2007, which reauthorized and increased funding for the program to subsidize mammography exams, pap tests, and other screening exams. The law would also allow some states to spend grant money on outreach programs to underserved women who may not otherwise know about the program.
 

Democrats are committed to expanding federally-funded embryonic stem cell research.Embryonic stem cells have the unique ability to develop into virtually every cell and tissue in the body, and stem cell research is giving hope to millions of people with debilitating diseases and disabilities who may one day benefit from embryonic stem cell therapies. Scientists report that the restrictions President Bush has imposed on the number of stem cell lines eligible for federally-funded research is hindering progress. In 2006, the President vetoed bipartisan legislation that would have expanded the number of embryonic stem cell lines eligible for federally-funded research. 

Undeterred, Congress again passed legislation to expand the number of human embryonic stem cells eligible for federally-funded research. S. 5, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007, directs the Health and Human Services Secretary to conduct and support embryonic stem cell research, regardless of when the stem cells were derived, provided that: 1) the stem cells were derived from embryos donated from in vitro fertilization clinics, were created for fertility treatment, and are in excess of what was needed for those treatments; 2) the embryos would never be implanted in a woman and would otherwise be discarded; and 3) the individuals who donated embryos have provided their written informed consent and have not received any financial or other inducements for making the donation. 

On June 20, 2007, President Bush vetoed S. 5, for the second time, blocking legislation to advance research on embryonic stem cells. Both S. 5 and the legislation vetoed by the president in the last Congress were approved by bipartisan majorities in both the House and the Senate, with nearly universal support from Democrats. S. 5 has the support of the overwhelming majority of Americans, as well as major medical and scientific associations, research universities and institutions, and dozens of patient advocacy organizations. More than 100 million Americans suffer from diseases or conditions that could one day be treated with therapies derived from stem cell research. The President's veto is a devastating setback for them. That is why Democrats will continue to fight to expand the President's misguided policy. 

See DPC Fact Sheets entitled, President Bush Blocks Legislation to Advance Stem Cell Research...Again and NIH Director Agrees that Federally Funded Scientists Should Have Access to New Embryonic Stem Cell Lines,for more information on this issue.

Democrats enacted a measure to better ensure the safety of our seniors. On August 1, 2007, the Senate unanimously approved S. 845, the Safety of Seniors Act of 2007. This legislation will authorize new programs to help prevent falls among older adults through public education, research and demonstration projects. Falls are the leading cause of injury deaths among persons over 65, and this bill will take significant steps towards preventing falls among our nations' seniors. The legislation was signed into law on April 24, 2008 (P.L. 110-202).

 

Expanding Educational Opportunities

Landmark legislation to make college more affordable has become law. Higher education is becoming more and more important to achieving the American dream, yet it is also becoming increasingly unaffordable and inaccessible. Democrats recognize that students and their families are struggling to cover the rising cost of college and have made college affordability a top priority. That is why under Democratic leadership, Congress overwhelmingly approved the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, legislation that will increase access to higher education, and direct federal dollars where they are needed most. 

This legislation will increase student aid for low- and middle-income students, providing over $20 billion in new student aid and benefits, the largest increase in student aid since the G.I. bill. The bill will also make student loan debt more manageable, forgive student loan debt for those who commit to public service, and reform the student loan system to work for students, not banks. Moreover, the higher education legislation, approved by the Senate, will provide benefits to students at no cost to taxpayers by reducing excessive lender subsidies and redirecting federal aid to students who need it most. The President signed this legislation into law (P.L. 110-84) on September 27, 2007. 

See the DPC Fact Sheet entitled, Democrats Send the President Landmark Legislation Calling for the Largest Increase in Student Aid Since the G.I. Bill, for information on this legislation.

 

Under Democratic leadership, vital legislation to expand and improve Head Start has become law. For more than 40 years, Head Start has provided America's neediest children with cognitive, social-emotional, and academic skills, helping to prepare them for success in school. Studies show that at-risk children who have participated in Head Start programs are better prepared for school than their peers who have not had the benefit of Head Start. However, Head Start currently serves only about half of all eligible preschool children and fewer than five percent of eligible infants and toddlers. 

On November 14, 2007, the Senate unanimously approved the conference report to accompany H.R. 1429, the Head Start for School Readiness Act, which will increase funding and expand access for the Head Start program to include additional low-income children up to 130 percent of the federal poverty level. The bill also takes important steps to expand Early Head Start (a component of Head Start that benefits infants and toddlers and their families) to serve and additional 8,000 low-income infants and toddlers over the next five years. To improve and expand the availability of quality early childhood education, the legislation would establish an Early Education and Care Council in each state to develop a coordinated and comprehensive system of early childhood education and development. The President signed this legislation into law (P.L. 110-134) on December 12. 

Congress has also passed legislation to protect student borrowers from the turmoil in the U.S. credit markets. In recent months, problems in the mortgage market have made it difficult for some lenders who participate in the federal student loan program to secure the capital they need to finance college loans. To help ensure that that access to college loans is not jeopardized by turmoil in the credit markets, Congress passed the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act, which was signed into law earlier this month. This legislation will increase the amount of federally-subsidized loans available to students and provide parents with improved access to low-cost federal loan. The legislation will also help students access low-cost federal loans by helping to stabilize the private student loan program and shoring up the existing "lender of last resort" program. In addition, by expanding eligibility for need-based financial aid, the legislation will decrease students' reliance on loans to pay for college.

 

Demanding Transparency, Accountability, and Ethics in Washington 

The Senate passed bipartisan legislation to increase oversight of the executive branch.On April 23, 2008, the Senate passed S. 2324, the Inspector General Reform Act of 2007 by unanimous consent. The bill will increase government accountability and cut down on government waste, fraud and abuse by enhancing the independence and effectiveness of our country's system of federal inspector generals (IG). It will provide IGs greater autonomy over their budgets and make it more difficult for the executive branch to fire them. Additionally, the bill will establish an "integrity and efficiency council" to address IG issues across government agencies, develop standards for IGs, and identify and take corrective action against waste, fraud and abuse in federal programs. 

The Senate passed legislation to protect federal whistleblowers. Recent congressional oversight hearings about government waste, fraud, and abuse, especially as it relates to the War in Iraq, have highlighted the importance of federal whistleblowers in holding the government accountable. On December 17, 2007, the Senate passed S. 274, the Federal Employees Disclosure Act of 2007, a bipartisan bill to strengthen the Whistleblower Protection Act to shieldfederal employees who uncover waste, fraud, abuse, or gross mismanagement, without restriction as to time, place, form, motive, context, or prior disclosure. These protections would include safeguards against the enforcement of nondisclosure policies, the retaliatory revocation of security clearances, and unnecessary investigations. The measure would give the Office of Special Counsel the ability to file amicus briefs in federal courts and codify and strengthen anti-gag rules. The legislation would also permit multi-circuit review for up to five-years, suspending the Federal Circuit's sole jurisdiction over federal whistleblower cases. 

See the DPC oversight and accountability project homepage for more information on this issue.

 

The Democratic-led Congress passed comprehensive ethics and lobbying reform. In the last election, Americans sent a clear message that unethical and illegal behavior in government will no longer be tolerated. Democrats responded by making ethics reform their first priority in the 110^th Congress. In August 2007, Democrats delivered on that promise by achieving final passage of S. 1, the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007. The legislation willstrengthen Senate rules regarding gifts and travel, slow the "revolving door" for former Senators and staff, enhance and better enforce lobbying disclosures, reduce "dead of night" changes to conference reports, require earmark transparency, and ban the pay-to-play K Street Project. When the President signed the bill into law (P.L. 110-81) on September 14, the 110th Congress, under Democratic leadership, accomplished what previous Republican congresses would not: enact the toughest, most sweeping ethics and lobbying reform in a generation. 

See the DPC Fact Sheet entitled, The Democratic-led, 110th Congress Delivered a Victory for the American People by Passing Ethics and Lobbying Reform, for background information on this legislation.

 

The Senate, under Democratic leadership, passed bipartisan legislation to increase transparency and accessibility in government.On December 17, 2007, the Senate enacted final passage of S. 2488, the Openness Promotes Effectiveness in our National Government Act (OPEN Government Act), which provides the first reforms to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in over a decade. The bill was signed into law (P.L. 110-175) by the President on December 31, 2007. 

FOIA was passed in 1966 to establish the public's presumptive right to access government documents. In recent years, however, concerns have been raised about the slowness with which FOIA requests are processed and answered. Some requests have been backlogged for years due to both bureaucratic red-tape and intentional delays. Under the Bush Administration, government agencies shifted the long-held presumption in favor of complying with requests to a presumption againstcomplying with requests -- a policy change that has resulted in the frivolous denials of requests and conflicts directly with the spirit of FOIA. 

TheOpen Government Act addresses the administrative and policy hurdles that have caused the FOIA backlog to balloon and would work to shine the light on government actions. The bill restores meaningful deadlines for agency action under FOIA; imposes penalties on federal agencies that fail to meet FOIA's 20-day statutory deadline; closes loopholes that would have limited public access to public records held by outside private contractors; creates a FOIA ombudsman to provide the public and agencies with a meaningful alternative to costly litigation; and gives agencies the tools they need to process FOIA requests in a timely manner. 

See the DPC Oversight Highlights for the Week of March 12, 2007 for a summary of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on FOIA.

 

The Senate passed bipartisan legislation to clean-up government contracting abuses. On November 7, 2007, the Senate passed by unanimous consent S. 680, the Accountability in Government Contracting Act of 2007. The bill would strengthen competition in federal contracting, add transparency to the process, and help curtail waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayers' money by: 

•Requiring more information in a contract's statement for orders over $5 million; 

•Strengthening oversight and transparency of "sole source" contracting; 

•Curtailing the practice of awarding contracts missing key terms, such as price, scope, or schedule; 

•Limiting the award on an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity, single vendor contract valued at more than $100 million; 

•Reining-in wasteful use of government purchase cards by seeking better analysis of purchase card use; and 

•Placing a limit on the length of contracts awarded non-competitively under urgent and compelling circumstances.
 

The Senate unanimously passed legislation to prosecute those who steal from disaster victims. Two years after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita ravaged the Gulf Coast, much of the region's economy, infrastructure, and housing remains devastated. Failures of the insurance industry, increased crime, and the breakdown of many social services have made it difficult for long-time residents to return to and rebuild their homes and lives. Congress has devoted billions in resources and assistance to the region, but much, much more is needed. What the residents of the Gulf Coast -- and survivors of other disasters -- do not need are people defrauding the government of critical resources that would otherwise be used to help them restore their homes, businesses, schools, and hospitals. In 2006, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimated that fraud and abuse of disaster recovery funds resulted in the waste of $1 billion in disaster relief funds following Hurricane Katrina. 

In December 2007, the Senate passed S. 863, the Emergency and Disaster Assistance Fraud Penalty Enhancement Act of 2007, a bipartisan bill to create a new crime of fraud in connection with major disaster or emergency benefits; increase criminal penalties for engaging in mail or wire fraud during and in relation to a major disaster or emergency; and direct the United States Sentencing Commission to develop guidelines to provide for increased penalties for persons convicted of disaster or emergency benefit fraud. The bill was signed into law on January 7, 2008 (P.L. 110-179).

 

The Senate passed bipartisan legislation to restore checks and balances to the appointment process for United States Attorneys and safeguard the integrity of our justice system. Last year's probe into the firing and hiring of U.S. Attorneys for allegedly political reasons has revealed excessively partisan, at best, and illegal, at worst, action by officials at the highest levels of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the White House. The Bush Administration has caused many to question the independence of U.S. Attorneysacross the nation and, in so doing, heightened concerns about the overall politicization of the Justice Department, especially the Civil Rights Division. Moreover, mismanagement and poor judgment by former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and other DOJ officials have the left the once revered agency in disarray. 

In March 2007, the Senate took concrete steps to restore the effectiveness and legitimacy of the federal justice system by overwhelmingly passing the Preserving United States Attorney Independence Act of 2007, which ensures the Senate's role in the placement of U.S. Attorneys. Under a provision that was slipped into the USA Patriot Actreauthorization by Republicans in 2006, the appointment process for U.S. Attorneys was altered so that the Attorney General could appoint "interim" U.S. Attorneys indefinitely - thus completely avoiding the Senate confirmation process. The measure, now signed into law (P.L. 110-34), restores the process that existed for 20 years prior to the 2006 change and will require an interim appointment made by the Attorney General to expire after 120 days or when a permanent U.S. Attorney is nominated by the President and confirmed with the advice and consent of the Senate. After the 120 days, if a successor is not in place, the U.S. District Court will then appoint the U.S. Attorney. Returning to this effective, proven process ensures that the appropriate checks and balances are in place for the appointment of U.S. Attorneys.

As Judge Michael Mukasey continues his tenure as the new Attorney General, Democrats look forward to working with him through consultation and oversight to restore the Justice Department's reputation and ensure its unbridled commitment to enforcing the nation's laws, safeguarding the country from harm, and ensuring the civil rights of all Americans. 

See the DPC Legislative Bulletin entitled,S. 214, the Preserving United States Attorney Independence Act of 2007, for more information on this legislation.

Advancing Energy Independence, Improving Infrastructure, and Focusing on the Environment 

The Democratic-led Congress passed legislation to increase the amount of fairly-priced petroleum on the market. On May 14, 2008, the House and Senate passed H.R. 6022 which requires the Secretary of Energy to suspend acquisition of petroleum for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) through 2008, including through the direct purchase or royalty-in-kind contracts. The bill allows the Secretary to resume filling if the price of petroleum falls to $75 per barrel. The Senate passed this provision as an amendment to the Flood Insurance Reform and Modernization Act by a vote of 97 to 1. Filling of the SPR takes 70,000 barrels of oil off the market each day and a temporary suspension could reduce gas prices by about five cents. 

The Senate approved additional resources for clean, renewable energy.Senators Cantwell and Ensign sponsored an amendment to the Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008, which passed the Senate on April 10, 2008, to develop wind, solar, biomass, geothermal and other clean, renewable energy resources and the use of energy efficient technologies. 

The Senate passed legislation to promote energy independence and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.On December 13, 2007, the Senate passed theEnergy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which will help move the United States away from the Bush-Cheney energy policy -- a policy that has worked for big oil companies, helping them accumulate $500 billion in profits since 2001, but has failed the American people. The bill was signed into law (P.L. 110-140) on December 19.

The law: 

•Raises fuel economy standards for automobiles for the first time in 25 years from 25 miles per gallon (MPG) to 35 MPG. By 2020, the new fuel economy standards are expected to save 1.1 million barrels of oil per day, remove 192 million metric tons of greenhouse gases from the air each year, and save American consumers up to $1,000;

•Raises the annual requirements for the amount of renewable fuels used in motor vehicles to 36 billion gallons by 2022. The lawalso makes a historic commitment to the development of cellulosicethanol by requiring that the United States produce 21 billion gallons of advanced biofuels, like cellulosic ethanol by 2022.This support for expanding ethanol, particularly cellulosic ethanol, is important because cellulosic ethanol can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent or more compared to regular gasoline;

•Makes the government a leader in cutting energy consumption and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by reducing petroleum usage by the federal government by 30 percent by 2015 and requiring that the federal government increase its purchases of renewable electricity to 10 percent by 2010 and 15 percent by 2015; 

•Invests in carbon capture technology which "captures" or confines carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and sequesters them within the earth; and

•Enacts the most important energy efficiency increases in American history by enacting national efficiency standards for light bulbs. By approximately 2015, the new lighting standards alone are expected to save 65 billion kilowatt hours of electricity savings. That is the equivalent to the annual output of about 24 new coal power plants at 500 megawatts. 

The law also creates incentives for small businesses to invest in green technologies, provides the resources to help entrepreneurs conduct energy audits, and ensures that the Bush Administration will implement an energy efficiency information program that Congress enacted two years ago. 

See the DPC Fact Sheet Bulletin entitled,The Democratic Energy Bill Will Promote Energy Independence, Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Deliver Savings to American Consumers, for more information on this issue.

 

Congress passed a new law to increase the safety, accountability, and efficiency of our highway systems. In the 109^th Congress, Congress passed and President Bush signed the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), which authorized funding for our nation's highways, transit, and highway safety programs through the end of Fiscal Year 2009. Since that time, drafting errors and certain legislative language have yielded unintended consequences that have frustrated the proper implementation of various infrastructure programs authorized in SAFETEA-LU. H.R. 1195, the SAFETEA-LU Technical Corrections Act of 2008 corrects drafting errors, makes technical changes, and clarifies congressional intent. The bill's passage, and expected signing, is especially important during the current economic downturn because infrastructure investments stimulate the economy through job creation and reduced transportation costs. 

Congress, under Democratic leadership, overrode the President Bush's veto of important, bipartisan legislation to improve water infrastructure.The House and Senate's override (361 to 54 and 79 to 14, respectively) of the President's veto of the Water Resources Development Act on November 9, 2007 will protect millions of Gulf Coast residents from catastrophic hurricanes and floods. The new law (P.L. 110-114) will also protect sensitive areas like the Florida Everglades and Mississippi River and improve water quality across the country. The act will: 

•Improve hurricane protection for Louisiana and the Gulf Coast by authorizing activity that will restore coastal wetlands, give New Orleans increased hurricane protection and allow for a peer review process of construction work performed by the Army Corps of Engineers.

•Ensure levee safety by creating a national levee safety program that will allow inspections on the general condition of levees throughout the country.

•Continue the restoration for the Florida Everglades by authorizing projects to increasefreshwater flows into natural areas, avert the loss of wildlife habitat, and maintain the hydrologic balance of the region.

•Improve flood control for New Orleanians and other Louisiana Gulf Coast residents by giving it 100-year flood protection.

•Re-nourish and restore beaches that are damaged by storm surges which if not done can leave coastal communities at risk. 

See the DPC Fact Sheet Bulletin entitled,Ten Reasons Democrats Have Overridden the President's Veto of the Water Resources Development Act, for more information on this issue. 
 

The Senate passed the Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008 by a vote of 91-4. The bill, signed into law on May 8, 2008 (P.L. 110-229), creates the Wild Sky Wilderness area in Washington State by designating approximately 106,000 acres of national forest lands in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Wilderness designation provides the highest level of protection that the federal government can give to public lands. S. 2739 also contains many other provisions that would create new natural heritage areas, develop better water resources management, and improve national parks. S. 2739 was a compilation of 62 bipartisan bills reported by the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and packaged together for floor consideration. This step was necessary due to a Republican Senator's filibuster against advancing those non-controversial bills individually.
 

Securing a Sound Agricultural Future 

The Senate passed a landmark Farm Bill.On May 15, 2008, the Senate passed (81 to 15) a "Farm Bill" that includes provisions toinvest $10.3 billion over ten years in food and nutrition programs, an additional $5.2 billion in conservation programs, millions of dollars in programs that stimulate regional and local food economies and a tax credit for cellulosic ethanol so that rural America can produce more clean, renewable energy. 

The bill would provide: 

•An extension of the farm safety net for five years until 2012; 

•Financial certainty as rural America enters the upcoming planting season; 

•A cost of living adjustment for food stamp (now called the Food and Nutrition Program) recipients to end the program's benefit erosion. This is important because since 2000 the number of Americans living in poverty has increased, from 31.5 million (11.3 percent) in 2000 to 36.4 million (12.3 percent) in 2006; 

•Over the next ten years, $1 billion would be invested in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program, which would allow three million low-income children to benefit from the program; 

•The renamed Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) would focus on incentivizing new conservation, while simultaneously rewarding producers for achieving high levels of stewardship and addressing priority resource concerns in their area. The program would enroll nearly 115 million acres by 2017; 

•$300 million in mandatory funding for payments to support the production of advanced biofuels, including biodiesel and cellulosic biofuels. The conference report would provide $320 million in mandatory funding for loan guarantees for commercial scale biorefineries for advanced biofuels. The legislation would reduce the 51 cents/gallon credit for ethanol by six cents in the year after which the 7.5 billion-gallon threshold established by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 is reached. The conference repot includes a new, temporary production tax credit for up to $1.01 per gallon of cellulosic biofuel, available through December 31, 2012; 

•Program payments that are directly attributed to individuals rather than corporations and partnerships. The three-entity rule, which enabled a farmer effectively to receive twice the enacted payment limit would be eliminated. These changes would improve transparency and accountability; and 

•New standards for farm commodity and disaster program benefit eligibility. To receive farm program benefits, an individual's non-farm income may not exceed $500,000. If farm income exceeds $750,000, an individual will no longer be eligible to receive direct payments. The legislation would establish a total payment cap for direct and counter-cyclical payments for a single farmer to $40,000 and $65,000 respectively. 

DPC