Good summary of the week-end's Congressional activities.

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Sent: Monday, December 19, 2005 7:19 AM
To: Arctic Lobbying Team
Subject: [ak_lobby] Congress Daily Back up plans for new DOD bill

APPROPRIATIONS
Several Major Bills Passed As House Wraps Up Work

   The House wrapped up its legislative work early today
following passage of a $453.5 billion FY06 Defense spending
bill, a $39.7 billion spending reconciliation package and the
FY06 defense authorization conference report. Republicans aimed
to make today the last of the year, but the House will return
Thursday in pro forma session in case the Senate fails to pass
the bills. The Senate outlook on the Defense appropriations bill
is uncertain because it contains contentious language to allow
oil and gas exploration in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge.
   The Defense spending bill passed the House on a bipartisan
308-106 vote. If the Senate balks at the ANWR language, the
House would have to reconvene to resolve the impasse -- because
a continuing resolution approved by the House and Senate
Saturday expires Dec. 31. Under that scenario, the entire House
would not be called back before Dec. 27, according to aides.
Members will not be asked to return if leaders can resolve
problems by unanimous consent; otherwise roll- call votes would
be necessary before New Year's Eve. A number of other issues
also could call the House back into session, particularly if
problems arise over Senate passage of the Labor-HHS
appropriations conference report, which was approved by the
House last week. If the House does not have to return before the
end of the year, it will reconvene Jan. 31. There was little
doubt on the outcome of the Defense spending bill in the House,
even though efforts were made by Democrats and some Republicans
to vote down the rule in protest of the ANWR language. While 21
Republicans, mostly moderates, broke party ranks to vote against
the rule, 16 Democrats, mostly ANWR proponents, joined
Republicans to move to final passage on a 214-201 procedural
vote.
   Despite the overwhelming final support for the spending bill,
members engaged in heated floor debate. Appropriations ranking
member David Obey, D-Wis., was furious about a last-minute
provision to provide liability protections for avian flu vaccine
manufacturers and create an unfunded compensation fund for
people who suffer health problems as a result of taking the
vaccine. Obey said conferees were assured in writing Sunday that
it would not be included in the final version, but language was
inserted after conferees signed off. "For the last eight hours
we have been dealing with a majority leadership that has
stripped out of the appropriations process and the conference
virtually every understanding in those bills," Obey said on the
floor. "We've had the United States Senate ram down our throats
an ANWR provision, and after we were assured in conference there
would be no [liability language], three hours after the
conference report we get 45 pages that [Senate Majority Leader
Frist] and [House Speaker Hastert] insist be included in the
conference report." Obey was particularly critical of Hastert
and Frist, calling them "a couple of musclemen in the Congress
that think that they have the right to have everyone else do
their bidding."  By Susan Davis
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

APPROPRIATIONS
Senate Leaders Face Filibuster Of Defense Approps

   Despite House passage early today of a $453.5 billion FY06
Defense spending bill by a 308-106 margin, the outlook for the
bill remained uncertain in the Senate this week. Passage there
is contingent on Majority Leader Frist and Defense
Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska --
who successfully inserted language allowing exploratory oil and
gas drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge ---
garnering 60 votes to achieve cloture. Sen. Dianne Feinstein,
D-Calif., plans to raise three separate parliamentary points of
order against the ANWR provisions, which -- if upheld -- could
kill the entire conference report. Stevens can overturn an
adverse ruling of the chair with a simple majority of 51 votes,
and his real hurdle will come on the cloture vote. "There's
still a long way to go ... I really don't count votes that far
in advance," Stevens said late Sunday. His plan would spend
billions on Gulf Coast recovery, low-income heating subsidies,
border security and agriculture in order to woo Democrats and
moderate Republicans concerned about ANWR. "I see that you are
being driven on this issue by concern about the Gulf," House
Appropriations ranking member David Obey, D-Wis., sarcastically
told Stevens.
   Stevens would rely on long-term estimates of royalties
generated by ANWR leases and proceeds from spectrum auctions
that may or may not materialize to pay for Gulf Coast rebuilding
efforts. The plan would create a "Gulf Coast Recovery Fund" and
dedicate 80 percent of an estimated $5 billion in initial ANWR
lease sales and rentals for states affected by Hurricanes
Katrina, Rita and Wilma. Beginning a decade from now when
royalties kick in -- estimated to total $40 billion over 30
years --- 20 percent would be divvied up among the affected
states. Half of that would go to Louisiana, 25 percent to
Mississippi, 10 percent apiece to Alabama and Texas and 5
percent to Florida. In addition, 5 percent of total sales,
rentals and royalties would go to increased funding for the
Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program -- LIHEAP.
   Meanwhile, included in the nearly $40 billion reconciliation
bill that also cleared the House early today is $10 billion in
proceeds from sales of broadcast spectrum. But Stevens includes
another $10 billion from spectrum sales in the Defense spending
measure, which he estimates could be generated on top of the $10
billion assumed in reconciliation. The additional funds would
include $2 billion to Gulf Coast states and $3 billion for
homeland security initiatives such as interoperable
communications, public health responses and "enhanced 911" --
so-called E-911 -- public safety centers. Another $2 billion
would go to LIHEAP -- on top of $1 billion in reconciliation --
and Stevens altered the program's funding formula to ensure that
75 percent goes to cold-weather states. There is also $1.1
billion for a border security package authored by Senate Budget
Chairman Gregg and $1 billion for agriculture conservation
programs.
   The Defense appropriations bill also carries $50 billion in
"bridge" funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which
adds to the deficit, as well as $29 billion for hurricane relief
and $3.8 billion for avian flu preparedness that is fully
offset. The hurricane and flu funds are more than offset by
reallocating $23.4 billion in existing appropriations for the
Gulf Coast rebuilding effort; rescinding $1 billion from an
array of discretionary programs, and imposing a 1 percent
across-the-board cut to all FY06 spending other than veterans'
programs, saving $8.5 billion.  By Peter Cohn, with Darren Goode
contributing
 
Larry Romans
Lawrence J. Romans & Associates
499 South Capitol Suite 403
Washington, DC 20003
(202) 547-0538
(202) 547-5379 fax
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