California Capitol Hill Bulletin
To expand communications between Washington and California, the California Institute provides periodic bulletins regarding current activity on Capitol Hill that affects our state. Bulletins are published weekly during sessions of Congress, and occasionally during other periods. To subscribe to the Bulletin or other California Institute announcements, visit this link.
CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE:
Appropriations: House Passes FY15 Transportation-HUD Bill
Appropriations: House Committee Approves FY15 Homeland Security Bill
Appropriations: Senate Committee Approves Commerce, Justice, Science Funding
Appropriations: Senate Committee Approves Transportation-HUD Funding
Natural Disasters: House Resources Assesses Earthquake Early Warning System
Resources: House Water Resources Holds Hearing On CWA Jurisdictional Rule
Health: Senate Agriculture Examines Child Nutrition Programs
Energy: Several Californians Receive DOE’s Lawrence Awards
Report: RAND Studies Assessing “21st Century Competencies” In Education
The House on June 10, 2014, approved the fiscal year 2015 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development funding bill on a vote of 229-192. The legislation includes funding for the Department of Transportation, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and other related agencies.
In total, the bill reflects an allocation of $52 billion in discretionary spending – an increase of $1.2 billion above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and a decrease of $7.8 billion below the President’s budget request. However, given the reduction in offsets caused by a decline in Federal Housing Administration receipts, the program level within the bill is more accurately $1.8 billion below the current level, according to the Appropriations Committee.
During floor consideration, several amendments were adopted. Among them were:
– Rep. Jeff Denham – The amendment prohibits funding for high-speed rail in California or for the California High-Speed Rail Authority. The amendment was adopted on a vote of 227-186.
– Rep. Barbara Lee – The amendment increases funding for the Fair Housing Initiatives Program by $10 million, offset by a reduction in HUD’s Information Technology Fund. The amendment was adopted on a voice vote.
– Rep. Maxine Waters – The amendment prohibits funding for HUD to relocate any asset management positions within the Office of Multifamily Housing. The amendment was adopted on a voice vote.
– Rep. John Garamendi – The amendment prohibits funding for ships in the National Defense Ready Reserve from being crewed, owned, or maintained by foreign entities. The amendment was adopted on a voice vote.
– Rep. Ed. Royce – The amendment prohibits funding for the Public Housing Trust Fund. The amendment was adopted on a voice vote.
– Rep. Karen Bass – The amendment allows for local hiring preferences for projects funded by the bill. The amendment was adopted on a voice vote.
For more information on the bill, go to: http://appropriations.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=384086 or
On June 11, 2014, by a voice vote, the House Appropriations Committee approved its bill providing FY 2015 funding for the Department of Homeland Security. The bill provides $39.2 billion in discretionary funding for DHS. This is a decrease of $50 million below the fiscal year 2014 enacted level, but an increase of $887.8 million above the President’s request. Highlights of the bill include:
– Customs and Border Protection (CBP) – $10.8 billion in discretionary appropriations for CBP – an increase of $219.6 million above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and $98.3 million above the President’s request. This funding will provide for 21,370 Border Patrol agents and 23,775 CBP officers. Included in the funding is $412.5 million for border security technology, which is $61 million above the 2014 level and $50 million above the President’s request.
– Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) – $5.5 billion for ICE – an increase of $466.2 million above the President’s request and $210.9 million above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level. This includes $1.9 billion – an increase of $81.3 million above the fiscal year 2014 level – for domestic and international investigation programs, including efforts to combat human trafficking, child exploitation, cybercrime, and drug smuggling.
– FEMA– The bill fully funds FEMA’s stated requirement for disaster relief at $7 billion. The bill provides a total of $2.5 billion for first responder grants, equal to the fiscal year 2014 enacted level, which includes: $1.5 billion for State and Local grants, $680 million for Assistance to Firefighter Grants, and $350 million for Emergency Management Performance Grants.
– Citizenship and Immigration Services – $124.8 million for E-Verify, the same as the President’s request.
The bill also includes $43.7 million for the operations at the Air and Marine Operations Center (AMOC), which is located in Riverside County. The funding provided, championed by Rep. Ken Calvert (CA-42), is $15.3 million above the President’s request.
For more information, go to: http://appropriations.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=384154
The Senate Appropriations Committee approved fiscal year 2015 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies funding legislation on June 5, 2014, that totals $51.2 billion in proposed discretionary budget authority, a decrease of $398 million below the fiscal year 2014 level and an increase of $1 billion above the President’s request level.
The bill provides total resources of $28 billion for the Department of Justice, $260 million more than the fiscal year 2014 level and $23 million more than the President’s budget request. Highlights of the bill include:
For state and local law enforcement programs, the bill provides $2.3 billion, $10 million more than the President’s budget request and $11 million less than the fiscal year 2014 level. Included in that funding is $376 million for Byrne Justice Assistance Grants, $181 million for COPS hiring grants, $430 million for Violence Against Women Act programs, and $258 million for juvenile justice and mentoring grants. Funding for the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) is set at $150 million. The House-passed CJS funding includes $210 million for SCAAP. FY14 funding was $180 million.
To clean up the backlog of 400,000 untested sexual assault kits, $41 million in funding is included in the bill. And to fight cybercrime and promote cybersecurity activities, the bill provides $722 million, the same as fiscal year 2014, to the Department of Justice, $15 million to National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, and $159 million is included in funding for the National Science Foundation for merit-reviewed, next generation cybersecurity research and development grants.
The total funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF) is set at $7.2 billion, an increase of $83 million over fiscal year 2014. The increase will provide 140 more competitive grants supporting 2,000 more technicians, teachers, scientists, and students in fiscal year 2015.
The bill provides $17.9 billion for NASA, $439 million above the President’s request and $254 million above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level. Included in that funding is $805 million for commercial space flight activities.
Within the Commerce Department funding, $235 million is included for the Economic Development Administration (EDA), including $20 million for the Regional Innovation Program. The bill also fully funds the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO), with $3.48 billion, the same as the request and $434 million above fiscal year 2014.
For more information on the bill, go to: http://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/committee-approves-fy-2015-cjs-and-thud-appropriations-bills
The Senate Appropriations Committee approved its FY 2015 funding for the Departments of Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development on June 5, 2015. The bill provides a total of $54.4 billion in discretionary budget authority for fiscal year 2015.
Highlights of the bill include:
Department of Transportation
The bill provides a total of $18.1 billion in discretionary budget authority for DOT for fiscal year 2015. The bill includes another $53.6 billion in limitations on obligations for DOT, for a total of $71.7 billion in budgetary resources for fiscal year 2015. This total level of budgetary resources is $536 million more than the fiscal year 2014 enacted level, which included $17.7 billion in discretionary budget authority and $53.5 billion in obligation limitations. The bill is also $17.8 billion less than the funding levels included in the President’s budget request, which included $13.7 billion in discretionary budget authority and $75.8 billion in obligation limitations.
– “TIGER” Grants: $550 million for grants to state and local governments to support a wide variety of transportation options, including roads and bridges, railroads, transit systems, and port infrastructure. TIGER grants are distributed by competition, and, according to the committee documents, the demand for these grants is enormous in comparison to the available funding. For fiscal year 2014 funding, for example, DOT received applications from almost every State in the country for projects that totaled $9.5 billion. The recommendation is $50 million below the fiscal year 2014 enacted level. The President’s budget request had included $1.25 billion for this program, but it also assumed that the funding would be provided through new legislation authorizing surface transportation programs instead of the appropriations process.
– Federal-aid Highways Program: $40.3 billion for the Federal-aid Highways program, which is equal to the level enacted for fiscal year 2014. The President’s budget request had included $47.3 billion for the highway program, but it also assumed that the mandatory funding would be provided through new legislation authorizing surface transportation programs instead of the appropriations process.
– Rail Investments: $1.39 billion for Amtrak, which is consistent with the level of funding provided in fiscal year 2014. The recommendation is $1 billion less than the budget request, again because MAP-21 has not been reauthorized. The bill also includes $1.973 billion for Next Generation High-Speed Rail.
– Transit Investments: $11.1 billion for transit programs, $309 million above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and $6.6 billion below the request. The bill includes $8.6 billion for formula grants, $36.5 million for research and technical assistance, and $150 million to continue modernizing the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. In addition, it provides $2.163 billion for the transit capital investment grants, an increase of $221 million to help communities build new rail and bus rapid transit capacity in California, Maryland, North Carolina, Colorado, Florida, Texas and other states.
– Air Transportation: $15.9 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which is $126 million above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and $580 million above the President’s budget request. The recommendation includes $149 million to fully fund the FAA’s contract towers in fiscal year 2015 and $3.5 billion for airport grants.
Department of Housing and Urban Development
The bill provides a total of $36 billion in discretionary budget authority for HUD for fiscal year 2015. The bill also includes offsetting receipts estimated by CBO at $9.8 billion, which allows for program funding levels totaling $45.8 billion. The level of discretionary budget authority is $3.4 billion more than the $32.7 billion requested by the President. However, the President’s budget assumed $4.2 billion more in offsetting receipts, as estimated by OMB, which allowed for a program level of $46.7 billion. As a result, the level of discretionary funding in the bill is $3.4 billion more than the President’s request, but the overall program funding level included in the bill is $853 million less than the President’s request. The level of funding in the Committee recommendation is $3.2 billion more than the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and supports $369 million more in program funding.
– Community Development Block Grant (CDBG): $3.02 billion for the CDBG program, which provides grants to states and local governments to support housing and economic development projects in urban and rural communities across the county. The recommendation is $220 million more than the budget request and $10 million less than the 2014 enacted level.
– Section 8 Rental Assistance: $19.6 billion for tenant base rental assistance, which supports housing for over 2 million of the nation’s low-income families and individuals, including elderly and disabled residents. The recommendation is $385 million more than the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and $483 million less than the President’s request.
The program also includes $75 million for HUD-VASH to provide housing for 10,000 additional veterans experiencing homelessness. This program has helped reduce homelessness among veterans by 24 percent since 2010.
