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Author: jnurse

FY2010 Budget Resolution Advances to House-Senate Conference

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On Thursday April 2nd, the House of Representative and Senate approved the FY2010 Budget Resolution, which sets-up a conference session to iron out differences in the legislation between the two chambers. A budget resolutuion serves as a blueprint for Congress in putting together an actual budget. Over the past few weeks, House and Senate Budget Committees held hearings on the budget, which involved Administration offices. While the budget resolution does not require the President’s signature, it does support his goals of a health care overhaul, energy independence, boosting education, and reducing the deficit over the next 5-10 years.

The Senate adopted the legislation late in the night after working through over 100 proposed amendments, most of which were turned away. One amendment of particular note, proposed by Senator John McCain would have dramatically reduced domestic discretionary spending with the goal of providing greater deficit reduction, failed on a 38-60 vote. Other amendments proposed reducing spending in areas that received funding in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. However, all such amendments were defeated handily.

The House and Senate are expected to reach a conference agreement on the budget resolution after the two-week spring congressional recess that starts today. The FY2010 budget process will likely play out over the course of the next five months. President Obama’s official budget request is now expected in early May, and consideration by the various appropriations committees and subcommittees is expected to last into the fall.

President Obama Nominates Under Secretary of Education

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On April 1st, President Obama nominated Martha Kanter to serve as Under Secretary of Education -the nation’s top post-secondary education post. If confirmed, Dr. Kanter would be the first community college official to serve at or above the number 3 slot in the Department of Education.

Excerpt from Biography 

Martha J. Kanter is chancellor of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District, one of the most prominent community college districts in the nation, serving more than 44,000 students with a total budget of approximately $400 million. She came to California in 1977 after serving as an alternative high school teacher at Lexington High School, the Public Schools of the Tarrytowns and later at The Searing School in New York City. In California, she established the first program for students with learning disabilities at San Jose City College. She then served as a director, dean and subsequently as vice chancellor for policy and research for the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office in Sacramento. She then returned to San Jose City College as vice president of instruction and student services. In 1993 she was named president of De Anza College, where she served until becoming chancellor in 2003.

The full biography is available here.

Senator Murray Will Introduce Bill to Aid Trauma Centers

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Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) held a press conference today to announce the introduction of the National Trauma Center Stabilization Act.  She was accompanied by two representatives from the National Foundation for Trauma Care, Dr. Ronald Maier from Harborview Hospital in Seattle, and trauma surgeons from the Medical College of South Carolina, Ohio State University, University of Tennessee, Yale Medical Center and Med Star of the DC metropolitan area.

The cost for providing trauma care has increased, often trauma centers provide care for which they are not paid for by either insurance or the patient, and the economy has affected their ability to provide service.  The bill will provide assistance for trauma centers that are facing economic hardships by reauthorizing federal funding for those centers facing the highest uncompensated costs, provide emergency funding to those centers facing closure, and provide financial support for core mission services.

The House companion bill, HR 936, was introduced on February 10, 2009.  It establishes four programs to award grants to public or nonprofit trauma centers across the nation that are facing downgrades or closure.  The bill authorizes appropriations for such grants for FY 2010 – FY 2015 and specifies percentages to be reserved for the different types of grants.

Omnibus Lands Measure Ready for Obama’s Signature

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The House yesterday passed HR 146, which contains more than 150 measures to designate more than 2 million acres of new wilderness areas, including wild and scenic rivers, historic sites, scenic trails and protected lands.  This should have been a non-controversial bill, but disagreement arose over the issue of gun rights in national parks. 

 The bill contains two measures that affect the state of Washington.  The first measure amends the National Trails System Act to designate the trail extending from the Continental Divide in Glacier National Park, Montana, to the Pacific Ocean coast in Olympic National Park, Washington, as the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail.  The second measure allows Douglas County to purchase land currently owned by the federal government, but they must pay an amount equal to the appraised value of the land.  The proceeds will be deposited in the Federal Land Disposal Account and are to be used solely for improving access to public lands in the state of Washington.

 In addition to these measures, there are some interesting “add-ons” to the bill which may affect the university if it is eligible to participate in the research.  Under Section F:  Secure Water, the Secretary of Agriculture is allowed to enter into agreement with any university (among other organizations) to fund research on the conservation, increased efficiency, or enhancement of water management resources, including use of renewable energy in the management and delivery of water.   It also establishes an intragovernmental panel to work with research and nongovernmental organizations on the impact of climate change on the quantity and quality of US water resources.

 Title XII of the bill establishes: the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Uundersea Research Program Act of 2009; the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 2009; and the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act of 2009. 

 Title XIV requires the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop mechanisms to coordinate paralysis research and rehabilitation activities to advance and avoid duplication of such activities.  This is titled the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act.

 The bill (H.R. 146) passed by a vote of 285-140 in the House.  The Senate version passed by a vote of 77-20 on March 19.

AAU Provides Humanities Advocacy Materials

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The Association of American Universities has posted on its website materials for advocacy on behalf of the National Endowment for the Humanities.  The materials include a document on the importance of NEH and the humanities—with a focus on the restoration of funding for core program divisions and the creation of a new graduate education program—with back-up charts showing funding trends for NEH and individual programs.