The Office of Federal Relations has released a notice calling for projects and agency/program funding recommendations for inclusion in the official UW FY12 Federal Agenda. The notice was distributed to UW deans, vice provosts, and other senior members of the administration. Individuals interested in learning more about the process are invited to contact the UW Office of Federal Relations. All submissions for the UW Federal Agenda must be approved by the relevant college/school or department. Please note that all projects will be thoroughly vetted and only a select few will advance in the process. The submission portal can be accessed here. All submissions must be completed by Friday October 29th.
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House Passes Oil Spill Bill, Senate Struggle Will Continue in Fall
House Passes Oil Spill Bill
Before adjourning for the August recess, the House of Representatives passed an oil spill response bill, HR 3534, the Consolidated Land, Energy, and Aquatic Resources Act of 2010 (CLEAR Act). The House bill removes the $75 million cap on economic liability reimbursement for offshore oil spills, restructures the Department of Interior’s offshore drilling regulatory functions, and bolsters mandatory funding for research and development. The bill calls for a program of research, development, and risk assessment to address technology and development issues, associated with exploration for, and development and production of, energy and mineral resources on the outer Continental Shelf, with the primary purpose of informing its role relating to safety, environmental protection, and spill response.
The House bill also establishes an Ocean Resources Conservation and Assistance Fund (ORCA) that would be used to provide grants to coastal states and Regional Ocean Partnerships and the Regional Coordination Councils for activities that contribute to the protection, maintenance, and restoration of ocean, coastal and Great Lakes ecosystems.
Grants would also be available for coastal states to improve their oil spill response planning, and for the implementation and operation of an Integrated Ocean Observation System (IOOS). The University of Washington is a key partner of the Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems (NANOOS), which is 1 of 11 regional components of IOOS
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Murray Amendment Advances Crucial State Funding
The Senate today passed a crucial amendment that will help states avoid education job losses, and provides desperately needed Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) payments to states . The FMAP/Teacher Jobs Bill passed the senate on a vote of 61-39 and will now be sent to the House where most expect it to pass and then sent to the President for his signature. The Amendment, which was attached to the Aviation Safety and Investment Act of 2010, will send more than $26 billion in aid to states and its costs are fully offset, largely due to spending reductions made in other areas. Patty Murray, was a driving force behind this bill and worked to achieve a solution that would draw bipartisan support.
The legislation provides $16.1 billion for FMAP, and will keep the level of federal Medicaid assistance (which was increased by a minimum of 6.2% in the Recovery Act) consistent for the next 6 months and then gradually decrease the contribution level for the following 6 months. The amendment will also provide $10 billion for additional support to local school districts to prevent imminent layoffs. Nationwide it is estimated that this fund will help to save the jobs of nearly 140,000 educators.
If the legislation passes the House, the State of Washington would realize approximately $546.3 million in FMAP funds. The bill will also prevent the layoffs of up to 3,000 teachers within our state and allow the State legislature to avoid conducting a costly special session. In the words of Senator Murray, “This amendment will allow Washington State to avoid layoffs, service cuts, or tax increases—and it will make sure our children don’t walk through the schoolhouse doors this September to larger class sizes and fewer subjects”.
In an uncommon move, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the House back from its August recess to vote on the measure. They are expected to take up the issue next Tuesday the 10th.
This Week on Capitol Hill, June 1-4
Congress is in recess this week. The Senate will resume Monday, June 7th at 2:00 pm and the House will resume Tuesday, June 8th at 2:00 pm.
Education Provisions in Tax Extension Bill
Before leaving for the Memorial Day congressional recess, the House passed a package of tax “extenders” (HR 4213) by a vote of 215 to 204. It retroactively extended a number of expired provisions of interest to the higher education community, including: the tuition deduction, the ability to “rollover” Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA) without penalty; and, research and development tax credits. The bill would also extend the Build America Bonds (BABs) program through the end of 2012, with the subsidy rate decreasing to 30 percent those bonds issued in 2012.