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January
19, 2009 Inside
this issue:
Congress
Moves Forward on SCHIP Reauthorization On
January 15, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee approved legislation to
reauthorize and expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)
for an additional four and a half years. The Committee-passed measure
contains similar improvements to the bill passed by the House on Wednesday,
January 14. Both versions of the bill:
SCHIP
provides health coverage to children in families that make too much to
qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to afford health coverage in the general
market. Without reauthorization, the current extension of the program
will expire at the end of March. Earlier
this week, Catholic Charities USA joined the Catholic Heath Association in a
letter to the Senate asking for these important changes to the program. We
look forward to working with the Senate to ensure that these reforms are
included in the final bill. It is expected that the House and Senate could
meet as early as next week to iron out the differences between the two
versions and send it on to the President. Please
contact your Members of Congress and ask them to strengthen SCHIP with
important protections for low-income children. More
information on the Finance Committee bill is available here. For more
information, please contact Congress
Releases Second Round of TARP Funds On
January 15, the U.S. Senate voted against a resolution of disapproval
(S.J.Res. 5), the procedural vote required to release the remaining $350
billion from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). The TARP
(P.L. 110-343), passed in October of 2008, authorized $700 billion to
purchase troubled mortgage backed securities from banks and other financial
institutions. Soon after passage of the legislation, Treasury Secretary Henry
Paulson abandoned the original plans and shifted the focus of the TARP to
direct capital investments into banks and financial institutions. Many
Members of Congress expressed concerns about the lack of transparency from
Treasury Secretary Paulson in the distribution of the initial $350 billion
authorized under the TARP. On January 9, Representative Barney Frank (D-MA)
introduced the "TARP Reform and Accountability Act of 2009" (H.R.
384). This legislation would attach additional accountability measures to the
TARP. It would direct the Secretary of the Treasury to require selected
financial institutions to report periodically on their use of TARP
funds. It would also require the Treasury Secretary to include
benchmark requirements for all TARP recipients. A vote on the passage of this
measure is expected sometime next week. Catholic
Charities USA will keep you updated on this legislation. For more
information, please contact House
Details Economic Recovery Package On
January 15, the U.S. House of Representatives released details of its $825
billion economic recovery package. The "American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act" includes funding for infrastructure, health care, and
social service programs, as well as a number of tax cut provisions. The
package includes a $550 billion spending section assembled by House
Appropriations Chairman David Obey ( D-WI) and a
$275 billion tax package drafted by House Ways and Means Chairman Charlie
Rangel (D-NY). Democratic Congressional leaders believe the bill will create
as many as three to four million new jobs in the next several years. The House
leadership expects to finish marking up the legislation by the end of next
week in order to have it on the House floor the following week. Senate
leadership is expected to release details of its package next week. Catholic
Charities USA continues to call on Congress to consider measures in the
economic recovery package that will both provide help to low-income families
and boost the economy by providing resources to those most likely to spend
them in the short term. Specifically, CCUSA calls for an increase in
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, fiscal relief to
states to protect the integrity of Medicaid and other social service
programs, and an expansion of unemployment insurance benefits. Other CCUSA
priorities include increased funding for the Social Services Block Grant, new
resources for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program, infrastructure funding,
nonprofit bridge funding, and housing foreclosure protections. Details
of the recovery package are available on the House
Appropriations Committee website and the House
Ways and Means Committee website. To take
action and ask Congress to pass an economic recovery package for all
Americans, click
here. For more
information, please contact Catholic
Charities USA Surveys Local Agencies Fifty
Catholic Charities agencies responded to a recent Catholic Charities USA
snapshot survey. The survey asked local agencies, providing social service on
the frontlines during the current economic recession, what trends they are
seeing in their agencies. Results indicated an increase in demand for food,
housing, and direct assistance services, coupled with a decrease in state,
local, and philanthropic donations. This first post-holiday survey of
Catholic Charities agencies also indicates an increase in basic needs
requests during the 2008 holiday season. To read
more, go here. For more
information, please contact Catholic
Charities On
January 15, Catholic Charities USA hosted a Congressional briefing entitled
"Meeting the Needs of People on Back Street." The title of
this briefing refers to a quote by Ken Sawa, CEO of the Catholic Charities of
San Bernadino, where he says: There
has been lots of talk about resources for Wall Street and those on Main
Street but not a mention of so many of our families that live on the
"Back Streets" and long to live on Main Street someday. When the
middle class is affected economically, low-income families are devastated. The
briefing featured local and national nonprofit leaders who discussed the
current challenges facing nonprofit social service providers. The
presenters provided new strategies, partnerships, and innovative thinking
that would promote a recovery where no one is left out or left behind as our
nation moves forward. The
speakers included:
To
view a video of the event, click
here. For more
information, please contact *** Washington Weekly is a publication of the Social
Policy Department of Catholic Charities USA and is published regularly when
Congress is in session. Catholic Charities |
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