House Unveils Health Care Reform LegislationOn October 29, the U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) introduced health care reform legislation, the "Affordable Health Care for America Act" (H.R. 3962), at a rally held on the west front of the Capitol building. This bill combines three different versions of H.R. 3200 passed by the House Committees of jurisdiction: Energy and Commerce, Education and Labor, and Ways and Means. The legislation would: - Create a national health insurance exchange with an option for state-run exchanges that would function as market places for people to shop for and compare plans;
- Require individuals to obtain insurance with hardship exemptions for eligible individuals;
- Expand Medicaid for individuals up to 150 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL)-about $33,000 for a family of four;
- Provide affordability credits on a sliding scale for individuals between 150 and 400 percent of the FPL;
- Cap out of pocket expenses at $5,000 for individuals and $10,000 for families;
- Require employers to provide insurance or pay a fee up to eight percent of payroll. It would exempt small businesses that have payrolls under $500,000 (86 percent of businesses);
- Create a public plan that operates in the exchange and competes with private insurance options. Health care providers would be able to negotiate rates with the government;
- Address Medicare payment disparities; and
- Work to close the Medicare Part D 'donut hole.'
The bill is estimated to cost $894 billion over ten years and is financed with Medicare savings and a 5.4 percent surtax on wealthy individuals (with incomes exceeding $500,000 for individuals and $1 million for couples). Congressional Quarterly reports that a bill could come to the floor as early as Thursday, November 5. In the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid sent legislation to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) for a cost estimate. This legislation was merged from the Finance Committee's bill and the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee's bill. It currently includes a public plan with an opt-out for states. It is partially funded through an excise tax on high cost insurance plans-40 percent on plans costing $23,000 or more per year for a family. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has raised concerns with the health care reform legislation being debated in Congress. For more information, visit their health care Web site. Catholic Charities USA will keep you updated on health care reform legislation. For more information, please contact Kellyann McClain, Policy Analyst at kmcclain@catholiccharitiesusa.org. Top of page
President Signs DHS Spending Bill into LawOn October 28, President Barack Obama signed into law a $44.1 billion spending bill that funds various homeland security activities including immigration and the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) for fiscal year (FY) 2010. Look for information in the coming weeks from the National Emergency Food and Shelter Board on the disbursement of funds. As previously reported, bill highlights include: - $200 million for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP), equal with FY 2009, but $100 million more than the budget request;
- A three-year extension for the religious worker (R-visa), rural-serving doctors (J-visa), and investor (EB-5 visa) visa programs;
- $10.1 billion, $306 million above FY 2009, for Customs and Border Protection, including $800 million for fencing along the Southwest border;
- $5.4 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including $1.5 billion for identifying criminal immigrants and removing them from the United States once an immigration judge has ordered them deported;
- Funding for 33,400 detention beds;
- $135 million, a $6 million increase from FY 2009, for worksite enforcement;
- $70 million to expand the alternatives to detention program (ATD) currently operating in eight states. The ATD was implemented in 2002 to help DHS use detention space more efficiently. It also aims to improve immigrant compliance with conditions of release including attendance at hearings and final court orders accountability for aliens in removal proceedings; and
- $224 million, $122 million above FY 2009, for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration services including $5 million to naturalize immigrants serving in the U.S. Armed services, $50 million for processing asylum and refugee applications, $11 million to expand immigrant integration and outreach efforts that promote a legal path to citizenship, and $137 million to fund and improve the E-verify, the electronic employment verification System.
For more information, please contact Lucreda Cobbs, Senior Director of Advocacy and Civic Engagement, lcobbs@catholiccharitiesusa.org. Top of page
Senate Fails to Extend UI Benefits and Homebuyer Tax Credit On October 29, the U.S. Senate failed to advance a measure to extend unemployment benefits and the first time homebuyer credit. While both proposals are widely supported on Capitol Hill, they stalled in the Senate due to partisan disagreements over amendments. It is expected that Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) will invoke a procedural motion this week to limit amendments and further debate on the unemployment insurance bill, and bring it up for a vote. The proposal would provide up to 14 weeks of unemployment benefits to dislocated workers in every state. It would also provide an additional six weeks for states with unemployment rates above 8.5 percent. The homebuyer tax credit being considered would: - Extend the $8,000 first time homebuyer tax credit and create a new $6,500 tax credit for homeowners buying a new home from December 1, 2009 to April 30, 2010.
- Be available to homebuyers with incomes of up to $125,000 for a single return or $225,000 for a joint return.
- Cap the credit on homes costing more than $800,000.
- Require that the taxpayer claiming the credit be 18 or older.
For more information, please contact Desmond Brown, Senior Director of Government Affairs, dbrown@catholiccharitiesusa.org. Top of page
Subcommittee Approves Youth PROMISE ACTOn October 29, the House Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security, held a markup on "The Youth PROMISE Act" (H.R. 1064). The Youth PROMISE Act is legislation which supports the creation of community based programs to prevent youth from committing juvenile justice offenses and gang activity through collaborative efforts between local, state, federal and nonprofit agencies. The subcommittee passed the Youth PROMISE Act by a vote of 6 to 1. The full Committee date for a vote on this act has not yet been determined. Catholic Charities USA supports the Youth PROMISE Act. Read Catholic Charities USA's letter to Congress. For more information, please contact Ryan Smith, Policy Analyst at rsmith@catholiccharitiesusa.org. Top of page
Administration Calls on Congress to Address Housing NeedsOn October 29, two key members of the Obama Administration called on Congress to approve three important measures to improve the nation's housing market. A statement from Shaun Donovan, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Tim Geithner, Treasury Secretary, urged Congress to extend the first time homebuyer tax credit, extend higher loan limits for home mortgages, and secure funding for the housing trust fund. They stressed in the statement that the Administration fully supports an extension of the homebuyer credit and urged Congress to include additional steps to combat tax fraud including setting a minimum age for home purchase and requiring documentary proof of purchase to receive the credit. The secretaries also offered strong support for the National Housing Trust Fund and announced that the Administration will actively work with Congress to identify a specific source of funding to guarantee that the program will receive the $1 billion as outlined in the President's FY 2010 budget request. For more information, please contact Desmond Brown, Senior Director of Government Affairs, dbrown@catholiccharitiesusa.org. Top of page
Congress Passes Interior-Environment Spending PlanOn October 29, Congress passed a $32.3 billion Interior- Environment spending plan for FY 2010 which included a continuing resolution that would fund the federal government through December 18, 2009. Included in the extensions are funding for highway and Small Business Administration programs. The House voted to pass the conference report with a 247 to 178 vote. The Senate passed the bill 72 to 28. Please contact Ryan Smith, Policy Analyst, at rsmith@catholiccharitiesusa.org. Top of page
Senate Committee Holds Hearing on Senior HousingOn October 29, the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development held a hearing entitled "Modernizing Affordable Housing for Seniors and People with Disabilities." Representative Christopher Murphy (D-CT) appeared before the Subcommittee to discuss a bill he introduced in the House of Representatives. The measure, the "Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act of 2009" (HR 1675), would strengthen the Section 811 housing program to provide more affordable housing options to individuals living with disabilities. It would create more units by developing public/private partnerships, transferring mainstream vouchers to the Section 8 voucher program, and establishing a demonstration program to expand the supply of supportive housing for low-income non-elderly adults with disabilities. This measure passed the House in July and a similar bill, S.1481, has been introduced by Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ). Witnesses in the hearing also offered support for the "Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly Act of 2009" (S.118). This measure outlines a number of provisions to improve the supply of affordable housing for low-income seniors. It would establish requirements to prevent displacement of elderly project residents in the case of refinancing or recapitalization; establish demonstration program to sell to state housing finance agencies portfolios of mortgages associated with loans for supportive housing for the elderly; and expand the definition of assisted living facility with respect to grants for conversion of elderly housing to such facilities. For more information, please contact Desmond Brown, Senior Director of Government Affairs, dbrown@catholiccharitiesusa.org. Top of page
Representatives Introduce Pension Relief Legislation On October 27, U.S. Representatives Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) and Pat Tiberi (R-OH) introduced legislation to protect works in their 50's from having their pension benefits frozen. This legislation, the "Preserve Benefits and Jobs Act" (H.R. 3936), would extend pension funding relief for employers. Employers would be able to stretch out their amortization payment over nine years instead of seven, only paying interest in the first two years. Alternatively, they could make level payments over a 15 year period. Currently, many employers that sponsor defined benefit pension plans will be required to make large contributions to their pension funds due to losses from the financial crisis. This bill would provide temporary relief to help employers recover from these losses. For more information, please contact Lucreda Cobbs, Senior Director of Advocacy and Civic Engagement, lcobbs@catholiccharitiesusa.org. Top of page
Application Period Opens for E Pluribus Unum Prize Supporting Exceptional Immigrant Integration InitiativesOn October 1, the Migration Policy Institute’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy opened the application period for the 2010 E Pluribus Unum Prizes. The E Pluribus Unum Prizes national awards program provides four $50,000 awards annually to exceptionally successful immigrant integration initiatives. The awards recognize initiatives that have an outstanding record of helping immigrants and their children adapt, thrive, and contribute to the United States. It also considers efforts that have successfully brought immigrants and native-born residents together to build stronger, more cohesive communities. The awards are open to individuals, nonprofit and community organizations, businesses, religious groups, and government entities or officials operating in the United States. The deadline to apply is December 10, 2009, at 5 pm EST. Application rules, procedures, and profiles of the 2009 winners can be found at http://www.integrationawards.org/. For more information, please contact Lucreda Cobbs, Senior Director of Advocacy and Civic Engagement, lcobbs@catholiccharitiesusa.org. Top of page |