Legislation & Politics

Week Ending November 6, 2009

House Schedules Health Reform Vote

Today, Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to begin debate on the Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962), taking an historic step towards the enactment of health reform legislation.  At this point, we expect that a vote on final passage will take place late on Saturday.  At this time, it appears that the vote will be very close.  It is critical that AFSCME activists make one more call to encourage their Representative to vote for the bill.  As we have previously reported, the House bill addresses many of AFSCME's priorities: 

  • The bill pays for reform through progressive tax measures, rather than taxing health benefits. 
  • Because of the continuing deterioration in state and local government budgets, the bill provides for an extension of a  provision in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that increased the federal share of funding for state Medicaid programs.  Under the health bill, states will see an additional $23.5 billion in federal Medicaid help.
  • There is a strong requirement on most employers to either provide comprehensive coverage or pay into a fund to provide subsidies to low-and middle-income families who must purchase coverage on their own.  Small employers are excluded from the requirement and many would be eligible for subsidies to help purchase coverage.
  • The bill includes a public health insurance option that would be available to those who purchase coverage through an exchange, or market place, rather than getting their coverage through their employers.  Over time, the bill would allow larger employers to access coverage through the exchange and make the public option available to more families.

 

Please Contact Your Representative Today!

Call toll-free at 202-224-3121

Urge your Representative to vote for the
Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962).
Tell him/her that our nation cannot wait.

Action on Health Care in Senate is Delayed

The Senate continues to wait for the Congressional Budget Office to complete an assessment of the impact of the Senate bill on federal expenditures and revenues.  It appears that this "score" will be issued next week.  The debate on the Senate bill could begin the week of November 16. 

Unemployment Benefits Extension Finally Clears Congress

After weeks of delay, the Senate this week overwhelmingly approved legislation providing additional weeks of unemployment benefits to workers who have already and will run out of all their unemployment benefits by the end of the year.  The legislation also includes an extension of the first-time homebuyers' tax credit until next April.  The vote in the Senate, when it finally came, was 98-0.  The House quickly followed and approved the legislation by a vote of 403-12.  The margins clearly indicated the potency of economic concerns, especially around jobs and unemployment. 

As approved by Congress, the legislation will provide an additional 14 weeks of benefits in all states and 20 additional weeks in states with unemployment rates over 8.5%.  Workers who already have exhausted their unemployment benefits will be eligible for the additional weeks of benefits, but will not be paid retroactively.  The maximum number of weeks of jobless benefits before last week's action was 79 weeks, an unprecedented number reflecting the severity of the unemployment problem.  Unemployed workers could receive 26 weeks of regular state benefits plus up to 53 weeks under the two federal extensions previously passed. The federal extension weeks have varied by state, from 20-53 weeks, depending on each state's unemployment level.  The maximum now will be 99 weeks.

Further action must be taken in the next few months to continue the previous federal extensions because they will expire by the end of December.  Without further action, workers who exhaust their state benefits after the first of the year would receive only 26 weeks of state unemployment benefits. 

Bulletproof Vest Bill Reintroduced

AFSCME corrections officer Wayne "Cotton" Morgan was gunned down and killed in 2005 while escorting a shackled prisoner outside a courthouse in Kingston, Tennessee. Tragically, he was not provided a bullet proof vest, which may have saved his life, due to lack of funding.  This week Rep. Tim Holden (D-PA), Chair of the Congressional Correctional Officers Caucus, reintroduced the Wayne "Cotton" Morgan Bulletproof Vest Act (H.R. 3981). The bill will amend current law by suspending the federal requirement that state and local governments contribute funding for vests that protect all officers serving in high-risk areas and correctional officers transporting prisoners. In memory of Cotton and all fallen officers, AFSCME is fighting to pass this legislation. 

Senate Passes CJS Appropriations

This week the Senate passed a fiscal year 2010 Commerce-Justice-Science (CJS) spending bill. The bill includes $510 million for Byrne Justice Assistance Grants and $658 million for Community Oriented Policing Service (COPS). Both programs are supported by AFSCME and will provide much needed resources for state and local law enforcement. The bill now goes to conference where differences between the Senate bill and the bill that passed the House in June will be ironed out.

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