AFSCME LEGISLATIVE REPORT October 12, 2007

My fault for this late post.

Below are the top stories of the week from Capitol Hill.

AFSCME LEGISLATIVE REPORT
October 12, 2007

In this issue:

* Next Week the House will Vote to Override Veto of Children's Health Bill
* House Defeats Estate Tax Repeal
* House Vote to Stop Contracting Out Tax Collection to Non-IRS Workers
* House Committee Approves Four-Year Ban on New Internet Access Taxes
* Sen. Gregg Introduces Bipartisan Public Safety Officer Collective Bargaining Bill
* House Approves Federal Affordable Housing Trust Fund

Next Week the House will Attempt to Override Veto of Children's Health Bill
On Thursday, October 18, the House will vote whether to override President Bush's veto of legislation to renew the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). While the White House and GOP leaders are pressuring Republican members to sustain the President's veto, supporters of the bill are within striking distance of overriding his misguided veto.

This week, AFSCME began airing television ads in eight congressional districts urging Representatives to switch their votes and support the bill. The ads target: Reps. Joseph Knollenberg (MI-9), Tim Walberg (MI-7), Steve Chabot (OH-1), Thomas Reynolds (NY-26), Randy Kuhl (NY-29), Sam Graves (MO-6), Marilyn Musgrave (CO-4) and Tom Feeney (FL-24). In addition, AFSCME affiliates around the country are participating in press events, leafleting work sites and urging members to contact their representatives.
(Barbara Coufal- bcoufal@afscme.org)

How You Can Help Save Children's Health Care

Call your Representative toll free at 1-888-460-0813!

Tell him/her that you are appalled that the President vetoed the children's health bill and is denying doctors visits and medicines to four million low-income children. Demand that he/she vote to override the President's veto of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

House Defeats Estate Tax Repeal
On a procedural vote on an unrelated anti-privatization measure concerning tax collection, the House turned back an effort to permanently repeal the estate tax. The House voted 212-196 against the repeal. The amendment was identical to a bill offered in 2005 that had been approved 272-162, with 42 Democrats supporting it. This time around, 34 of those previous Democratic supporters voted against the bill. As part of the Bush 2001 tax cuts, Congress voted to repeal the estate tax starting in 2010, but decided to make the change temporary so that the repeal effort expires in 2011 unless extended. A group of extremely wealthy families has led a relentless charge in Washington, DC to permanently repeal the estate tax on wealthy estates. Right now, estates of $2 million or less are exempt.
(Ed Jayne- ejayne@afscme.org)

House Votes to Stop Contracting Out Tax Collection to Non-IRS Workers
The House voted along party lines 232-173 to approve the Tax Collection Responsibility Act of 2007 (H.R. 3056) which would ban the federal government from contracting out to private (non-IRS) tax collection agencies. The National Treasury Employees Union, AFSCME and OMB Watch strongly support the bill to ensure that government employees continue performing work that is inherently governmental - such as tax collection. Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY), the bill's sponsor, said "there's nothing magic about privatization. . . . saying that it's privatized doesn't mean it's more effective or that you're doing the right thing." Although Rangel's bill was revenue neutral, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA), ranking member on the Senate Finance Committee, vowed the bill was "dead on arrival" in the Senate, and the White House threatened a veto.
(Marc Granowitter– mgranowitter@afscme.org)

House Committee Approves Four-Year Ban on New Internet Access Taxes
The House Judiciary Committee voted 38-0 to approve a four-year moratorium on new Internet access taxes. The bipartisan Internet Tax Freedom Amendments Act of 2007 (H.R. 3678) also strengthens the definition of "Internet access" to reduce corporate tax loopholes and includes a grandfather clause to protect pre-existing state and local taxes. AFSCME, the AFL-CIO, many other national unions, the National Governors' Association, National League of Cities and U.S. Conference of Mayors all strongly support this compromise. The Committee voted along party lines to defeat Republican proposals for longer bans and a permanent ban on new Internet access taxes. Given that the current temporary moratorium expires November 1, this bill is expected to move to the House floor soon. The Senate bill is still at the Commerce Committee without a specific timeline for further action.
(Marc Granowitter– mgranowitter@afscme.org)

Sen. Gregg Introduces Bipartisan Public Safety Officer Collective Bargaining Bill
Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) introduced the Senate version of the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act of 2007 (S. 2123), a bill that would provide collective bargaining rights to public safety officers nationwide. S. 2123 has already garnered 10 Republican (including Senator Gregg) and 11 Democratic co-sponsors.

H.R. 980, the House companion, overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives on July 17, 2007. AFSCME law enforcement and corrections officers lobbied the Senate on the bill at their joint conference in September.
(Blaine Rummel– brummel@afscme.org)

House Approves Federal Affordable Housing Trust Fund
The House voted 264-148 to create a national trust fund to build, preserve and buy affordable housing with no Democrats opposing the bill and 41 Republicans voting for it. The House defeated two Republican proposals to effectively kill the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act of 2007 (H.R. 2895). Lawmakers expect the trust fund to assist 1.5 million affordable-housing units over 10 years and some funding will be allocated for grants to states and localities to finance low-income housing. The funds will come from the Federal Housing Administration's (FHA) mortgage lending surpluses and a sliver of the portfolios of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. AFSCME, the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National Association of Homebuilders support the bill. The White House is already claiming the fund is "duplicative" and "redundant."
(Marc Granowitter– mgranowitter@afscme.org)

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AFSCME Department of Legislation
Phone: 202/429-5020 or 800/732-8120
Fax: 202/223-3413
E-mail: legislation@afscme.org
Website: http://www.afscme.org/
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