Sen. Committee Passes BR; Floor Action Next Week

Mar 16, 2007 by Adam Hughes*

The Senate Budget Committee reported out its FY 2008 Budget Resolution yesterday on a straight 12 - 11 party line vote. All of the funding levels we reported earlier in the week remained the same after the mark-up. Only a few amendmends were adopted, the most significant of which was one offered by committee chairman Kent Conrad (D-ND), which required any new entitlement or tax legislation that would increase the budget deficit to clear a 60-vote point of order until the president puts forward and Congress approves legislation to restore solvency to the Social Security trust funds. The committee rejected a number of amendments, including one from Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) to create a 60-vote point of order against any budget resolution that failed to reach balance, excluding Social Security funds, in five years. By excluding Social Security funds, the deficit would be significantly higher than the current level and the budget would be that much more difficult to balance. Funny that Bunning did not advocate for using this larger deficit figure when the Republicans controled the Senate. The panel also rejected an amendment by Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) to instruct the Finance Committee to find $33.8 billion in savings over five years, with the intent that the reductions come from putting in place a proposal by President Bush to reduce reimbursements to Medicare providers.

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House Overwhelmingly Passes Contracting Reform Act

Mar 16, 2007 by Adam Hughes*

Yesterday, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the "Accountability in Contracting Act" by a vote of 347 - 73. The bill (H.R. 1362) would improve oversight of federal contractors by restricting the use of sole-source, or no-bid, contracts and require large contracting agencies to minimize their use of cost-reimbursement contracts. It would also tighten post-employment restrictions on government procurement officials and permanently extend the acquisition workforce training fund. Despite unsubstantiated objections by the White House, the House moved quickly this week, marking up the contracting bill in both the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and the House Armed Services Committee, and passing the bill on the floor in the span of only nine days. The bill was the fifth passed by the House during Sunshine Week, all of which would expand and strengthen the transparency and accountability of the federal government. The other bills concerned protecting government whistleblowers, expanding the Freedom of Information Act, restoring the automatic release of presidential records, and requiring disclosure of donors to presidential libraries. TAKE ACTION: Contact your Senators and Representative today to increase contractor responsibility and oversight!

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Open Government Legislation Focus of Sunshine Week

Sunshine Week (March 11-17) is an effort by the media, civic groups, libraries, universities, legislators and others to highlight the importance of open government. This year, there are many legislative proposals to increase government oversight and transparency moving forward in Congress. The bills address contractor responsibility, environmental information, Freedom of Information Act reform, whistleblower protections and other important aspects of an open and accountable government. Contractor Responsibility

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Senate Committee Considers Electronic Filing

Mar 15, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

Yesterday the Senate Rules and Administration Committee held a hearing on S.223, the Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act. As reported in BNA Money and Politics ($$), Chairman Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) plans to have the committee approve S.223 "in the coming weeks." The bill would require Senate candidates to file campaign finance reports electronically. Ranking Member Senator Bob Bennett (R-ID) may try to amend the bill, which some say might weaken the bill's chances of passing.

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Paralysis: Real Consequences, for Real People

By Gary D. Bass, OMB Watch
Published in the March-April 2007 edition of The Environmental Forum
More than just a power grab, the changes President Bush implemented with his newest amendments to Executive Order 12866 and his bulletin requiring the Office of Management and Budget to review agency guidance documents have larger consequences. The requirement to conduct market failure assessments adds more layers of analysis for agencies — a paralysis by analysis. The requirement to have political appointees oversee all steps in the regulatory process allows politics to trump science and shapeshift the regulatory process in ways that can benefit regulated interests. The requirement for OMB review of thousands of agency guidance documents means massive delay in providing advice to regulated industries and further shifts agency discretion to the White House. Each of these actions upsets the constitutional balance between Congress and the presidency, in pursuit of the administration's goal of a "unitary executive."

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Bush Executive Order Will Make It Harder to Protect the Public

By Gary D. Bass and Rick Melberth, OMB Watch
Published February 27, 2007 at CommonDreams.org
President Bush last month issued revisions to an executive order that further centralizes regulatory power within the White House budget office. His actions, nearly unnoticed at the time, set in motion changes that could further delay or hinder public health, safety, environmental, and civil rights protections.

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No New Taxes? Don't Read His Lips

By Adam Hughes and Craig Jennings, OMB Watch
Published February 23, 2007 at TomPaine.com
President Bush is planning on raising taxes, but he won't come out and say it. In fact, he has continued to loudly proclaim he can balance the federal budget by 2012 and not raise taxes one cent. His rhetoric on the budget is misleading, if not outright deceitful, precisely when having an honest discussion is paramount to implementing policies to confront the long-term fiscal challenges our nation faces.

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Faith-Based Hiring Amendment in Head Start Reauthorization Bill

Mar 15, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

Yesterday the House Education and Labor Committee approved Head Start reauthorization legislation, HR1429. Resident Commissioner Luis Fortuno (R-PR) offered an amendment that would have allowed faith-based organizations to hire teachers on the basis of religion. According to CQ, ($$) this issue was the main point of contention during the five hour long markup hearing. Supporters of the amendment said the religious hiring would help increase faith-based groups participation in the Head Start program. This same proposal was included in last year's Head Start reauthorization bill.

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New Report Shows Downfalls of Recent Changes to Federal Regulatory Process

WASHINGTON, March 15, 2007—OMB Watch today issued a new report on President George W. Bush's changes to the federal regulatory process. The report, A Failure to Govern, starkly illustrates how these changes could further reduce agency discretion, undermine the role of Congress in setting regulatory direction, and lead to dangerous delays in issuing important public protections.

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OMB Watch Releases Report on Bush Changes to Regulatory Process

Mar 15, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Today, OMB Watch released a full report titled A Failure to Govern: Bush's Attack on the Regulatory Process (download it here). This report outlines President Bush's recent amendments to Executive Order 12866 — Regulatory Planning and Review. The report details the potential impacts the amendments will have on federal agencies and the American public, as well as what the changes mean to democracy at large. A Failure to Govern: Bush's Attack on the Regulatory Process

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