Copyright 2000 The National Journal, Inc.
The National Journal
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March 25, 2000
SECTION: CONGRESS; Pg. 966; Vol. 32, No. 13
LENGTH: 586 words
HEADLINE:
House-Senate Committee Action, March 20-23
BYLINE:
National Journal News Service
BODY:
Spring arrived at the Capitol, but it was still the dark
days
of winter in several committees, as Democrats and
Republicans squared off
over education tax credits and reforms to
the Immigration and Naturalization
Service. One ray of sunshine
broke through when House and Senate panels
compromised on help
for families who adopt children from overseas.
Hot
Bills
Here is the status of major legislation on the congressional
front
burner:
SOCIAL SECURITY EARNINGS LIMIT
House:
Approved H.R. 5 on March 1, 422-0. Senate: Approved H.R. 5
on March 22, 100-0.
Outlook: This popular bipartisan
bill, which allows full
Social Security benefits for people who keep working
beyond the
current retirement age of 65, heads soon to President Clinton,
who has indicated he will sign it.
PATIENTS'
RIGHTS
House: Approved a bipartisan patients' rights bill (H.R. 2723) on
Oct. 7, 1999, 275-151, then merged it with an insurance access
bill
(H.R. 2990).
Senate: Approved S. 1344 with narrower
reforms favored by
health insurers on July 15, 1999, 53-47.
Outlook: Despite mounting pressure to clear the three
biggest
obstacles to a compromise bill-involving the bill's
scope, who decides when
care is a "medical necessity," and
liability provisions-few encouraging
signs of progress have
surfaced. GOP leaders, who had hoped to have a final
bill by
March 31, remain committed to finishing work by Easter.
DIGITAL SIGNATURES
House: Approved H.R. 1714 on
Nov. 9, 1999, 356-66.
Senate: Approved S. 761 on
Nov. 19, 1999, by unanimous
consent.
Outlook:
Despite delays in naming Senate negotiators, key
GOP players are now
crafting a compromise bill, which would set a
legal standard for e-commerce
and online contracts. Senate
Democrats are already plotting moves aimed at
adding stronger
consumer protections to any final version.
BUDGET RESOLUTION
House: Debated H.Con.Res. 290 on March 23.
Senate: Canceled Budget Committee drafting sessions
on
March 22 and 23.
Outlook: The Republican
budget-writing process is
threatening to implode (as it did in 1998), as
conservatives
vigorously challenge top leaders with demands for a tighter
lid
on nondefense spending in fiscal 2001. Senate Majority Leader
Trent
Lott, R-Miss., is willing to bypass a divided Budget
Committee and bring a
budget resolution directly to the floor,
but the GOP may not have the
political muscle needed to pass a
federal budget.
MINIMUM-WAGE INCREASE
House: Approved H.R. 3846 on March 9, 282-143,
then attached it
to a small-business tax cut bill (H.R. 3081).
Senate: Approved amended version of H.R. 833 on Feb.
2,
83-14.
Outlook: House Republicans sweetened a
tax cut bill by
adding a $ 1 minimum-wage increase over two years, while the
Senate GOP mixed small-business tax relief and a three-year wage
hike
with bankruptcy reform legislation. The White House says
this legislative
stew has too many ingredients.
MARRIAGE PENALTY TAX
RELIEF
House: Approved H.R. 6 on Feb. 10, 268-158.
Senate: Finance Committee plans to draft a bill soon.
Outlook: Senate Republicans are taking their time
deciding
whether to move tax cuts one at a time or in a big
package. They also are
likely to ignore the President's threat to
veto a cut as large as the House
marriage penalty bill.
LOAD-DATE: March 29, 2000
