Copyright 1999 The Times-Picayune Publishing Co.
The Times-Picayune
March 28, 1999 Sunday, FIRST
SECTION: NATIONAL; Pg. A10
LENGTH: 1278 words
HEADLINE:
ON THE HILL;
NEWS FROM THE LOUISIANA DELEGATION IN THE NATION'S CAPITAL
BYLINE: By Bruce Alpert and Bill Walsh
BODY:
Carpe per diem
A congressional pay
raise is never a popular idea with voters, so lawmakers have come up with a new
name for it: a "per diem." Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Calif., has a bill that would let
members add to their $136,700 annual salaries with $125 to $150 payments for
every day they spend doing the public's business in Washington. The conservative
Republican argued that full-time state legislators get a per diem while in
session, so federal lawmakers should, too. The extra money could total $20,000
per year. Thomas would allow members to draw the cash out of their office
budgets. Watchdog groups such as Common Cause oppose the change, saying that the
members' office budgets are for constituent services, not salaries, and that
members of Congress make enough already. Members do get other perks, including a
$3,000 tax deduction to offset the cost of maintaining two residences, and
travel to and from their districts is paid for. Health-care hubris
The
topic at the Senate Aging Committee hearing last week -- "Residents at Risk,"
abuses at nursing homes -- was serious business. But the federal agency that
oversees elderly health care was a no-show. It turns out that a top
administrator in the Health Care Financing Administration thought the agency was
being slighted because it would not be the first to testify at the public
hearing. The committee had asked two women whose relatives died at nursing homes
to tell their stories first. Citing what he called a "long-standing witness
policy," HCFA Assistant Secretary Richard Tarplin sent a letter refusing to
testify and answer senators' questions. Senators in both parties were outraged.
Republican Sen. Charles Grassley, the chairman of the committee, called it
arrogance. Democrat Sen. Ron Wyden demanded an explanation from HCFA's chief.
Sen. John Breaux, D-La., said HCFA shouldn't be worried about protocol and
called the decision "totally unacceptable." Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., said the
agency was putting its own vanity over the interests of the public. "We work for
the public, not the other way around," Bayh said.
Nothing personal, Mr.
President
Breaux ratcheted up his criticism of President Clinton last
week by spearheading a move to block the president's Medicare bailout plan. In a
biting speech in the Senate, Breaux trashed Clinton's proposal to use 15 percent
of budget surpluses for the faltering federal health program, saying it "doesn't
help Medicare at all." He derided the Clinton plan as an accounting trick that
simply transfers debt from one part of the budget to another. Republicans in the
Senate rallied behind Breaux and passed a resolution endorsing the Louisiana
senator's own free-market Medicare fix. Breaux and Clinton, both moderate
Southern Democrats, have for years been tight and Breaux insists his
disagreements with the president over Medicare have not affected their personal
relationship. Yet, as the dispute over Medicare intensifies and the 2000
presidential campaign approaches, the two old buddies are likely to find
themselves at odds more publicly than ever.
Another try at pension bill
Unfazed by the bill's failure in the past, Rep. William Jefferson, D-New
Orleans, has introduced legislation for the fourth time to give public employees
the same Social Security spousal benefits as everyone else. Jefferson said more
than 250,000 people working in the public sector nationwide are shortchanged if
their spouses die. A 1983 law drastically reduces survivor benefits for state
and federal government employees who did not pay into Social Security. Jefferson
said the so-called Government Pension Offset law is unfair and
punitive. His bill wouldn't rescind it, but would guarantee a minimum $1,200
monthly retirement benefit adjusted for inflation. The measure would cost in
excess of $200 million per year, with the price tag increasing as baby-boomers
begin to retire in 10 years. His bill gained 185 co-sponsors last year, but not
enough for passage in the House. Jefferson said he has 119 co-sponsors this year
and is working on others. A Senate version is expected.
Empowerment
outages
For weeks, New Orleans city officials have been grousing
privately at the betrayal they felt when the Clinton administration chose 15
other communities for a lucrative "empowerment zone" designation, rejecting the
city's application for a second time. At a meeting last week in Washington, that
unhappiness spilled into public view. City Councilman Oliver Thomas said New
Orleans has a reputation for doing more with less and has ample need for the
assistance, worth as much as $100 million over 10 years. Plus, he said, no
city's elected officials have been as supportive of the Clinton-Gore ticket as
those from the Crescent City. Cardell Cooper, the Department of Housing and
Urban Development's point man on empowerment zones, said the administration
wanted to add new empowerment zone opportunities so that New Orleans could cash
in, but that political considerations had to be set aside. According to those
who attended the meeting, Cooper said the inspector general has already
questioned the activities of top HUD administrators and the last thing the
agency needed to do was raise more eyebrows.
Towing the White House line
The White House has won more than its share of budget battles with the
GOP-led Congress since Republicans assumed control in 1995. One reason: It tells
those groups benefiting from federal financing to tow the line on administration
positions. This year, White House deputy communications director Ann Lewis has
arranged a series of briefings for various interest groups. Environmental groups
were in two weeks ago, and last week, a 50-member delegation from New Orleans
was briefed by Vice President Al Gore. As one participant in the environmental
session put it: "We were told that the Republican budget would force cuts in
programs that we deem very important and we were encouraged to get the word out
about our displeasure."
Is that an endorsement?
New Orleans
Mayor Marc Morial, who has often competed politically with U.S. Rep. Jefferson,
said he had a good meeting with his sometimes adversary in Washington last week,
but that Jefferson's planned campaign for governor didn't come up in the
conversation. "We talked policy and we'll get around to that subject in the near
future," Morial said. How does Morial view Jefferson's potential run for the
state's highest office? "All I want to say is that he is a wonderful member of
Congress, a great member of the Ways and Means Committee who went over to get a
new law degree (in finance from Georgetown University) just to make him even
more knowledgeable on the subjects handled there," Morial said.
Keeping
things on track
Morial says he came away from the city's Washington
lobbying effort fairly optimistic that the city's spending priorities will be
protected, despite the retirement of influential Rep. Bob Livingston,
R-Metairie. For years, the congressman-turned-lobbyist protected the city's
interests in the federal budget as a member and later chairman of the House
Appropriations Committee. Now the state has no representation on the spending
committees in either house. "I think members are mindful of the fact that we
have to work very hard to continue the projects that we already have commitments
on, whether it's the drainage and sewerage projects for the water board, or the
Canal Street streetcar, the Desire streetcar project, or rail from the airport
to downtown," Morial said. "These projects have already gotten several
installments of money and we're just trying to make sure these projects keep
moving along."
LOAD-DATE: March 28, 1999
