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E-Newsletter

	Monday, October 22, 2007
	Congressman Clay’s Capitol Hill Report
By Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay Member of Congress
	Last week was difficult in Washington.  A bipartisan majority stood up to the President and tried to ensure healthcare coverage for 10 million American children from working families. We came up just 13 votes short of overriding President Bush’s misguided veto of SCHIP, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.  But just as those 10 million children won’t go away, neither will we.  Our leadership has already announced that we will have a new bill in about two weeks that will continue to fight for healthcare coverage for every child in this nation.  I also conducted an important hearing regarding possible disruption to critical rehearsals for the 2010 Census.  More on that below.  Congress also extended the tax-free exemption for Internet access and transactions. - Lacy SCHIP Veto Shows Administration Has Abandoned Working FamiliesPresident Bush and Republican extremists have abandoned 10 million American children and the hard-working parents who love them.  The overwhelming majority of Democrats, Republicans and independents support SCHIP because it is pro-family, pro-work, and pays for itself.  SCHIP reauthorizes the Children’s Health Insurance program for five years and preserves the coverage for the 6 million children currently covered by SCHIP.  It also extends health care coverage to about 4 million additional low-income children, who are currently uninsured.  Plus, we can accomplish all that without increasing the deficit, because the expansion of SCHIP is paid for entirely by increased taxes on tobacco products. Even though we failed to override the President’s cruel and cynical veto, we will continue to fight to provide healthcare coverage to America’s children.  Just like my son and daughter, I want every child in this country to have healthcare coverage.  I am certain that the American people will remember who stood with our children, and who did not." Census Funding Freeze Threatens Critical Tests for 2010 Director Warns Continuing Resolution Flat Line Could Increase Costs, Reduce Accuracy In testimony before the House Subcommittee on Information Policy, the Census and National Archives, which I lead as Chairman, U.S. Census Director Louis Kincannon warned that critical testing of new equipment and procedures will have to be scaled back or cancelled if adjustments are not made to the current Continuing Resolution which freezes Census funding at FY 2007 levels.  Our subcommittee is probing how the failure to include the usual exemption for the Census Bureau in the current Continuing Resolution is putting vital preparations for the 2010 national survey at risk. The Dress Rehearsal for the 2010 Census is scheduled to occur in less than five months. This is the last chance to test the vast changes in the census design and the new handheld equipment that is a critical component to the re-engineered census.  Census officials tell us that the Continuing Resolution may make it impossible to fund the final phase of the Dress Rehearsal, which could mean that for the first time in 40 years, we can’t test the final Census design, even as we undertake the most significant reform of the Decennial since the advent of the Long Form. As negotiations begin for the next Continuing Resolution, I have restated three essential elements that must be provided for.  We must ensure that: (1) There will be no scaling back, cancellation or delay in the Dress Rehearsal. (2) Nothing in the Continuing Resolution language will hinder, delay or deny the planned funding and execution of the contracts for the handheld computers, the advertising program, the partnership program, or the data capture program. (3) That the Office of Management & Budget will use every means necessary to grant Bureau of the Census officials any waivers or exemptions from Administration spending restrictions in order for them to meet these requirements. House Extends Internet Tax Moratorium Until 2011 I was pleased to support H.R. 3678, the Internet Tax Freedom Act (ITFA) Amendments Act of 2007, which extends the moratorium on certain taxes relating to the Internet and to electronic commerce. H.R. 3678 is an excellent example of what can be accomplished when we work together – on both sides of the aisle – to deal with highly complex issues. In short, H.R. 3678 extends the moratorium on state and local taxes on Internet access and sales for four years, until November 1, 2011. This bill is pro-consumer, pro-innovation, and pro-technology. This bipartisan legislation is supported by industry groups such as like the Don't Tax Our Web Coalition, as well as by various government organizations, such as the National Governors Association, the Federal Tax Administration, the National Conference of Mayors, and the National Conference of State Legislatures. It is also supported by a wide range of labor and union groups. Media contact is Steven Engelhardt, 314.504.4029