The House today is expected to vote on bills for defense authorizations and Department of Interior appropriations. Here are highlights of the bills based on information provided by the Office of House Majority Whip James Clyburn:
Summary of H.R. 2647 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010
2009 is the Year of the Military Family
3.4 percent pay raise for service members, 0.5% higher than the budget request
Expands TRICARE health coverage to reserve component members and their families for 180 days prior to mobilization Currently they’re covered for just 90 days before mobilization
Limits the collection of pay and allowance overpayments that result from administrative error
$1.95 billion for family housing programs
$50 million for Impact Aid funding, with additional $15 million for BRAC-affected areas
Establishes a Department of Defense School of Nursing
Provides scholarships to students pursuing degrees in disciplines that contribute to mental health programs
Improving Readiness
$11 billion for Army reset, $2 billion for Marine Corps reset
$176 million to refill and maintain our nation’s prepositioned stocks
$6.9 billion to address equipment shortfalls in the National Guard and Reserve
Increases the size of the military – by 15,000 Army troops, 8,000 Marines, 14,650 Air Force personnel, and 2,477 Navy sailors
$450 million for Army barracks improvements and $440 million to support National Guard and Reserve military construction projects
Adds $395 million to Navy Depot maintenance accounts for ships and planes
Improves process of planning for and procurement of body armor
Provides an increase of $308 million for SOCOM to support its unfunded priorities list
$5 billion for Defense Environmental Cleanup
Includes several provisions to improve DOD’s ability to prevent and respond to sexual assault
Afghanistan and Pakistan
Requires the President to assess U.S. efforts and report on progress in both countries, including metrics and timelines for achieving U.S. goals in these countries
Provides funds to train and equip and increase the size of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF)
Requires a system to register and track all U.S. defense articles provided to Afghanistan and Pakistan
Afghantan and Iraq
Requires a report on efforts to prioritize resources between Iraq and Afghanistan
Directs GAO to provide separate reports assessing the strategic plans for Iraq and Afghanistan
Iraq
Requires a report to assist Congress with monitoring our redeployment from Iraq
Requires a detailed plan for the disposition of U.S. military equipment in Iraq
Non-Proliferation
$2.5 billion for DOE’s programs, an increase of $403 million
$434 million, for Counter-Threat Reduction (CTR) initiatives, an increase of $30 million
Acquisition Reform
Supports the plan to increase the size of the civilian acquisition workforce
Reduces DOD’s reliance on contractors for critical acquisition functions
Improves the process for IT systems acquisition
Acts against waste, fraud, and abuse through increased contract oversight
Detainees
Prohibits transfer of GTMO detainees into the U.S. until 120 days after the President provides a plan for dealing with these detainees and for mitigating possible risk. Also requires consultation with the governors
Requires a report on how any reading of Miranda rights to detainees impacts, if at all, the conduct of military operations in Afghanistan.
Missile Defense
Authorizes the President’s request for $9.3 billion, and adds $900 million to Aegis and THAAD, specifically requested by commanders in the field to address real threats
Nuclear Weapons
Strengthen Stockpile Stewardship Program to further reduce the need for future testing
Piracy
Directs a report on the strategies for combating piracy off the coast of Somalia, and dealing with supporting organizations onshore
Requires vessels carrying DOD cargo in high piracy risk areas to be equipped with appropriate non-lethal defense measures
Cybersecurity
Strengthens DOD’s ability to combat cyber threats to critical infrastructure, in support of President’s plan
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Summary of H.R. 2996 - Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010
Key investments
Environmental Protection Agency: $10.46 billion, $23 million below the President's request and $2.83 billion above 2009, to protect our nation's air, clean its waters and restore its lands.
Clean Drinking Water & Wastewater: $3.9 billion to help over 1500 communities improve their drinking water and wastewater systems. This includes: $2.3 billion for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund to ensure our nation's waters meet the goals of the Clean Water Act; $1.4 billion for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to protect public health by improving drinking water systems; and $160 million for direct grants to communities for water infrastructure. A portion of the State Revolving Funds will be available as subsidized loans, and 20 percent of each State Revolving Fund will be available for green infrastructure, water or energy improvements, or other environmentally innovative projects. It is estimated that these funds will create as many as 40,000 new construction jobs.
Great Bodies of Water: $667 million, $89 million above the President's request and $507 million above 2009, to protect the nation's great water bodies including the Great Lakes, Puget Sound, and the Chesapeake Bay. Includes $475 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which will involve the coordination and collaboration of 16 Federal agencies, the States of the Great Lakes Region, local government, and citizens groups in an effort to restore the source of 20 percent of the world's fresh surface water.
Cleaning Up Hazardous Waste and Toxic Sites: $1.5 billion, equal to the President's request and $3 million above 2009, to clean up dangerous toxic waste including $605 million for the Superfund to clean up hazardous substances at over 1,500 of the nation's worst toxic waste sites; $113 million to inspect and clean up underground toxic spills; and $100 million for evaluation and cleanup of Brownfield's former industrial and commercial sites to make problem properties ready for development and productive community use.
Enforcement: $601 million, equal to the President's request and $34 million above 2009, for effective criminal and civil enforcement, and to fund additional staff to allow EPA to meet its statutory requirement to have 200 criminal investigators.
Protecting our Children from Toxins in the Environment: $5 million to allow the EPA to fully fund four new centers of excellence to study the impact to children from toxins and chemicals in the environment and to expand EPA in-house research in this area. These funds are in addition to the request for $3.3 million to continue the Agency's initiative to monitor the air around schools.
Climate Change: $420 million, $24 million above the President's request and $189 million above 2009, for programs to address global climate change. This includes:
$28 million to implement the Energy Independence and Security Act, including $21 million to meet its requirement that the US produce 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels by 2022, and $7 million for carbon sequestration research (evaluating geological and biological potential and processes) at the US Geological Survey.
$50 million for EPA's Energy Star program which saves consumers $14 billion a year in energy costs by letting them know appliances' energy efficiency.
$10 million for new grants at EPA to encourage local communities to find ways to cut their greenhouse gas emissions.
$17 million to continue development of a Greenhouse Gas Registry, a first step in controlling greenhouse gasses.
$67 million for priority climate change research at the US Geological Survey, an increase of $22 million over 2009.
$32 million total for climate change research at the Forest Service, an increase of $5 million over 2009.
$15 million as requested for the National Global Warming and Wildlife Science Center at the US Geological Survey for wildlife adaptation to climate change.
$58 million to promote the development of renewable clean energy sources on Federal lands and waters. Native Americans and Alaska Natives
Empower Native American communities: The Committee provides $6.8 billion, $654 million above the 2009 level and $39 million above the request, with an emphasis on improving health care, tribal law enforcement and education. As in previous years, the Committee provides funding and direction on the specific issues of domestic violence and substance abuse in Indian country, which are at epidemic levels. These joint BIA and IHS efforts, coordinated with funding and direction provided in the Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations bill, provide more Tribal law enforcement officers, new and upgraded detention centers, improved Tribal courts, and increased access to health programs in order to fight domestic violence and substance abuse.
Indian Health Service: $4.0 billion, $18 million above the President's request and $471 million above 2009, to support Tribal self-governance and improve the quality and availability of critical health care services for Native Americans.
Bureau of Indian Affairs: $2.6 billion, $22 million above the President's request and $183 million above 2009, for law enforcement officers, teachers, and jobs programs that will strengthen Native communities. Indian education receives over $80 million in increases over the enacted level, of which $50 million is to forward fund Tribal colleges so they can better plan for the academic year. Another $33 million is invested in BIA law enforcement to strengthen police programs, detention center operations, and Tribal courts.
Wildland Fire: $3.66 billion, $669 million above 2009 and $165 million above the President's request, for efforts to prevent and fight wildfires at the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior, including hazardous fuels reduction projects, State and volunteer fire assistance activities, and forest health projects.
Includes $357 million for the new wildfire suppression contingency reserve accounts, as requested;
Increases hazardous fuels projects by $91 million, or 17 percent over the request;
Increases overall wildfire suppression funding by $526 million, or 40 percent over 2009.
National Parks: $2.7 billion, $27 million above the President's request and $198 million above 2009, includes funds for the 10-year initiative to upgrade national parks before the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016, and $25 million for the new Park Partnership Project Grants Program.
National Wildlife Refuge System: $503 million, $20 million above the President's request and $40 million above 2009, to provide critically needed staff, implement climate change strategies, and improve conservation efforts.
US Forest Service (non-fire): $2.77 billion, $62 million above the President's request and $154 million above 2009, including $100 million for the Legacy Road and Trail Remediation program to protect streams and water systems from damaged forest roads. Increases the Forest Legacy Land Conservation Program by $26.7 million above 2009, for a total of $76 million.
National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities: $340 million, $17 million above the President's request and $30 million above 2009; providing $170 million for the National Endowment for the Arts and $170 million for the National Endowment for the Humanities to preserve and encourage America's arts and cultural heritage.
Smithsonian: $774 million, $15 million above the President's request and $43 million above 2009, to support the world's largest museum complex; the increase above the request maintains level funding for efforts to reduce the backlog of deferred maintenance. The Committee bill includes $20 million, as requested, for planning and design of the new National Museum of African American History and Culture to be built on the National Mall.
Significant Cuts The bill contains over $320 million in program terminations, reductions and other savings from the fiscal year 2009 level and over $300 million from the budget request. Included in this amount is a $142 million rescission from EPA prior-year STAG account funds, based on an Inspector General report of unliquidated obligations and $18 million in reductions from a number of requested increases for EPA administrative functions. The bill terminates $28 million for a new initiative in Federal aid in wildlife restoration program due to concerns about implementation of the program.
