Medicare Deadline Approaching
The deadline for current Medicare beneficiaries to enroll in the new optional prescription drug benefit, called "Medicare Part D," is May 15, 2006. The Medicare Part D program offers a variety of private prescription drug health insurance plans at rates subsidized by the federal government. Constituents should feel free to call Congressman Platts' office if they or anyone they know could use assistance in selecting or applying for a plan. Either dial the York office at 717-600-1919, or call toll free at 1-877-902-1919.
Higher Education and Other Measures Advance Through the House
Throughout the month of March, the House of Representatives considered a variety of bills and related amendments. The bills passed through the House include the College Access and Opportunity Act (H.R. 609), appropriations for the War on Terror and Hurricane Relief (H.R. 4939), and a reauthorization of the Patriot Act (S. 2271).
The House voted 221-199 to pass the College Access and Opportunity Act, which would extend programs under the Higher Education Act of 1998 for an additional five years. H.R. 609 would also expand Pell Grants for low-income students, broaden the ability of borrowers to select a lender for student loan consolidations, and instruct the Department of Education to establish a "College Affordability Index." The Index would be posted on the Department's web site in order to help consumers identify colleges that repeatedly increase tuition at a rate of more than twice inflation. H.R. 609 is now pending in the Senate, which is expected to take up its own version of the legislation.
The House voted 348-71 to pass H.R. 4939, which would provide funds for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as additional disaster relief funds for areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. H.R. 4939 also contains a provision barring DP World, the Dubai-based maritime company, from acquiring operations at U.S. ports. H.R. 4939 is now pending in the Senate, which is expected to take up a similar appropriations bill in the near future.
Finally, the House voted 280-138 to reauthorize provisions of the Patriot Act that were set to expire as well as add additional civil liberties protections. The Patriot Act was enacted in 2001 in order to lower the "wall" between intelligence activities and criminal investigations, to give anti-terrorism investigators many of the same tools already available to criminal investigators, and create a nation-wide standard for when notifications of searches may be delayed. S. 2271 clarifies the process for challenging subpoenas under the Patriot Act and creates for the first time a process for challenging so-called "national security letters," which allow the FBI to obtain customer records from certain companies. The Senate passed S. 2271 by a vote of 95-4 on March 1, 2005, and the President signed the measure into law on March 9, 2006.
Congressman Platts voted in favor of each of the aforementioned bills. Some of his votes on amendments related to H.R. 609 and H.R. 4939 are highlighted in "The Month in Review" below.
The Month in Review
The following is a list of some other key votes taken by the United States House of Representatives during the month of March of 2006:
Ethics Committee Investigation (H. Res. 746)
The House voted 216-193 to table (ie., to not consider) a resolution asking the House Ethics Committee to begin an investigation of any misconduct by members of Congress and their staff implicated in the scandals associated with Jack Abramoff, who had been sentenced the day before to nearly six years in prison. Congressman Platts voted against tabling the motion and therefore in favor of an investigation.
Student Loan Interest Rates (H. Amdt. 772)
The House voted 200-220 to reject an amendment to H.R. 609 (discussed above) which would, in part, lower the interest rate on subsidized students loans. Congressman Platts voted in favor of this amendment and therefore in favor of lowering the interest rate.
Katrina Relief Funds (H. Amdt. 734)
he House voted 89-332 to reject an amendment which would have eliminated the $19.1 billion in disaster relief for Hurricane Katrina contained in H.R. 4939 (discussed above). Congressman Platts voted to reject this amendment and therefore in favor of keeping funds for disaster relief in the bill.
Dubai Ports (H. Amdt. 701)
The House voted 38-377 to reject an amendment which would have eliminated from H.R. 4939 the language related to DP World (as described above). Congressman Platts voted to reject this amendment and therefore in favor of keeping the ban on DP World acquiring U.S. port operations.
Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (S. 2320)
The House voted 287-128 to make $1 billion in previously appropriated funds available for low-income home heating assistance during fiscal year 2006. Congressman Platts voted in favor of this measure, and the President signed S. 2320 into law on March 20, 2006.
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