FY 2009 FMAPs Published
The Federal Medical Assistance Percentages (FMAPs)
and enhanced FMAPs for federal fiscal year 2009 were
published today in the Federal Register. These are identical to those
calculated by FFIS in September 2007, and included in Issue Brief 07-41.
A copy of the release is here.
FMS
Revises Green Book
During the past several months, the Financial
Management Service of the U.S. Treasury has been working to update the
"Green Book" guide to federal automated clearing house (ACH) payments
and collections. All chapters have been revised (in PDF format), with the
exception of Chapter 5, Reclamations. The Reclamations Chapter will be updated
in the future, pending decisions regarding an automated ACH reclamations
process.
The revised Green Book is located at: http://fms.treas.gov/greenbook/
Oh, your inquiring minds!
Here we thought that we would dispense with providing detail on the spending
levels in the conference report for FY 2008 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations
because we knew the president would veto the bill. But no! Our ever-inquisitive
audience wants to know what was in that bill.
The attached chart
lists the amounts included in the two conference reports that have been
completed. The report for Labor-HHS-Education has been vetoed and the override
attempt failed. The conference report for transportation-HUD has been approved
by the House but not the Senate. The president is expected to veto that bill if
and when it gets to his desk.
We will continue to update this chart as progress is made (if you can call what
is happening here progress).
House
Sustains Veto of Labor-HHS Spending Bill
On Thursday, the House failed to override the president's veto of the FY 2008
appropriations bill for the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services,
and Education (Labor-HHS).
In a related development, House and Senate leaders announced that they are
developing a proposal to reduce funding by $11 billion across several
spending measures. Under the proposed allocations, Labor-HHS would receive
about $3.5 billion less than the amount in the bill the president vetoed.
House Committee Approves Higher Education Act Reauthorization
The House Education and Labor Committee approved the College Opportunity
and Affordability Act of 2007 (H.R. 4137), which reauthorizes the Higher
Education Act (HEA). The bill would renew HEA for five years and increase the
Pell grant maximum from $5,800 to $9,000 per year. The Senate passed its
version of HEA reauthorization last summer.
Among the proposed changes in the House bill is a "Maintenance of
Effort" provision that would require states to
provide funding for higher education based on either the average from the
previous five fiscal years or the amount provided during the previous
year.
Head Start
Conference Report Passes
The House and Senate have adopted the conference report for the Improving Head
Start for School Readiness Act (H.R. 1429). The report reauthorizes the program
for five years. The legislation now heads to the president for signing.
House Adopts FY 2008 Transportation/HUD Spending Bill
Yesterday, the House adopted the conference report on the FY 2008
Transportation/ Housing and Urban Development (HUD) appropriations bill (H.R.
3074). The conference report faces a presidential veto threat because it
exceeds the president's budget request by $3 billion.
President
Vetoes Labor-HHS Appropriations Bill, Signs Defense + CR
Yesterday, President Bush vetoed the FY 2008 appropriations bill for the
departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education because the
bill exceeded his budget request by nearly $10 billion. The bill now will be
sent back to Congress, where an override vote is scheduled for Thursday in the
House.
Also yesterday, the president signed the FY 2008 appropriations bill for the
Department of Defense. The measure is 9.5% more than FY 2007. The
bill includes a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the federal government
through December 14. Should any funding measures be enacted prior to that
date, those measures would replace the CR.
The CR provides extensions for several programs (State Children's Health
Insurance Program, food stamps and trade adjustment assistance) and provides $3
billion for the Road Home Program for hurricane recovery efforts; $2.9 billion
for FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund; $1.025 billion for
the 2010 Census and $500 million for wildfire suppression.
Congress
Overrides Veto
Yesterday, the Senate voted to override President
Bush's veto of the Water Resources Development Act (H.R. 1495). The House
overrode the veto on November 6. WRDA authorizes $23.2 billion for Army Corps
of Engineers projects and is the first reauthorization of the bill in seven
years.
House Passes Defense Conference Report; CR Attached
The House adopted the FY 2008 Department of Defense spending
conference report (H.R. 3222). The Senate was expected to act last night. It is
9.5% above FY 2007 funding levels. The bill also carries a continuing
resolution (CR) to fund the federal government through December 14. The
current CR (P.L. 110-92) expires November 16. The CR also will
extend several authorizing programs covered under the current CR, and will
include funding for several domestic programs.
Conferees Agree to Head Start Reauthorization
On Thursday, House and Senate conferees agreed to a
Head Start reauthorization bill (H.R. 1429). It would require that 50% of
Head Start teachers have a bachelor's degree by 2013. It authorizes $7.35
billion for Head Start in FY 2008, $7.5 billion in FY 2009 and $7.9 billion in
FY 2010. Congress plans to vote on the bill next week and send it to the
president before the Thanksgiving recess.
Conferees Adopt Transportation Spending Bill
Lawmakers have adopted H.R. 3074, the conference report for FY 2008
appropriations for the departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban
Development. It would spend $7.1 billion more than last year and $5.3 billion
more than the president requested. Among its provisions is $3.8 billion for
Community Development Block Grants. The president had threatened to veto both
the House and Senate bills, and the final bill is very close to the Senate's
total spending amount.
Labor-HHS
Bill Heads Back to House
On Wednesday, the Senate divided the
Labor-HHS-Education and Military Construction-Veterans' Affairs (VA) FY 2008
appropriation bills. House and Senate majority leaders had combined the
bills as a strategy to get the president to sign the Labor-HHS-Education bill,
which he has threatened to veto because it is nearly $10 billion over
his budget request.
The Senate passed the conference report on the Labor-HHS-Education bill and
sent it back to the House for a final vote today. The bill did not have enough
votes to override a veto.
House Committee Approves Bill for Mentally Ill Prisoners
On Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee approved
H.R. 3992, reauthorizing a grant program that provides treatment for mentally
ill inmates and training for law enforcement officers who handle them. The bill
also would authorize $75 million annually for the program and $35 million
annually for new grant programs.
House
Passes
Yesterday, the House approved the conference report for the FY 2008
Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill (H.R. 3043). The conference report also
includes the FY 2008 Military Construction-Veterans Affairs appropriations
bill. The president issued a veto threat against the Labor-HHS-Education
appropriations bill in its current form because it exceeds his budget request.
The Senate may move to separate the two bills.
Conferees Attach CR to Defense Spending
Yesterday, House and Senate conferees agreed to a FY 2008 spending measure for
the Department of Defense that provides a 9.5% increase above FY 2007
funding (H.R. 3222). The bill will carry a continuing resolution (CR) to
fund the federal government through December 14. The CR also
will extend several authorizing programs covered under the current CR,
including the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), food
stamps and trade adjustment assistance. In addition, it is expected to
contain provisions for several domestic programs, including the Road Home
Program (for Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita recovery efforts), FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund, the
2010 Census and wildfire suppression.
House Overrides Veto
Yesterday, the House voted to override the president's veto of the Water
Resources Development Act (H.R. 1495). WRDA would authorize $23.2 billion for
Army Corps of Engineers projects and would be the first reauthorization of the
bill in seven years. The Senate will vote today on the override.
House Committee Approves Mortgage Bill
The House Financial Services Committee approved H.R. 3915, a
comprehensive mortgage reform bill that would set minimum standards for
residential mortgage loans. The Committee rejected an amendment to preempt
related state laws for seven years. The House may consider the bill before
Thanksgiving. There is no Senate companion.
Program
Totals for Labor-HHS Conference Report
The attached file
lists funding levels that were agreed to in conference committee for the
Labor-Health and Human Services-Education appropriations bill. The president
has repeatedly stated that he will veto this bill. However, the numbers may
provide some indication of congressional intent, if nothing else. We hope
you find them useful.
Senate
Passes SCHIP Bill
The House-passed bill to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance
Program (SCHIP) passed the Senate and will be sent to the
president, who has said he will veto it(H.R.
3963). Congress has extended funding for SCHIP until November 16; if a
reauthorization bill is not enacted before then, another extension will be
needed.
Conference Agreement Combines Spending Bills
On Thursday, House and Senate negotiators approved a
conference report that combines the FY 2008 appropriations bills for the
Department of Veterans Affairs with a funding bill for the departments of
Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (Labor-HHS-Education).
Funding increases in the bill include the Low Income Home Energy
Assistance Program ($2.4 billion) and the Community Services Block
Grant ($665 million). The House and Senate are expected to vote on the
measure next week. The president has indicated he will veto the combined bill.
House Hearing on Medicaid Regs
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held a hearing yesterday to
examine six Medicaid regulations proposed by the Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS) this year. Six of the witnesses, including a state
Medicaid director, urged Congress to prevent the regulations from being
implemented. Witnesses noted there would be an unprecedented cost shift to
states if the regulations were implemented as currently proposed.
The House
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed the National Highway Bridge
Reconstruction and Inspection Act of 2007, which authorizes $2 billion for
repairing bridges in FYs 2008 and 2009. States would be required to
inspect their structurally deficient or obsolete bridges once a year; all other
bridges would be inspected every two years. State flexibility to transfer
funds from this program to other surface transportation programs would be
limited. Funding for the program would come from general fund revenues.
President Signs Higher Education Act Extension
On Wednesday, the president signed the "Third
Higher Education Extension Act of 2007" (S. 2258), extending the Higher
Education Act (HEA) for five months. HEA is now authorized through March 31,
2008. S. 2258 also clarifies eligibility in the College Cost Reduction and
Access Act (P.L. 110-84) for certain not-for-profit student loan lenders to
receive special allowance payment subsidies.