Government Relations

Senate Appropriators Release Details of a Supplemental Spending Bill

The Senate Appropriations Committee chaired by Senator Byrd (D-W.Va.) has released details for a proposed second economic stimulus, supplemental spending bill. House Democratic leaders also are expected to produce a similar proposal in September. Any such bill is likely to be contentious and Republican and White House support for any supplemental spending package is tentative at best. Therefore, final passage, this year, of such a bill is questionable.

As of now, it does not appear that it will have a tax title; it is intended as a spending bill. Spending provisions of note that are going to be considered:

• An infusion into the Highway Trust Fund, which has become insolvent;
• $360 million for repair of eligible levees and other flood control projects;
• $200 million for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund; and
• $200 million in budget authority for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to support $500 million in loans and grants for water and waste disposal facilities in remote rural areas.

Congress Likely to Punt on Spending

It’s appearing more likely that Congress will not pass the usual 13 annual appropriations bills this year. Congress will instead seek to negotiate with the White House a stop-gap resolution, keeping the government operating past the end of the 2008 fiscal year, which is September, 30. Such measures, called “continuing resolutions” or CRs, have become increasingly common in recent years as the appropriations process has gotten more contentious.

It is likely that the Democrats will seek a CR, temporarily funding the government until early 2009. Democrats are betting that come 2009 — after the November elections — they will have a far stronger negotiating position with greater congressional majorities and perhaps an Obama Administration. However, to get the Republicans to agree to such a CR this year, Democrats will probably have to agree to a few Republican legislative priorities.

It is likely that Congress will seek to pass into law at least two of the 13 appropriations bills this year; the military construction/veterans affairs spending bill and the defense spending bill.

Lobbyists File New Reports

At the end of the July, brand new lobbying reports were to be filed by federal lobbyists and the organizations employing them. These new reports were the direct result of the passage of the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act (HLOGA) in 2007.

For the first time, HLOGA requires the disclosure of almost all political activities conducted by lobbyists and lobbying organizations. HLOGA represents a significant expansion of reporting requirements over previous reporting rules, which dated to 1995. Now, lobbyists have to report various and detailed lobbying activities a total of six times a year.

Preliminary data shows that 10,568 lobbyists filed reports by the July 30 deadline. Furthermore, 3,446 organizations employing lobbyists also filed (such organizations can be trade associations, unions, business, lobbying firms and advocacy organizations).