House passes VA FY2012 Milcon bill H.R. 2055
Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2011 2:16 pm
House passes VA FY2012 Milcon bill H.R. 2055 by vote 411-5
CQ TODAY ONLINE NEWS – APPROPRIATIONS
June 14, 2011 – 3:15 p.m.
House Passes Military Construction-VA Spending Bill
By Alexander C. Hart and Frances Symes, CQ Staff
The House on Tuesday completed work on its military construction and veterans’ programs appropriations bill, sending its second fiscal 2012 appropriations measure to the Senate.
The chamber passed the popular bill, 411-5. Five Republicans votes against the measure: Jeff Flake of Arizona, Ron Paul of Texas, John Campbell of California, John J. “Jimmy” Duncan Jr. of Tennessee and freshman Justin Amash of Michigan.
Final action on the bill (HR 2055) came after the House rejected a motion to recommit offered by Bill Owens, D-N.Y., that would have increased funding for veterans medical services for post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide prevention in the bill by $20 million and offset the cost by reducing funding for Department of Veteran Affairs’ (VA) information technology programs by $25 million.
The House began floor consideration of the bill on Thursday, June 2, and concluded amendment debate on June 13.
As amended, the bill would allow funds to be used to implement President Obama’s 2009 executive order allowing agencies to require “project labor agreements” for certain construction projects. PLAs, as they are known, are collective bargaining agreements that establish terms and conditions for construction projects.
A provision that would have blocked funding for PLAs was stripped on the floor by an amendment by Steven C. LaTourette, R-Ohio, in a 204-203 vote.
In a reversal from a previous vote on a similar amendment offered to the Homeland Security appropriations bill (HR 2017), the House adopted an amendment, offered by Brad Sherman, D-Calif., that would bar funds made available by the bill from being used to contravene the War Powers Resolution.
Sherman said he believed the amendment was successful because it was germane to the Military Construction-VA bill, which “provides tens of billions of dollars for the Defense Department.” He also credited the support of Military Construction-VA Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman John Culberson, R-Texas, for the amendment’s adoption.
“We must preserve and safeguard democracy and the rule of law in this country before we bring democracy and the rule of law to Libya,” Sherman said.
The bill would provide $72.5 billion in fiscal 2012 discretionary funds, $1.3 billion less than Obama’s request and about $615 million, or less than 1 percent, below current levels.
The measure would provide about $128 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in fiscal 2012, a $2.4 billion increase over fiscal 2011. It also includes $52.5 billion in advance fiscal 2013 funding for veterans’ health care, continuing a policy put in place in fiscal 2010 to provide advance funding, and thus predictability, for such programs.
The House voted Monday to retain title of the bill that would fund veterans’ programs. Freshman Republican Morgan Griffith of Virginia voted against it in order to signal that he believes it would be better to consider measures to fund Veterans Affairs and military construction separately. Griffith voted for passage of the bill.
Source: CQ Today Online News
Round-the-clock coverage of news from Capitol Hill.
© 2011 CQ Roll Call All Rights Reserved.
CQ TODAY ONLINE NEWS – APPROPRIATIONS
June 14, 2011 – 3:15 p.m.
House Passes Military Construction-VA Spending Bill
By Alexander C. Hart and Frances Symes, CQ Staff
The House on Tuesday completed work on its military construction and veterans’ programs appropriations bill, sending its second fiscal 2012 appropriations measure to the Senate.
The chamber passed the popular bill, 411-5. Five Republicans votes against the measure: Jeff Flake of Arizona, Ron Paul of Texas, John Campbell of California, John J. “Jimmy” Duncan Jr. of Tennessee and freshman Justin Amash of Michigan.
Final action on the bill (HR 2055) came after the House rejected a motion to recommit offered by Bill Owens, D-N.Y., that would have increased funding for veterans medical services for post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide prevention in the bill by $20 million and offset the cost by reducing funding for Department of Veteran Affairs’ (VA) information technology programs by $25 million.
The House began floor consideration of the bill on Thursday, June 2, and concluded amendment debate on June 13.
As amended, the bill would allow funds to be used to implement President Obama’s 2009 executive order allowing agencies to require “project labor agreements” for certain construction projects. PLAs, as they are known, are collective bargaining agreements that establish terms and conditions for construction projects.
A provision that would have blocked funding for PLAs was stripped on the floor by an amendment by Steven C. LaTourette, R-Ohio, in a 204-203 vote.
In a reversal from a previous vote on a similar amendment offered to the Homeland Security appropriations bill (HR 2017), the House adopted an amendment, offered by Brad Sherman, D-Calif., that would bar funds made available by the bill from being used to contravene the War Powers Resolution.
Sherman said he believed the amendment was successful because it was germane to the Military Construction-VA bill, which “provides tens of billions of dollars for the Defense Department.” He also credited the support of Military Construction-VA Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman John Culberson, R-Texas, for the amendment’s adoption.
“We must preserve and safeguard democracy and the rule of law in this country before we bring democracy and the rule of law to Libya,” Sherman said.
The bill would provide $72.5 billion in fiscal 2012 discretionary funds, $1.3 billion less than Obama’s request and about $615 million, or less than 1 percent, below current levels.
The measure would provide about $128 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in fiscal 2012, a $2.4 billion increase over fiscal 2011. It also includes $52.5 billion in advance fiscal 2013 funding for veterans’ health care, continuing a policy put in place in fiscal 2010 to provide advance funding, and thus predictability, for such programs.
The House voted Monday to retain title of the bill that would fund veterans’ programs. Freshman Republican Morgan Griffith of Virginia voted against it in order to signal that he believes it would be better to consider measures to fund Veterans Affairs and military construction separately. Griffith voted for passage of the bill.
Source: CQ Today Online News
Round-the-clock coverage of news from Capitol Hill.
© 2011 CQ Roll Call All Rights Reserved.