Panel approves Homeland Security spending bill

The House Appropriations Committee voted unanimously Wednesday to send the fiscal 2007 Homeland Security appropriations bill to the full House, including a controversial Democratic amendment that would require minimum security standards for chemical facilities.

The bill sets fiscal 2007 discretionary spending for the department at about $32 billion, compared to about $31 billion requested by the Bush administration. Overall, the spending plan is about $1.8 billion more than the department's enacted fiscal 2006 budget.

But the bill contains millions of dollars less than the Bush administration's request for a controversial new personnel system, which seeks to replace the deep-rooted General Schedule pay system with broad paybands and to base pay raises on performance reviews. The committee voted to provide $29.7 million for the system in fiscal 2007, which is equal to 2006 levels and far short of the $41.8 million requested in the president's budget. Arguments broke out between Democrats and Republicans while marking up the bill regarding congressional oversight of the department. Both sides agreed the department has many problems, but were split over how far appropriators should go in mandating changes. An amendment by Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, that would have established an independent commission to investigate Hurricane Katrina contracting and reconstruction efforts was defeated on a 33-24 party-line vote.

House Appropriations ranking member David Obey, D-Wis., said the House has been "spectacularly negligent" in conducting oversight of the department. Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., argued that not enough hearings have been held on the department's operations. House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Harold Rogers, R-Ky., objected to the criticisms.

"We take our jobs very seriously and we do serious work," he said. He added that 11 inspectors general are investigating contracts awarded in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. "Don't give me the idea that we're not looking at these contracts in detail," he said.

An amendment by House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee ranking member Martin Olav Sabo, D-Minn., requiring minimum standards for chemical facilities also divided the committee, but it was approved by voice vote in which Democrats cast the loudest votes. Republicans did not request a roll call.

The amendment would require the Homeland Security secretary to issue interim final regulations that establish minimum standards for security at chemical facilities that the secretary determines pose the greatest risk and that are not now regulated under federal law. The regulations, however, would be void if and when new regulations from congressional authorizers are passed into law.

Sabo, who is retiring at the end of this year, said Congress cannot wait any longer for authorizers to pass legislation. "The American people have been waiting long enough," he said.

Rogers objected to the amendment, saying chemical plant security is "urgently needed" but that appropriators should not hastily pass an amendment that has not been thoroughly discussed. "This is a major authorization [and] complex technical question," he said.

Rogers added that House Homeland Security Chairman Peter King, R-N.Y., sent him a letter Wednesday saying that authorizers plan to work on legislation for chemical plant security in June. Obey argued that the best way to get authorizers to act is to step on their jurisdiction. "We need action and we need action now," he said.

Republicans also defeated by party-line votes two amendments from Obey that would have added $3.5 billion and $928 million, respectively, to the department's budget, mainly for border and port security.

After wrapping up the Homeland Security bill, appropriators approved by voice vote a $30 billion fiscal 2007 Energy and Water measure, including $1.04 billion in earmarked funds mostly for water projects at lawmakers' requests. The bill is $546 million above President Bush's request and a reduction of $172 million from the amount Congress appropriated for this fiscal year.

The panel rejected on a 32-23 roll call a Democratic attempt to add $1 billion for energy while stating the money should come by raising $1 billion in taxes on those making more than $1 million, even though the panel has no jurisdiction over tax policy.

Michael Posner, of CongressDaily, and Karen Rutzick contributed to this report.