Senator: Congress won't meet fiscal year deadline

As the Senate Appropriations Committee completed its last annual bill, the sprawling Labor-HHS measure, Chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, made clear Thursday he expects Congress to pass a short-term continuing resolution that lasts through Oct. 7, the first week of the new fiscal year.

"It's just a realization that we lost three days," Stevens told reporters, because Labor Day occurs late this year and Congress will not conduct legislative business during the Jewish religious holidays.

During Thursday's markup, the committee unanimously endorsed the Labor-HHS bill, with key Senators asserting they still want and expect more money for it.

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Pete Domenici, R-N.M., said he expects to provide updated scoring of the bill, a move that could provide Labor-HHS with more funds. He said, however, the amount may not be as much as some Senators want.

Labor-HHS Appropriations ranking member Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, called the bill's allocation "seriously inadequate," adding, "We can't even fund programs at last year's levels."

Harkin noted the House and Senate Budget committees used Office of Management and Budget scoring for the Defense appropriations bill, a move that provided the bill more money.

However, no such scoring change has been made for the Labor- HHS bill. Harkin has said if that decision were made, it would give the bill about $750 million. "We'd be in pretty good shape," Harkin said.

Discussing the Labor-HHS allocation, Domenici said, "Maybe it should be more. I don't believe there can be an awful lot more."

Domenici said the defense reallocation was justified because of changes in policy. He said some reallocations have been made for domestic funding measures, but that federal transportation programs consumed much of that funding.

Domenici said he is not sure how much more the Labor-HHS bill could receive, but said he expects costs of special education programs may be re-estimated.

Senate Budget Committee Staff Director William Hoagland has estimated that could produce $215 million more in outlays for the bill.

The Appropriations panel defeated an amendment by Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., that would have authorized an additional study of ergonomics. Gregg said the study would not have kept the Occupational Safety and Health Administration from issuing rules.

However, Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said House and Senate appropriators last year agreed no additional studies of the issue would be needed.

The panel approved a manager's amendment that contains a Stevens proposal to earmark $175 million for prostate cancer research. Stevens, a prostate cancer survivor, has raised concerns that the National Institutes of Health has not provided enough funding for that research.

The committee also deferred several controversial amendments dealing with home health care and other subjects until the bill reaches the floor. Stevens said he expects the Senate will consider the Labor-HHS bill at the end of next week.