Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2005

DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2005 -- (House of Representatives - September 09, 2004)

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 754 and rule XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union for the further consideration of the bill, H.R. 5006.

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Mr. NUSSLE. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 5006, the Labor/HHS Appropriations Bill for FY 2005, and to inform members that this bill is in compliance with the budget resolution for FY 2005 as applied to the House by H. Res. 649.

H.R. 5006 provides $142.5 billion in new budget authority and $141.1 billion in new outlays for programs within the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and related agencies. This funding level represents an increase of $2.8 billion in BA and $3.9 billion in outlays over last year. That is a 2 percent increase over FY 2004 levels. This reflects the need to restrain the rate of increase for non-defense, non-homeland security domestic discretionary programs which provided the overall policy framework for this year's budget resolution.

H.R. 5006 complies with the budget act because the spending levels it contains do not exceed the subcommittee's 302(b) suballocation of new budget authority. Additionally, the bill is in compliance with requirements that it not exceed aggregate spending levels established in the budget resolution. Finally, the bill also complies with restrictions on advance appropriations.

Regarding this last point, the Budget Resolution for FY 2005 places a total limit for advance appropriations in FY 2006 at $23.2 billion. The bill before us today will consume the vast majority of those funds, since it provides for $19.275 billion in FY 2006 advance appropriations. All of the accounts for which advance appropriations are made in this bill are listed as eligible within the budget resolution. Since no advance appropriations have as yet been enacted, the bill does not cause a breach of this limit. However, the House should be aware that only $4 billion will remain available for advance appropriations should this bill be enacted.

I commend the Committee on Appropriations for bringing us a bill that funds many priority programs which Members care about while living within our means in an era requiring tougher fiscal discipline. The bill increases Department of Education funding by $2 billion over last year, and includes a billion dollar increase for Special Education, bringing funding for IDEA to its highest level in history. This is over three times more funding than Special Education received in 1995, and this is an accomplishment that we in the Budget Committee have helped to bring about through past budget resolutions which assumed substantial increases for special education.

Additionally, the bill continues the commitment that the House has made to the National Institutes for Health, providing $727 million more than last year. Worker retraining and dislocated worker assistance programs are also restored and augmented, which should help us continue to expand employment and ensure that Americans who want to work will be able to find good jobs. This is a responsible bill which fulfills our commitments to the public while living within the constraints of difficult fiscal times.

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