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Staff Contact: Brad Watson (x69719) June 27, 2007

**Appropriations Policy Brief**

**H.R. 2829 --- Financial Services and General Government Appropriations
Act for FY 2008**

**[Items of Note]{.underline}:**

**D.C. Needle Exchange Program: ** The underlying bill text weakens an
existing provision in current law that prohibits all funds (D.C. or
federal) from being used for any needle exchange program in the
District.  Thus, if enacted unchanged, the District of Columbia could
(and very likely would, based on statements from past and present D.C.
elected officials) use local taxpayer funds to provide hypodermic
needles and syringes to drug addicts to engage in illicit drug use. 
Rep. Souder will offer an amendment to address this problem, and the
Administration SAP stated strong reservations about allowing local funds
to go toward a needle exchange program.

**Domestic Partner Benefits:**  The underlying bill text weakens an
existing provision in current law that prohibits federal funds from
being used for the D.C. domestic partner law.  Rep. Goode will offer an
amendment to address this problem, and the Administration is strongly
opposed to the underlying language.  The President's senior advisors
have recommended a veto if the provision allowing federal funds for
domestic partners remains in the bill.

**Other Pro-Family and Pro-Life Provisions:**  The base text keeps
intact various other pro-family provisions that have been included in
previous year's appropriations bills, including: 1) a ban on funding
abortions through the Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) program,
except in the instances of rape, incest, or life of the mother, 2)
conscience protections for health care personnel and providers (that
were expanded in FY 2000 and retained in future years), and 3) a ban on
using D.C. or federally appropriated funds for abortion in the
District.  Under the open rule, the potential for attacks on these or
other pro-life and pro-family provisions in this appropriations bill
remains possible.

**IRS Private Debt Collection:** Section 106 of the bill prevents more
than \$1 million from being used for this IRS's private debt collection
program.

According to the Administration's SAP, this provision would effectively
kill the program. The Administration argues the program will yield \$1.5
billion in tax payments that would otherwise not be collected over ten
years.

**IRS:** \$11.1 billion---\$550 million or 5 percent above last year and
\$52 million or 0.5 percent more than the budget request.

**The Judiciary:** \$5.9 billion---\$254 million or 4.5 percent above
last year and \$254 million or 4.1 percent less than the President's
request.

**DC:** \$591 million---\$77 million or 13 percent increase from last
year and \$71 million or 12 percent above the President's request.

**Election Assistance Commission:** \$316 million---\$300 million or
1,846 percent above last year.

[**Earmarks:**]{.underline}

The Committee Report, on pages 124 to 128, lists 148 [Member requested
earmarks](http://www.rules.house.gov/110/text/110_hr2829rpt.pdf).

**[Funding Summaries]{.underline}:**

*In thousands*

  ------------------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- ------------- ------------- ----------- -------------
                            **FY 2007**    **FY 2008**    **FY 2008**    **Cmte Vs.**  **Cmte Vs.**  **Cmte      **Cmte Vs.**
                                                                                                     Vs.**       

                            **Enacted**    **Request**    **Cmte**       **FY 2007**   **Request**   **FY 2007** **Request**

  **I. Department of        ** **          ** **          ** **          ** **         ** **         ** **       ** **
  Treasury**                                                                                                     

  Departmental Offices      469,650** **   ** **510,078   ** **508,028   ** **38,378   ** **-2,050   ** **8.2%   ** **-0.4%

  Financial Management      235,381        235,191        234,423        -958          -768          -0.4%       -0.3%
  Service                                                                                                        

  Alcohol and Tobacco Tax   90,618         93,515         93,515         2,897         0             3.3%        0.0%
  and Trade Bureau                                                                                               

  Community development     54,506         28,557         100,000        45,494        71,443        83.5%       250.2%
  financial institutions                                                                                         
  fund                                                                                                           

  Bureau of the Public Debt 177,623        172,871        172,871        -4,752        0             -2.7%       0.0%

  IRS                       10,597,066     11,095,499     11,147,410     550,344       51,911        5.2%        0.5%

                                                                                                                 

  **II. Executive Office of                                                                                      
  the President**                                                                                                

  The White House            172,993        187,370        177,089        4,096         -10,281       2.4%        -5.5%

  OMB                       76,714         70,866         78,394         1,680         7,528         2.2%        10.6%

  Office of the National    464,447        473,368        460,436        -4,011        -12,932       -0.9%       -2.7%
  Drug Control Policy                                                                                            

  Unanticipated Needs       990            1,000          1,000          10            0             1%          0.0%

                                                                                                                 

  **III. The Judiciary**                                                                                         

  Supreme Court of the      74,003         78,727         78,727         4,724         0             6.4%        0.0%
  United States                                                                                                  

  US Court of Appeals for   25,311         28,538         27,976         2,665         -562          10.5%       -1.9%
  Federal Circuit                                                                                                

  US Court of International 15,825         16,727         16,544         719           -183          4.5%        -1.1%
  Trade                                                                                                          

  Courts of Appeals,        5,696,412      6,202,527      5,954,014      257,602       -248,513      4.5%        -4.0%
  District Courts, and                                                                                           
  Other Judicial Offices                                                                                         

  Administrative Office of  72,377         78,536         75,667         3,290         -2,869        4.5%        -3.7%
  the US Courts                                                                                                  

  Federal Judicial Center   22,874         24,835         23,994         1,120         -841          4.9%        -3.4%

  Judicial Retirement Funds 58,300         65,400         65,400         7,100         0             12.2%       0.0%

  US Sentencing Commission  14,601         16,191         15,477         876           -714          6.0%        -4.4%

                                                                                                                 

  **Title IV. District of                                                                                        
  Columbia**                                                                                                     

  Federal Payment for       32,868         35,100         35,100         2,232         0             6.8%        0.0%
  Resident Tuition Support                                                                                       

  Federal Payment for       8,533          3,000          3,352          -5,181        352           -60.7%      11.7%
  Emergency Planning and                                                                                         
  Security                                                                                                       

  Federal Payment to the     216,723        213,861        276,395        59,672        62,534        27.5%       29.2%
  District of Columbia                                                                                           
  Courts                                                                                                         

  Defender Services in      43,475         43,475         52,475         9,000         9,000         20.7%       20.7%
  District of Columbia                                                                                           
  Courts                                                                                                         

  Federal Payment to Court  179,603        190,343        190,343        10,740        0             6.0%        0.0%
  Services and Offender                                                                                          
  Supervision Agency                                                                                             

  Federal Payment to the    31,103         32,710         32,710         1,607         0             5%          0.0%
  District of Columbia                                                                                           
  Public Defender Service                                                                                        

  Federal Payment for the   2,970          0              0              -2,970        0             -100.0%     0.0%
  Anacostia Waterfront                                                                                           
  Initiative                                                                                                     

  Federal Payment to the    1,287          1,300          1,300          13            0             1%          0.0%
  Criminal Justice                                                                                               
  Coordinating Council                                                                                           

  Federal Payment for       990            0              0              -990          0             -100.0%     0.0%
  Transportation Assistance                                                                                      

  Federal Payment for       1,980          0              0              -1,980        0             -100.0%     0.0%
  Foster Care                                                                                                    

  Federal Payment to CFO    20,000         0              0              -20,000       0             -100.0%     0.0%

  Federal Payment School    39,600         40,800         40,800         1,200         0             3.0%        0.0%
  Improvement                                                                                                    

  Federal Payment for       4,950          10,000         10,000         5,050         0             102%        0.0%
  consolidated laboratory                                                                                        

  Federal Payment for       0              10,000         10,000         10,000        0             \-\-\-\--   0.0%
  Central Library                                                                                                

  Federal Payment to        0              5,000          4,000          4,000         -1,000        \-\-\-\--   -20.0%
  Reimburse FBI                                                                                                  

                                                                                                                 

  **Title V. Other                                                                                               
  Independent Agencies**                                                                                         

  Consumer Product Safety   62,778         63,250         66,838         4,110         3,588         6.5%        5.7%
  Commission                                                                                                     

  Election Assistance       16,263         15,467         316,417        300,154       300,950       1846%       1946%
  Commission                                                                                                     

  FCC, Direct Appropriation 987            1,000          1,000          13            0             1.3%        0.0%

  FEC                       54,528         59,224         59,224         4,696         0             8.6%        0.0%

  Federal Labor Relation    25,372         23,718         23,641         -1,731        -77           -6.8%       -0.3%
  Authority                                                                                                      

  FTC                       59,289         82,239         88,489         29,200        6,250         49.3%       7.6%

  Federal Buildings Fund    93,586         344,450        186,610        93,024        -157,840      99.4%       -45.8%

  ** **Merit Systems         38,666         40,086         40,086         1,420         0             3.7%        0.0%
  Protection Board                                                                                               

  Morris K. Udall           3,880          750            4,000          120           3,250         3.1%        433.3%
  Foundation                                                                                                     

  National Archives and     331,111        368,669        388,227        57,116        19,558        17.2%       5.3%
  Records Administration                                                                                         

  Office of Government      11,115         11,750         11,750         635           0             5.7%        0.0%
  Ethics                                                                                                         

  Office of Special Counsel 15,524         16,368         16,368         844           0             5.4%        0.0%

  SEC                       867,560        875,000        867,045        -515          -7,955        0.0%        0.9%

  Selective Service System  24,850         22,000         22,000         -2,850        0             -11.5%      0.0%

  SBA                       571,927        463,517        502,497        -69,430       38,980        -12.1%      8.4%

  US Postal Service         108,915        88,864         117,864        8,949         29,000        8.2%        32.6%

  US Tax Court              47,625         45,326         45,069         -2,556        -257          -5.4%       -0.6%
  ------------------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- ------------- ------------- ----------- -------------