Publications :  The Watcher :  OMB Watcher Vol. 4: 2003 :  June 16, 2003 Vol. 4 No. 12 : 

In This Issue

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The House Takes Up Permanent Repeal of the Estate Tax (06/16/2003)
After hijacking the child tax credit with add-ons that inflated the cost to $82 billion, House GOP leaders continue this month in their headlong rush to drain resources from government by cutting taxes for corporations and the wealthy. The campaign has just moved from the outrageous to the egregious.


Child Tax Credit: The Poor as Political Theatre (06/16/2003)
The story is confusing. How did it end up that some Democrats voted against the House bill extending the refundable child tax credits to the 6.5 million low-income families who got left out of the latest tax break for the wealthy?

Economy and Jobs Watch (06/16/2003)
Two recent economic reports show the depth of economic mismanagement by the Bush administration. First, it was reported last week that the unemployment rate has risen to 6.1 percent in yet another indication of the poor state of the labor market. Second, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) announced that it expects the current year’s budget deficit will be around $400 billion.


Bill Introduced to Bolster Whistleblower Protections (06/16/2003)
Last week Sens. Leahy (D-VT), Levin (D-MI), and Akaka (D-HI) introduced an important bill to reinforce traditional whistleblower protections. The Whistleblower Protection Act Amendments (S. 1229) are the product of three years of research and staff review, as well as in-depth hearings. Various court decisions have eroded the protections for whistleblowers established by Congress in 1989 with the unanimously supported Whistleblower Protection Act, which was later strengthened, again with a unanimous vote, in 1994.

Panel Investigates Impact of SBU on Media (06/16/2003)
Last week, The Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania held a conference entitled, “Sharing and Protecting Homeland Security Information -- Avoiding Conflict Between the Media and the Government.”

Charitable Giving Bill in House Sparks Controversy Over Foundations' Costs (06/16/2003)
When the “Charitable Giving Act of 2003" H.R. 7 was introduced in the House last month, there were optimistic statements that the Ways and Means Committee could consider the bill before the July 4 recess. However, no action is pending and controversy about provisions involving foundations is gaining national attention.

Head Start Group Sues HHS Over Threatening Letter (06/16/2003)
The National Head Start Association (NHSA), an organization representing parents, teachers and Head Start programs, filed suit against the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Secretary Tommy Thompson on June 11th, seeking a court order that would prevent HHS from penalizing Head Start advocates that speak out against the administration’s proposed overhaul of the program. The suit also asks that a copy of the Court order be sent to all Head Start programs in order to correct the chilling impact May 8, 2003 HHS letter has had on the Head Start community’s voice in the debate over the program’s future.


HHS Seeks Input on Best Practices for Intermediary Organizations (06/16/2003)
On June 9th, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published an announcement seeking public comment on a proposed research study to examine best practices of intermediary organizations that serve faith and community based organizations.


Public Service: Get a Job, Get a Career (or Get a Clue?) (06/16/2003)
A recent survey conducted by the Center for Public Service at the Brookings Institution offers some telling lessons for organizations interested in attracting the oft-cited but difficult to attract "next generation of public service leadership."

2003 Community Technology Centers Grants Competition (06/16/2003)
The U.S. Department of Education Office of Vocational and Adult Education is currently accepting applications for the FY2003 federal Community Technology Centers (CTC) program. The purpose of the program is to help create and expand information technology access and training points for disadvantaged residents of economically distressed urban and rural communities.

Ose Introduces Bill to Test Regulatory Budgeting (06/16/2003)
Rep. Doug Ose (R-CA) recently introduced legislation (H.R. 2432) that would test regulatory budgeting at five agencies, including EPA and the departments of Labor and Transportation.

Graham Advises Agencies on Valuing Lives of Seniors (06/16/2003)
In a Washington Post op-ed on June 1, Robert Hahn and Scott Wallsten of the American Enterprise Institute pose a fantastic scenario: There are two simultaneous fires, one at a nursing home and one at a nursery. The problem is that the fire chief has only one pump, and must choose whether to save 11 seniors or 10 toddlers. Obviously, the chief should choose the toddlers, they write.

EPA Study Finds Water Polluters Not Penalized (06/16/2003)
An internal EPA study shows that 25 percent of major industrial facilities are in significant noncompliance with permits issued under the Clean Water Act, the majority of which receive little or no disciplinary action, according to the Washington Post.

Administration to Gut Roadless Rule (06/16/2003)
The Bush administration recently announced its intent to loosen a Clinton-era rule that bans road construction in 58.5 million acres of national forests -- opening the door to logging in wilderness areas.

OSHA Unveils Unenforceable Ergonomics Guidelines for Poultry Plants (06/16/2003)
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently released draft voluntary guidelines for the prevention of repetitive stress injuries (the most pressing health and safety issue confronting the workplace today) at poultry processing plants.

CIA Memo Stands Up for Secrecy (06/16/2003)
In an unclassified memorandum by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), entitled “The Consequences of Permissive Neglect”, a senior official on the agency’s Foreign Denial and Deception Committee, James B. Bruce, called for a targeting of the news media, making them legally accountable for leaked information that they publish.

Government Increasingly Citing Privacy for FOIA Denials (06/16/2003)
A study completed for the Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) Conference last week found that federal agencies are increasingly using privacy exemptions when denying requests under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The study, which examined FOIA annual reports from the 13 Cabinet-level departments in existence as of September 30, 2002, reported that over the past five years almost two out of three request denials cited privacy exemptions. National security claims, which might have been expected to increase over the past year and a half, were only asserted in 1 percent of all denials.

First Amendment Under Attack from Anti-Terrorist Measures (06/16/2003)
The Constitution Project’s Liberty and Security Initiative, launched soon after the terrorist attacks of September 11, recently released a report detailing the effects that policies adopted in response to the terrorist threat have on the First Amendment. The report, and its various signatories, clearly recognize and support the federal government’s objective to protect Americans from terrorist threats, attacks, and activities. However, the Initiative members also acknowledge the vital importance of the fundamental rights and values protected by the First Amendment. Unfortunately, the report finds that those values have been infringed upon by several anti-terrorist measures.

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