Signed by President George Bush

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to concur on HR 2642, a bill that appropriates $190.39 billion and rescinds $3.86 billion for a net expenditure of $186.53 billion. This bill provides education funding for certain veterans, extends unemployment compensation, establishes a moratorium on certain actions regarding Medicaid, and appropriates funds for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Highlights:

• Requires the Secretary of Defense to send a report to Congress detailing performance standards and goals with a timetable for achieving security, economic, and security force training objectives in Iraq, starting with an initial report to be submitted by December 5, 2008 and updating the report every 90 days thereafter through the end of fiscal year 2009 (Sec. 9204).

• Requires the Secretary of Defense to submit a report to the congressional defense committees regarding the individual transition readiness assessments of security forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, starting with an initial report 30 days after enactment of this bill and updating the report every 90 days after the initial submission until October 1, 2009 (Sec. 9205).

• Designates differing amounts of payments to be made to fund the higher education of individuals who have served on active duty in the Armed Forces beginning on or after September 11, 2001 based on factors such as length of active duty service and disabilities accrued, and specifies that these payments shall not exceed the cost of in-state tuition at the most expensive public university in the state in which the individual is enrolled. (Sec. 5003).

• Requires the Secretary of Defense to match assistance given to members of the Armed Forces by institutions of higher learning to cover fees and expenses beyond what other provisions of this bill provide (Sec. 5003).

• Qualifies unemployed individuals in participating states for emergency unemployment compensation if the individuals have exhausted all rights to regular compensation, have no rights to regular or extended compensation, or are not receiving compensation under the unemployment compensation law of Canada (Sec. 4001).

• Allows an individual with an emergency unemployment compensation to receive either 50 percent of the total regular compensation of an individual's benefit year or 13 times the individual's average weekly benefit amount for that year (Sec. 4002).

• Extends and expands moratoria relating to Medicaid through April 1, 2009, including cutting Medicaid reimbursements to health care providers, removing Medicaid reimbursements for graduate medical education programs, excluding certain social services related to families and children from the Medicaid program, and restricting optional case management services, outpatient hospital services, or allowable provider taxes (Sec. 7001).

• Provides $352 million to combat drug trafficking and related violence in Mexico, and $65 million for similar programs in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and certain Central American countries (Sec. 1406, 1407).

• Appropriates $25 million for 2009 and authorizes the same amount in each subsequent year for the purpose of reducing Medicaid fraud and abuse (Sec. 7001).

• Appropriates $15.26 billion for military construction, veterans affairs, international affairs and other security-related matters, including $8.84 billion for the Department of State and foreign operations, $4.76 billion for military construction and veterans affairs, $1.25 billion for the Department of Agriculture, and $270.95 million for the Department of Justice.

• Appropriates $1.05 billion for domestic matters, including $210 million for periodic censuses and programs, $178 million for the federal prison system, and $110 million for state unemployment insurance and employment service operations.

• Appropriates $8.48 billion for natural disaster relief and recovery, including $5.76 billion for hurricane related expenses in the greater New Orleans area.

• Appropriates funds for military matters of the Department of Defense, equaling $99.65 billion for the fiscal year 2008, and $65.92 billion for the fiscal year 2009.

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to concur with the Senate amendment to provide funding for the Department of Defense in the amount of $99.57 billion for fiscal year 2008 and $65.77 billion for fiscal year 2009, totaling $165.35 billion.

Highlights:

• Requires the Secretary of Defense to send a report to Congress detailing performance standards and goals with a timetable for the achievement of security, economic, and security force training objectives in Iraq, starting with an initial report to be submitted by December 5, 2008, and updating the report every 90 days thereafter through the end of fiscal year 2009.

• Requires the Secretary of Defense to submit to Congress a report on the individual transition readiness assessments of security forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, starting with an initial report no later than 30 days after enactment of this bill and updating the report every 90 days after the initial submission until October 1, 2009.

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to adopt an amendment to HR 2642 that appropriates $21.11 billion to increase education and unemployment benefits for veterans and transfer funds to various disaster and democracy programs.

Highlights:

• Appropriates $8.48 billion for natural disaster relief and recovery, including $5.76 billion for construction of flood prevention and protection structures in Louisiana.

• Allows an individual with an emergency unemployment compensation to receive either 50 percent of the total regular compensation of an individual's benefit year or 13 times the individual's average weekly benefit amount for that year (Sec. 4002).

• Allows a veteran who has served an aggregate of 36 months or 30 continuous days of active duty after September 11, 2001 to receive a full scholarship for in-state tuition at a public university, a monthly housing stipend, and a lump sum each term for books and supplies (Sec. 5003).

• Provides that members of the Armed Forces who have served at least six years and agree to serve four more may transfer 18 to 36 months of their educational assistance entitlements to their spouse or children (Sec. 5003).

• Allows the President to waive sanctions against economic or military assistance to North Korea (Sec. 1405).

• Provides $400 million for Mexico and $65 million for Central America to combat drug trafficking (Sec. 1406-1407).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to adopt an amendment to HR 2642 that provides education funding for eligible members of the Armed Forces, extends unemployment compensation, establishes moratoria on certain actions regarding Medicaid, and appropriates funds for various domestic and international purposes.

Highlights:

• Designates amounts of payments to be made to fund the higher education of individuals who have served on active duty in the Armed Forces beginning on or after September 11, 2001 based on factors such as length of active duty service and disabilities accrued, and specifies that these payments shall not exceed the cost of in-state tuition at the most expensive public university in the state in which the individual is enrolled (Sec. 3003).

• Requires the Secretary of Defense to match assistance given to members of the Armed Forces by institutions of higher learning to cover fees and expenses beyond what other provisions of this amendment provide (Sec. 3003).

• Finances payments to Armed Forces members receiving educational benefits under this amendment by levying a tax equal to 0.47 percent of income exceeding $500,000 for a single taxpayer other than a corporation or $1 million for a joint return (Sec. 7001).

• Qualifies unemployed individuals in participating states for emergency unemployment compensation if the individuals have exhausted all rights to regular compensation, have no rights to regular or extended compensation, or are not receiving compensation under the unemployment compensation law of Canada (Sec. 4001).

• Extends and expands moratoria relating to Medicaid through April 1, 2009, including cutting Medicaid reimbursements to health care providers, removing Medicaid reimbursements for graduate medical education programs, excluding certain social services related to families and children from being included in the Medicaid program, and restricting optional case management services, outpatient hospital services, or allowable provider taxes (Sec. 5001).

• Appropriates $25 million in 2009 and the same amount in each subsequent year for the purpose of reducing Medicaid fraud and abuse (Sec. 5001).

• Appropriates funds for military construction, veterans affairs, international affairs and other security-related matters, including $8.7 billion for the Department of State and foreign operations, $4.76 billion for military construction and veterans affairs, $1.25 billion for agriculture, and $229.3 million for commerce, justice, and science.

• Appropriates funds for domestic matters, including $5.76 billion for hurricane-related expenses for the greater New Orleans area, $210 million for periodic censuses and programs, $178 million for the federal prison system, and $110 million for state unemployment insurance and employment service operations.

Full Bill Text

Highlights:

• Requires the Secretary of Defense and Secretary of State to send a report to Congress detailing performance standards and goals with a timetable for the achievement of security, economic, and security force training objectives in Iraq, starting with an initial report to be submitted by December 5, 2008 and updating the report every 90 days thereafter through the end of fiscal year 2009 (Sec. 9204).

• Requires the Secretary of Defense to submit to Congress a report on the individual transition readiness assessments of security forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, starting with an initial report 30 days after enactment of this bill and updating the report every 90 days after the initial submission until October 1, 2009 (Sec. 9205).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to adopt an amendment to HR 2642 that provides regulations regarding the United States' activity in Iraq and other activities in foreign territories in which the U.S. may engage.

Highlights:

• Prohibits the use of funds to deploy Armed Forces units to Iraq without certification by the President that such units are 'fully mission capable' unless the President waives the prohibition citing national security interests (Sec. 10002).

• Prohibits the deployment of any unit of the Army, Army Reserve, or Army National Guard beyond 365 days and the deployment of any unit of the Marine Corps or Marine Corps Reserve beyond 210 days without a Presidential waiver featuring an explanation of the extension of deployment (Sec. 10003).

• Increases from 3 years to 5 years the amount of time in which the statute of limitations is suspended for offenses related to contracts, subcontracts, or purchase orders which are related to the prosecution of the war or to U.S. property, or for offenses related to any disposition of termination inventory by any war contractor or government agency (Sec. 11101).

• Establishes the Investigative Units for Contractor Oversight to investigate allegations of criminal violations committed by contractors employed by the United States in a foreign country where the U.S. Armed Forces are conducting military operations (Sec. 11303).

Full Bill Text

Full Bill Text

Full Bill Text

Full Bill Text