January 31, 2007

Year-long Continuing Resolution Passes House

On Wednesday January 31, the House passed a year-long continuing resolution (H. J. Res. 20) on a vote of 286-140, providing FY 2007 funding for 13 of 15 cabinet-level departments and all federally funded domestic programs. The 137-page measure would fund the vast majority of programs at FY 2006 levels, but provides increases for some health, education, housing, and law enforcement activities, among others. For example, the summary of the joint resolution highlights that:

• VA would receive $3.6 billion more and defense health would get $1.2 billion more to provide health care to the nation's military and veterans.
• The NIH would receive another $620 million to "reverse a projected decline in new project awards" and support an additional 500 research project grants, 1,500 new investigator awards, and new high risk, high impact research.
• Community health centers would receive $207 million more to fund existing centers and finance 300 new and expanded centers.

According to Marcia Mabee of the Coalition for Health Funding, the Senate is expected to take up this legislation the week of February 12. The current continuing resolution expires February 15.

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