After three days of floor debate on 568 proposed amendments to HR 1, the House version of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, it appears Senate leaders have the 60 votes required to pass their compromise version, now known as the Nelson - Collins amendment. Senate debate continued Saturday, February 7, and will resume Monday, February 9, with a Senate floor vote expected late Tuesday evening. The 58 Democratic Senators are expected to be joined by Republicans Susan Collins of Maine, Olympia Snowe of Maine, and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania expected to vote in favor of terminating debate, and of passing the measure. The Senate and House versions will then go to a Conference Committee, and the Conference Committee version will go back for floor votes in both houses before being sent to the Oval Office for signature.
The Nelson - Collins compromise cuts total cost of the measure from the $819 billion in the House version down to $780 billion. Construction appropriations in the Nelson - Collins amendment have been cut from the $153.3 billion voted by the House, down to $126.7 billion.
The Nelson - Collins construction appropriations reduce cash for state and local government construction by $25.28 billion, increase construction funds to federal agencies by $11.51 billion, and cut power grid construction funding by $12.9 billion, making up the net construction appropriation reduction of $26.67 billion. Of course, some, all or more may yet be added back in the conference committee version.
Construction categories increased by the Nelson - Collins compromise include agriculture, up $0.66 billion, defense up $5.15 billion, highways and surface transportation up $2.56 billion, passenger rail up $7.50 billion for high speed rail corridor construction, and a new category of "emergency preparedness" construction adding $2.04 billion for FEMA and the Coast Guard.
Construction appropriation cuts in the Nelson - Collins amendment include airport construction down $1.90 billion, general federal buildings down $0.02 billion, federal health construction down $0.39 billion, local transit construction down $0.50 billion, power grid construction down $12.9 billion, public housing construction down $5.94 billion, school and college construction eliminated entirely for a cut of $20.10 billion, and water and environmental construction down $2.83 billion.
The Nelson - Collins compromise cuts total cost of the measure from the $819 billion in the House version down to $780 billion. Construction appropriations in the Nelson - Collins amendment have been cut from the $153.3 billion voted by the House, down to $126.7 billion.
The Nelson - Collins construction appropriations reduce cash for state and local government construction by $25.28 billion, increase construction funds to federal agencies by $11.51 billion, and cut power grid construction funding by $12.9 billion, making up the net construction appropriation reduction of $26.67 billion. Of course, some, all or more may yet be added back in the conference committee version.
Construction categories increased by the Nelson - Collins compromise include agriculture, up $0.66 billion, defense up $5.15 billion, highways and surface transportation up $2.56 billion, passenger rail up $7.50 billion for high speed rail corridor construction, and a new category of "emergency preparedness" construction adding $2.04 billion for FEMA and the Coast Guard.
Construction appropriation cuts in the Nelson - Collins amendment include airport construction down $1.90 billion, general federal buildings down $0.02 billion, federal health construction down $0.39 billion, local transit construction down $0.50 billion, power grid construction down $12.9 billion, public housing construction down $5.94 billion, school and college construction eliminated entirely for a cut of $20.10 billion, and water and environmental construction down $2.83 billion.
There could be a surprise or two still down the road, but right now these numbers look pretty solid, and the measure seems to be still on track for passage before the President's Day recess. The good news is there is room for almost all of the construction appropriation cuts to be restored in conference without busting the $800 billion ceiling which it seems Senate psychology has put on the total cost of this measure.
