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California
Capitol Hill Bulletin
Volume 12,
Bulletin 15 — May 26, 2005
[or see pdf version] [or jump to the previous bulletin]
CONTENTS
OF THIS ISSUE:
House Appropriations
Subcommittee Reports Science, State, Justice And Commerce Bill; SCAAP Gets $355
Million
House
Passes Energy and Water Appropriations
At
Senate Education Roundtable, CSU’s Reed Urges
K-12 Outreach
Senate
Committee Completes Energy Bill Markup; Feinstein Wins Partial Ethanol
Exemption; Governor Makes Recommendations
House
Appropriators Report Agriculture Bill
Senate
Passes Feinstein’s SCAAP Reauthorization Bill
Head
Start Bill Clears Senate Panel, Formula Change Could Negatively Impact
California
House
Criminalizes Trafficking of Counterfeit Labels
With
No New Law Ready, Congress Punts On Transportation Again
Angel
Island Bill Passes House
Science
Subcommittee Examines Nanotechnology Initiative
Ways
And Means Subcommittee Holds Hearing On Future Of WTO; Rejects Resolution To
Withdraw From WTO
Senate
Subcommittee Examines Efforts to Restart Human Spaceflight
Los
Alamos Competition Heats Up
House
Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness Focuses on Math and
Science in U.S.
Oversight
Hearing Examines CDBG Accountability and Performance
Senate
Homeland Security Looks At Terrorism and Counterfeit Goods
Senate
Judiciary Examines Intellectual Property Piracy
House
Committee on Government Reform Examines Student Loan Programs
PPIC
Special Survey Examines State Budget
LAPD
Briefs Congressional Staffers on Terrorism in Los Angeles
Golden
State Roundtable Features BRAC Panel
To expand
communications between
House Appropriations Subcommittee Reports Science, State, Justice
And Commerce Bill; SCAAP Gets $355 Million
The
House Appropriations Subcommittee on Science, the Departments of State,
Justice, and Commerce and Related Agencies reported its FY06 appropriations
bill on May 24. The bill provides $57.45 billion in funding, versus FY05
funding of $56.24 and the Administration’s request of $60.5 billion
(which assumed the transfer of economic development programs).
The
bill appropriates $21.4 billion for the Department of Justice, of which $2.6
billion is for state and local law enforcement assistance programs. That
funding is $400 million below the FY05 appropriations level, but $1 billion
over the President’s request. Included in the state and local law
enforcement funding is:
–
$355 million for the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program – an
increase of about $54 million over the final FY05 level (after across-the-board
cuts). The state of California and its counties receive about 40 percent of
SCAAP funding, which amounted to $111.9 million of the $300 million (excluding
across-the-board cuts) appropriated in FY04.
– $348 million for the Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grants
program. Byrne discretionary grants received $170 million in funding
under the FY05 Omnibus.
–
$60 million is provided for meth hot spots – an
increase of about $8 million over the FY05 level.
The
bill also funds the National Aeronautics and Space Administration at $16.5
billion, which is $275 million above FY05 and $15
million above the Administration’s request. The bill: funds the
President’s vision for space exploration at $3.1 billion; restores the
aeronautics research program to the enacted level of $906 million, and provides
$40 million over the request to partially restore NASA’s science
programs. The appropriations also provide the Administration’s full
request for the Space Shuttle program. In coordination with the House Science
Committee, the Appropriations Subcommittee also included language directing the
President to develop a national aeronautics policy.
The
National Science Foundation is increased $171 million over last year and $38
million above the budget request. Total funding is $5.64 billion, which
includes $4.38 billion for research, $157 million over last year; and $807
million for education and human resources, $70 million above the request.
The
California Institute will do a more detailed analysis of the bill’s
impact on
House Passes Energy And Water Appropriations
Keeping
to Chairman Jerry Lewis’s (Redlands) promise to pass all of the
Appropriations bills before the Fourth of July Recess, the House passed the
FY06 Energy and Water Appropriations bill (H.R. 2419/H.Rpt. 109-86) on May 24.
The roughly $30 billion bill funds the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Civil, the
Department of Interior including the Bureau of Reclamation, the Department of
Energy, and several Independent Agencies. The vote on final passage was 416-13.
Highlights
of the
–
$4 million for the Shasta Reservoir enlargement study;
–
$2.5 million for
–
$3.2 million for the Los Vaqueros Reservoir enlargement study;
–
$300,000 for the Sites Reservoir study;
–
$10 million for the Environmental Water Account;
–
$3 million for conveyance;
–
$4 million for planning and management;
–
$4 million for water use efficiency; and
– $4 million for ecosystem restoration.
The
bill also includes $29 million for levee strengthening along the
Fusion energy sciences is funded at $295,155,000, an
increase of $5,605,000 over the budget request. However, the bill includes a
redirection of the funds for this account. See, Bulletin, Vol. 12, No. 14
(5/20/05). The bill also recommends $541,418,000 for the inertial
confinement fusion and high yield program, which maintains the program at the
current year level and is an increase of $81,000,000 over the budget request.
The Committee’s recommendation provides $141,913,000 for construction of
the National Ignition Facility (NIF), the same amount as the budget request.
The
bill also includes $48 million for the federal payment to the Elk Hills School
Lands Fund.
The
California Institute will prepare a more detailed analysis of the
appropriations impact on
At Senate Education Roundtable, CSU’s
Reed Urges K-12 Outreach
Employing
an unusual framework for committee inquiry, the Senate Health Education Labor
and Pensions Committee on Thursday, May 19, 2005, held a
“roundtable” discussion (as opposed to a traditional hearing) that
was entitled, “Higher Education and Corporate Leaders: Working Together
to Strengthen America’s Workforce.”
In
addition to Senate Committee members, roundtable participants included Dr.
Charles B. Reed, Chancellor of the California State University system; Hon.
Louis Caldera, President of the University of New Mexico (and formerly
Secretary of the Army and a State Legislator from Los Angeles); Mr. Robert
Craves, President of the Washington Education Foundation (and founder of Costco
Wholesale Corporation); Mr. Edward J. Hoff, Vice President for Learning at IBM;
Dr. Edison Jackson, President of Medgar Evers College-CUNY
in New York; Ms. Patricia McGuire, President of Trinity University in
Washington DC; Mr. James Mullen, President of Biogen
Idec in Massachusetts; Dr. Walter Nolte, President of Casper College in
Wyoming; Dr. Laura Palmer-Noone, President of the University
of Phoenix; and Mr. Patrick J. Sweeney, III, President & CEO of Odin
Technologies in Virginia.
Dr.
Reed noted that CSU will graduate 88,000 students this spring, approximately 54
percent of them persons of color and 40 percent from homes where a language
other than English was primarily spoken. He urged greater focus at all levels
of education on “college awareness” — the understanding that
higher education is important and an option in the first place — a particular
challenge among minority populations. To address the issue, he urged a
broadened partnership among 4-year institutions, community colleges, and K-12
systems. Reed noted that CSU accepts 7 of every 10 students from California
Community Colleges and that a partnership would help strengthen important
relationships.
Asked
about public-private collaboration, Secretary Caldera praised the
Committee’s partnership approach, noting the synergies effected
by interaction with Intel and other corporate partners. McGuire noted that
Trinity would be unable to serve many of its students (95 percent of whom are
low-income) without generous federal financial aid assistance. Mr. Mullen urged
maintaining focus on NIH and NSF funding, which he said drives graduate-level
education opportunities in scientific and technical fields. Mr. Craves noted
that the number of children on free- and reduced-priced lunches is rising
sharply, driving his former company’s initial interest in the subject.
Committee
Chairman Mike Enzi (WY) asked how to encourage more students to go into math,
science, and technology, to which Dr. Reed recommended a stronger focus on core
mathematics instruction at the K-12 level and efforts to improve the
appreciation of prospective and future college applicants and their families of
the importance of math and science coursework. In particular, he noted that
students that have not been encouraged to have taken Algebra 1 and 2 by their
junior year of high school are inadequately prepared for college tracking, and
he criticized the widespread lack of useful, relevant college preparatory work
offered in 12th grade classrooms. Dr. Reed pointed out that
Other
speakers made suggestions regarding math/science instruction, including
Caldera’s recommendation that Congress develop a graduate program for
Hispanic-serving institutions. Underscoring Reed’s comments, Trinity
College’s McGuire commented that disadvantaged students often need extra
preparation — “a 13th or 14th year” of K-12 schooling — in order
to reach levels typical of traditional college “freshmen.” She
suggested that year-round education might be a positive step, but that funding
would be required to achieve it.
For
testimony or more information, visit http://help.senate.gov/bills/edu_86_bill.html
.
Senate Committee Completes Energy Bill Markup;
Feinstein Wins Partial Ethanol Exemption; Governor Makes Recommendations
The
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee finished its markup of a national
energy policy bill this week after adding language that increases the proposed
mandates for the use of ethanol or other renewable fuels. As amended by the
Committee, the bill would require oil refiners to use up to 8 billion gallons
of ethanol, or like biofuels, in gasoline by 2012.
The
House-passed Energy Act, H.R. 6, mandates the use of 5 billion gallons of
ethanol, and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved a 6
billion gallon mandate in its version of the bill. Currently, only about 3.4
billion gallons of ethanol is produced for use in fuel. Sen. Dianne Feinstein
has continuously opposed an ethanol mandate, arguing that it might increase the
cost of gas in
In
a letter to Committee Chair Pete Domenici and Ranking Member Jeff Bingaman on
May 13, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger provided his recommendations on several
issues under consideration in the bill. He specifically opposed inclusion of a
waiver of liability for manufacturers of MTBE, and called for the ethanol
mandate to be limited to 5 billion gallons, and be limited to non-summer
months. He also strongly opposed any new oil and gas leasing off
The
Committee reported the bill by a vote of 21-1 on Thursday, May 26, after members
withdrew several controversial amendments, including a Feinstein amendment on
the siting of offshore liquified
natural gas (LNG) terminals, and an amendment on offshore drilling.
House Appropriators Report Agriculture
Bill
After
moving out of Subcommittee last week, on Wednesday, the Fiscal Year 2006
Department of Agriculture spending bill was approved by the House
Appropriations Committee. The bill provides $16.83 billion in discretionary
funding, which is the same as FY05 funding and $93 million more than the
President’s budget request. The total bill appropriates $82.8 billion in
discretionary and mandatory spending, which is $14.5 billion more than FY05
spending and the same as the President’s request.
Highlights
of the bill include funding: the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
activities at $829 million, $16 million above last year’s funding level
and $32 million below the President’s request; the Food and Drug
Administration at $1.480 billion, $30 million above last year and $20 million
below the President’s request; the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program
for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) at $5.3 billion, $22 million above last
year and $47 million above the recently revised budget estimate; and the
Agricultural Research Service at $1.124 billion, an increase of $164 million
above last year’s level and $63 million above the President’s
request.
The
California Institute will provide an in depth analysis of the appropriation from
a
Senate Passes Feinstein’s SCAAP Reauthorization
Bill
The
Senate passed S. 188, the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program
Reauthorization Act of 2005, by voice vote on Monday,
May 23. The bill, introduced by Sen. Dianne Feinstein and co-sponsored by Sen.
Barbara Boxer, would reauthorize SCAAP through 2011. The authorization level
for FY06 is $750 million, going to $850 million in FY07, and $950 million for
FY08 through FY11.
After
passage, Senator Feinstein said: “I am delighted that the Senate has
passed this legislation to reimburse states for the costs they incur to
incarcerate undocumented criminal aliens. Illegal immigration is the
responsibility of the Federal government. States and localities have shouldered
the burden of paying to incarcerate illegal alien criminals for too long. The
passage of this legislation will help ensure that the Federal government
fulfills its responsibility to pay for incarcerating these individuals.”
California’s
state and local governments receive about 40 percent of total annual SCAAP
funding, amounting to about $112 million of the roughly $300 million
appropriated in FY04, the last year for which figures are available.
Head Start Bill Clears Senate Panel, Formula Change
Could Negatively Impact
By
voice vote, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee
approved legislation that would reauthorize the $6.8 billion Head Start
program, with higher authorization levels than the House drafted legislation.
Head
Start, a federal program that benefits poor children and their families, has
been running on temporary legislation since authorization language expired in
2003. Congress has failed to complete work on a long-term renewal due to
partisan differences over what Democrats perceived as an effort by Republicans
to block grant Head Start. A disputed White House demonstration program that
would have given certain states added administration authority over Head Start
centers appears to have been rejected this legislative session in favor of less
sweeping collaborative enhancements. Both House and now Senate reauthorization
proposals have accordingly been given warmer receptions by members from the
minority party.
A
House education panel unanimously reported its Head Start reauthorization plan
(HR 2123) on May 19th and the Senate is equally keen to uphold the
bipartisan tenor after this week’s successful Senate HELP markup.
The
six-year Senate bill (S. 1107) improves setasides for
migrant and seasonal workers, indigenous Americans and Early Head Start
children (ages 3 and younger) to 5 percent, 4 percent and 18 percent
respectively. Senate language would authorize $7.2 billion in Head Start funds
for FY 2006 and approve an incremental $300 million increase for each of FYs
2007 and 2008. Remaining years would be authorized unspecified sums.
S.
1107 makes some changes to the formula that determines Head Start grant amounts
to each state. It updates the base minimum amount awarded each state so that it
matches how much the state received in total program grants in 2005 (currently
the base year is 1998). Possibly of concern to California is a provision
eliminating formula language that awards the balance of Head Start grants to a
state based on its share of children below age 5 (Head Start’s target
population). Senate language would instead award part of a state’s
allotment based entirely on the Secretary’s discretion. Nearly two thirds
of funds left over after base allotments are calculated would be awarded
discretionarily with priority given to states “serving the smallest
percentage of eligible children” while the rest would be distributed on a
competitive basis, according to Senate language. It is unclear exactly how this
formula modification would affect California’s Head Start allotment;
however, California, by far, houses the largest number of children in poverty ages
0-4 (13.67%), and has, under the present formula, received a share of Head
Start grants that tracks (almost exactly), the state’s share of the
target population.
The
Senate bill would also strengthen collaborative efforts between state pre-K
programs and Head Start operators, require that at least half of Head Start
teachers have a Bachelors degree by 2011, force low performing Head Start
centers to compete for Head Start grants every five years, and raise income
eligibility limits for Head Start from 100 percent of federal poverty to 130
percent.
During
debate, some Democrat Senators expressed concerns over funding adequacy and the
accuracy of test standards promoted in the bill.
House Criminalizes Trafficking of Counterfeit Labels
On
Monday, the House passed H.R. 32, which would provide more legal resources to
stamp out piracy of
With No New Law Ready, Congress Punts On
Transportation Again
With
conferees yet unnamed, and little time remaining to
complete work on 2,000 pages of legislation, the House approved a month long
extension of transportation programs on May 25th, 2005. The Senate
is expected to clear similar language this week in time to beat the termination
of current extension legislation on May 31st.
The
extension (HR 2566), approved by voice vote, is the seventh of its kind and
would authorize transportation spending through the end of June, to give the
House and Senate time to reconcile multiyear legislation that is awaiting
conference action. The House approved a $284 billion bill (HR 3) on March 10th
by a vote of 417 to 9. The Senate-passed version, which was reported by a vote
of 89 to 11 on May 17th, exceeds House authorization levels by $11
billion. The White House has threatened to veto both pending bills; the Senate
bill for its cost and the House bill for language that would freeze
transportation spending unless equitable minimum returns to donor states are
achieved before a certain date.
Some
House members had pushed for language in the extension that would have withheld
further transportation spending in states until the completion of a
comprehensive bill, to help advance conference action; however, objections in
the Senate forced drafters to scrap the idea in favor of a clean extension.
The
last multiyear transportation measure expired in 2003. Since then, the House
and Senate have struggled to find an acceptable authorization level for highway
and transit infrastructure and safety programs while balancing the White
House’s insistence on budgetary discipline.
Demands
made by highway donor states (states that send higher amounts of highway user
taxes to the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) than they receive in federal highway
receipts) to increase the minimum rate of return for their investments from
90.5 percent to 95 percent have also complicated progress on transportation
negotiations. The Senate bill would increase the minimum rate of return to 92
percent by 2009, while the House retains the 90.5 percent threshold. House
language however contains an “equity hammer” provision that would
force members to revisit the equity issue within a year if an approved bill
does not boost minimum guarantees to 95 percent. After returning from the
Memorial Day recess, lawmakers will have 19 legislative days to reach a deal on
these and other issues in conference committee before HR 2566 expires.
In
other news, an analysis of House and Senate passed legislation by Federal Funds
Information for States (FFIS) shows that although House and Senate bills would
provide California with a relatively unchanged share of highway receipts over
the next five years, the state would see only modest growth in transit returns
and even receive a lower share of transit grants than is currently awarded the
state, under the Senate bill. On one hand, the authors estimate that
Angel Island Bill Passes House
On
Monday, April 23, 2005, the House of Representatives passed the Angel Island
Immigration Station Restoration and Preservation Act, H.R. 606, by voice vote.
The bill, sponsored by Representative Lynn Woolsey (
Between
1910 and 1940, more than 1 million immigrants passed through
For
more information, visit the Angel Island Immigration Station website at http://www.angelisland.org/immigr02.html
or their Foundation at http://www.aiisf.org/
.
Science Subcommittee Examines Nanotechnology
Initiative
The
House Science Subcommittee on Research held a hearing on Wednesday, May 18 to
review the activities of the interagency National Nanotechnology Initiative
(NNI). NNI was created by the Science Committee as part of the 21st Century
National Nanotechnology Research and Development Act, which became law in 2003.
Nanotechnology is science at the nanometer scale – which starts at a size
1/75,000th of the width of a human hair.
The
Committee heard from the following witnesses: Mr. Scott Donnelly, Senior Vice
President for Global Research, General Electric Company; Dr. John Kennedy,
Director of the Center for Advanced Engineering Fibers and Films (CAEFF),
Clemson University (CAEFF is a National Science Foundation-supported
Engineering Research Center.); Dr. John Cassady, Vice
President for Research, Oregon State University (OSU), a leading participant in
the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies
Institute; Mr. Michael Fancher, Director of Economic
Outreach, Albany NanoTech and Associate Professor of Nanoeconomics, State University of New York at Albany,
College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering.
Mr.
Donnelly explained to the Subcommittee that GE believes that the novel material
properties found at the nano scale can be leveraged
to create completely new material performance levels for a wide spectrum of
products and applications in the macro world. He outlined several areas where
GE believes nanotechnology will have a significant impact in the future,
including: energy, transportation, homeland security, healthcare, and defense applications.
Dr.
Cassady addressed nanotechnology from the academic
side, as an organic chemist and research administrator. He described the Oregon
Nanoscience and Microtechnologies
Institute (ONAMI) as the first “signature research center” funded
by the State of
During
questions and answers from the Subcommittee members, all of the witnesses
agreed that the federal government’s role in nanotechnology should
include continued and expanded federal funding for basic research. In addition,
the witnesses noted the federal government’s crucial role in providing
incentives for students to enter math and science study programs, at the high
school and college levels, and in assisting students to pursue these career
paths.
Testimony
of all the witnesses can be accessed through the Committee’s website at: http://www.house.gov/science .
Ways And Means Subcommittee Holds Hearing On Future Of
WTO; Rejects Resolution To Withdraw From WTO
On
Tuesday, May 17, the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade held a hearing on the
future of the World Trade Organization. The focus of the hearing was to
examine: (1) overall results of
Ambassador
Peter Allgeier, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative,
testified for the Administration. He testified that “The creation of the
WTO represented the culmination of a decades-long bipartisan
The
testimony of the private sector witnesses can be obtained through the
Committee’s website at: http://waysandmeans.house.gov
.
Subsequent
to the hearing, on Tuesday, May 24, the Ways and Means Committee reported to
the House unfavorably a resolution (H.J. Res. 27) calling for the United States
to withdraw from the World Trade Organization. Under the law implementing
Although
the committee rejected the resolution of disapproval on a voice vote, several
members from both sides of the aisle used the opportunity to criticize the WTO,
including Chairman Bill Thomas (
The
House is expected to consider H.J. Res. 27 after the Memorial Day recess, and
to reject it, eliminating the need for a Senate vote.
Senate Subcommittee Examines Efforts to Restart Human
Spaceflight
On
Wednesday, May 18, 2005, the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation
Subcommittee on Science and Space conducted a hearing to examine efforts to
send manned flights back into space. The extremely brief 35 minute hearing
entitled “Human Spaceflight: The Space Shuttle and Beyond,”
included testimony from Dr. Michael Griffin, Administrator of NASA, as well as
others. Among other issues, committee members focused on the potential gap in
manned-space flight capabilities that might occur when the space shuttle is
retired in 2010 if the new Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) is not yet completed.
Committee members also worried about the potential loss of highly skilled
engineers if the return to space is delayed, as well as potential losses in
military and political power if the
For
the full written testimony of all of the witnesses, visit the Senate Committee
on Commerce, Science and Transportation’s website at http://commerce.senate.gov/ .
Los Alamos Competition Heats Up
Bidding
for the contract to run the Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National
Laboratory has intensified recently, with Lockheed Martin and the
House Subcommittee on 21st Century
Competitiveness Focuses on Math and Science in
On
Thursday, May 19, 2005 the House Subcommittee on 21st Century
Competitiveness, chaired by Howard “Buck” McKeon (Santa Clarita)
held a hearing to discuss “Challenges to American Competitiveness in Math
and Science.” The hearing featured testimony from Norm Augustine, the
retired Chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corp, Dr. Thomas Magnanti, the Dean of MIT’s
For
the full written testimony of the witnesses, visit the House Committee on
Education and the Workforce’s website at http://edworkforce.house.gov/ .
Oversight Hearing Examines CDBG Accountability and
Performance
On
May 24, 2005, an oversight hearing focused on the administration and
performance of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program found a
consensus among the witnesses that the program needs reforms. However,
panelists and members of the committee disagreed as to the nature and extent of
modifications necessary to improve CDBG’s performance
and to make the program more accountable to taxpayers.
CDBG
provides federal grants to low and moderate income households to meet housing
and neighborhood and economic development needs of local communities.
The
Subcommittee on Federalism and the Census hearing, chaired by Michael Turner
(OH), examined how CDBG funds are used, whether funds are targeted in the way
intended by authorizers, and how effectiveness of the funding can be better
measured.
Roy
Bernardi, Deputy Secretary of the Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) testified that program rules require 70
percent of funds to be used to benefit low and moderate income persons and that
no more than 15 percent of CDBG grants may be used to cover administrative
expenses. When challenged to discuss why CDBG had few restrictions on the
eligible use of funds, Bernardi testified that fewer
CDBG spending requirements afford local authorities added flexibility, and that
through the drafting and approval of long and short term plans, grantees are
still required to serve low and moderate income individuals through reports,
reviews, and audits. Bernardi also stated that he
strongly believed HUD’s administration of CDBG is effective but that some
indicators of success such as quality of life enhancements, crime reduction,
and community advancements are not easy to track. An effort to update databases
and form a proposed outcome performance and evaluation system is under way at
the agency, according to Deputy Secretary Bernardi.
Panelist
Sheila Crowley, President of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, framed
CDBG as an indispensable program that has been a “force for enormous
good”. She stated that the program could best be served by adding income
targeting provisions in program language and by including a housing cost burden
factor in the CDBG formula. Ms. Crowley argued that current housing factors in
formula language such as overcrowding and age of stock are less relevant today
and can contribute to misdirecting CDBG funds to areas with high numbers of
college students from affluent families.
For
more information on this hearing, visit the Committee on Government
Reform’s Website at: http://reform.house.gov
.
Senate Homeland Security Looks At Terrorism and Counterfeit
Goods
The
Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee held a hearing on
Tuesday, May 25 entitled Counterfeit Goods: Easy Cash for Criminals and
Terrorists. The hearing focused on recent indications that profits from
pirated goods were being used to finance terrorist operations.
The
Committee heard from several witnesses, including: Lieutenant John Stedman,
Sheriff’s Department, County of Los Angeles; Kris Buckner, President ,
Investigative Consultants; and Matthew Levitt, Ph.D.
, Senior Fellow in Terrorism Studies, The Washington Institute for Near East
Policy.
In
his testimony, Lt. Stedman, whose work on intellectual property right (IPR)
crimes dates to the 1980s, detailed his experiences with raiding counterfeit
operations in
For
the testimony of all the witnesses, go to the Committee’s website at: http://www.hsgac.senate.gov .
Senate Judiciary Examines Intellectual Property Piracy
The
Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on Wednesday, May 25 focused on
intellectual property rights (IPR) piracy, especially in
All
of the witnesses decried the explosion of IPR piracy in
For
the testimony, go to the Committee’s website at: http://www.judiciary.senate.gov .
House Committee on
Government Reform Examines Student Loan Programs
On
Thursday, May 26, 2005, the House Committee on Government Reform held an
oversight hearing examining the management and administration of the two major
federal student loan programs: Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFLEP)
and the Federal Direct Loan Program (FDLP). FFELPs
are administered and distributed by private lenders, while the DLPs are entirely administered and distributed by the
federal government. Combined, the two programs distributed $69 billion in
education loans to approximately 10 million post-secondary students in 2004.
The hearing featured testimony from Theresa S. Shaw, the Chief Operating
Officer for the Federal Student Aid Office in the US Department of Education,
Nancy Coolidge, the Coordinator of Federal Student Financial Support for the
Office of the President at the
Both
the testimony from witnesses and questions from Committee members focused on
the benefits and challenges caused by having two parallel loan programs. Many
post-secondary financial aid officers extolled the benefits to students and
schools that emanate from market competition for FFELP loans, including loan
counseling, training for administrators at schools, and often increased funding
for financial aid. Supporters of the FDLPs focused on
the program’s low cost to American taxpayers. The Committee is awaiting the
September release of a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report analyzing
and comparing the costs and administration for the FFELP and FDLP.
For
the full written testimony from witnesses, visit the Committee on Government
Reform’s website at http://reform.house.gov
.
PPIC Special Survey
Examines State Budget
A
new special survey conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California
(PPIC) examines the state’s budget and budget deficit. The study,
directed and authored by Mark Baldassare, PPIC’s Director of Research, found that more than 70
percent of Californians view “the state’s multibillion dollar
fiscal gap between revenues and spending as a big problem,” while only
seven percent of Californians “think the governor and legislature have
made a lot of progress in solving the state’s budget problems.”
Furthermore, the study showed that more residents believe “the state is
headed in the wrong direction than the right direction (57% to 35%) and say
they expect bad economic times rather than good times in the next 12 months
(49% to 39%).” The survey is the fifth in a series of special PPIC Statewide
Surveys on the California State Budget and Fiscal System, begun in June 2003
and conducted in collaboration with The James Irvine Foundation.
For
the full survey’s results and analysis, visit PPIC’s
website at http://www.ppic.org/main/publication.asp?i=601
.
LAPD Briefs Congressional
Staffers on Terrorism in Los Angeles
On
Thursday, May 26, 2005, John Miller, the Bureau Chief to the Chief of Police
and Commanding Officer of the newly formed Counter-Terrorism Bureau (CTB) for
the Los Angeles Police Department, presented a briefing to Congressional
staffers outlining terrorist threats to the Los Angeles area and underscoring
the need for sufficient anti-terrorist funding for the region. Mr. Miller, who
presented on behalf of the City of
On
Tuesday, May 24, after a last minute cancellation by expected speaker Chris
Matthews, the California State Society conducted a Base Realignment and Closure
(BRAC) discussion panel for its bimonthly Golden State Roundtable luncheon. The
discussion was moderated by Bill Lowery, a former member of the California
Congressional delegation and a current partner at Copeland, Lowery, Jacquez, Denton & White, and included the following
panelists: Representative Ken Calvert (Corona), who serves on the Armed
Services, Resources, and Science Committees; Julie Meier Wright, the President
of the San Diego Economic Development Corporation (SDEDC), which was the
organization responsible for San Diego’s BRAC preparation; David Berteau from Clark & Weinstock,
who worked with Governor Schwarzenegger’s office to prepare for BRAC; and
Bill Cassidy, a BRAC consultant for San Diego and a former Deputy Assistant
Secretary of Defense under the Clinton Administration.
The
discussed topics ranged from analysis of
In
the current BRAC round,
For
more information on defense and BRAC issues, visit the California
Institute’s BRAC page at http://www.calinst.org/defense.htm
.
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