Urge Support for Pro-Life Policies in Annual Funding Bills6/15/2007
Fiscal Year 2008 begins October 1, 2007. Between now and then Congress has the task of passing the 12 annual appropriations bills. Passage of these bills – or temporary Continuing Resolutions – is necessary if the federal government is to have the money to continue to function. A number of pro-life policies are attached as riders to appropriations bills. These riders must be included in the bills each year. For example: the Hyde Amendment restricting government funding of abortions (Labor/HHS/Education); the Kemp-Kasten Amendment that enables the Administration to deny funding to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) as long as the UNFPA continues to support China’s coercive population control program (State/Foreign Operations); the Dickey-Wicker Amendment that bans the use of federal funds for research harmful to the human embryo (Labor/HHS/Education); restricting the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) plans from covering abortions (Financial Services/General Government); a ban on paying for prison abortions (Commerce/Justice/Science). In a separate category is the Mexico City Policy (MCP), which is an administration policy that denies federal funding to overseas organizations that perform or promote abortion as a method of family planning. Ever since President Bush reinstated this policy in 2001, abortion advocates have tried to overturn the policy by passing free-standing authorization measures and by adding amendments to appropriations bills (State/Foreign Operations). Rep. David Obey (D-WI) is Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA) is the Ranking Member. For a list of the 67 Representatives who serve on the Appropriations Committee, with links to the Subcommittee rosters, see: appropriations.house.gov/members110th.shtml. Democratic leadership had intended to complete floor action on 11 of the 12 appropriations bills before the Independence Day recess, but that schedule has been adjusted. The State/Foreign Operations bill and the Financial Services/General Government bill could be completed before the recess, but the Labor/Heath and Human Services/Education bill might be delayed until July.ACTION: Contact your Representative by FAX letter, e-mail, and by phone. Please check to see if your Representative serves on the Appropriations Committee. Call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121, or call your Representative’s local office. For access to Representatives’ full contact information, see: www.house.gov. MESSAGE: “Please do what you can to uphold pro-life policies in the annual appropriations bills.” WHEN: House Subcommittees have begun to markup appropriations bills. House floor action is expected to continue throughout June and July. 6/8/07; updated 6/15/07
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