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��-ia FEDERAL UPDATE: TRANSPORTATION AND HOUSING PROGRAMS APPROPRIATIONS BILL PASSED The U.S. Congress is set to return from its Academy for Public Administration, as well as Thanksgiving recess in December. The House of organizations representing state and local govem- Representatives reoonvenes on December 5, while ments and properly rights organizations, to conduct the Senate will resume on December 12. a study on the nationwide use of eminent domain. The report is expected to include "the procedures During the fall, Congress approved a number of used and the results accomplished on a state-by- bills, including the passage of the Fiscal Year (FY) state basis as well as the impact on individual 2006 Transportation-Treasury-Housing and Judiciary property owners and on the affected communities," appropriations bill. Details on this development, and and must be submitted to Congress within 12 others, can be found below: months of the enactment of the bill. Ct�ess Approves FY 2006 Transportation- The bill also includes $36 billion for highway Tr�asury-Housing and Judiciary Appropria- programs, $8.6 billion for transit programs, and tions Bill $13.8 billion forthe FederalAviationAdministration (FAA). President Bush is expected to sign the bill On November 18, Congress passed the FY 2006 into law. Transportation-Treasury-Housing and Judiciary appropriations bill (H.R. 3058). This bill funds federal Congress Approves Second Continuing transportation and housing programs. The bill Resolution rejected the Bush Administration's proposal to eliminate the Communiiy Development Block Grant On Friday, November 18, the U.S. Congress (CDBG) and 17 other community and economic approved H.J.Res.72, a continuing resolution (CR) development programs into a new $3.7 billion that will maintain federal Defense and Labor-Health StrengtheningAmerica's Communities Initiative block and Human Services-Education programs until grant. However, CDBG funding was reduced by Congress is able to pass the FY 2006 appropriations nearly 9 percent, from $4.11 billion in FY 2005 to measures that fund these programs. The new CR $3.75 billion. will extend funding through December 17. As was the case in the previous CR, H.J.Res 72 sets In addition, the conference agreement, in re- temporary funding at the lowest of three spending sponse to the Supreme Court's Kelo v. City of New levels: the 2005 enacted level, the House-passed London decision, would bar the use of funds in the bill 2006 level or the Senate-passed 2006 level. Con- for any federal, state or local project that seeks to gress has already passed the other nine FY 2006 use the power of eminent domain unless eminent appropriations bills. President Bush signed the new domain is employed for a public use. The bill specifi- extension into law on November 19. cally excludes economic development from the definition of public use. DecemberAction Expected On FY 2006 Labor-Health and Human Services-Educa- The House and Senate conferees opted not to tion Appropriations Measure include in the final language the blight provision in the Senate's version of the bill, which allowed the use of House and Senate conferees on the FY 2006 eminent domain for the removal of blight as well as Labor-Heafth and Human Services-Education for public use. Instead conferees chose to narrow appropriations measure (H.R. 3010) will be forced to the blight definition to include only "projects for the revisit conference negotiations on the bill when they removal ofan immediate threat to public health and retum from their Thanksgiving recess. The original safetyorbrownfields." measure, which conferees delivered to the House floor on November 17, was voted down by a 209 to The language also directs the Govemment 222 vote. Accountability Office in consultation with the National Con6nued on Page 5 PAGE 4- PRIORITY FOCUS Visit the League's Official Website--www.cacities.org December 2, 2005 - Issue #46