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8A FEDERAL UPDATE from page 6 . . . .. . .. .. ... . .. ... . . .. . . . . ... .. .. .... . .Page 7 Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies; Chet Edwards (Texas-17) to Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies; Alan Mollohan (W.Va..1) to Science, State, Justice, and Commerce, and Related Agencies; and John Olver (Mass. -1) to Transportation, Treasury, and Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, and District of Colum- bia. Republican leadership on the committee is expected to follow a similar path, with current full committee Chairman Jerry Lewis (Calif.-41) becoming ranking member, and all current sub.- committee chairmen becoming ranking members of the subcommittees which they presently chair in January. Armed Services. Oversight hearings into the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will be a top priority of incoming House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (Mo.-4). Congressman Skelton currently serves as ranking member on the committee and has expressed an interest in establishing a new subcommittee devoted to oversight and investigations of both military cam- paigns. Other committee priorities include increasing Army spending and improving pay and benefits for military personnel. Democrats are expected to follow seniority rules in determining subcommittee chairmanships. Republicans will likely follow suit, with current full committee Chairman Duncan Hunter (Calif.-52) taking the ranking member position, and current Republican subcommittee chairmen filling the I"ar'lking member posts on the subcommittees which they currently chair. Budget. The Budget Committee will have some of the most important changes in the 110th Congress with the Democratic takeover, because of its role in setting the overall discretionary spend- ing targets for the coming fiscal year. The com- mittee is expected to be chaired by current ranking member John Spratt (S.C.-5), who has repeatedly urged a budget summit between both parties and President Bush to discuss ways to slow the rising federal debt. Congressman Spratt has also urged a combination of spending restraints and a roll- back of the President's tax cuts. Democratic leadership have proposed rule changes that the panel will likely consider as part of a budget overhaul package, including a return to pay-as-you-go rules requiring tax cuts and new spending to be offset so they do not add to the deficit. With the defeat of Republican Jim Ryan (Kan.-2) and retirement of current chairman Jim Nussfe, Ander Crenshaw (Fla.-4) is expected to become the Committee's ranking member. Education and the Workforce. With current committee Ranking Member George Miller (Calif..7) expected to take over as chairman, Democrats should be able to move some of their top legislative priorities through the panel next session. The committee is expected to begin consideration of the reauthorization of the 2001 education law known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB), where Rep. Miller is likely to focus on the need to increase funding to better enable schools to comply with the law. Congressman Miller helped write the 2001 law and supports the majority of its provisions, but Democrats have consistently advocated for increased annual appropriations for the law's provisions. While the law authorizes expenditures of $20 billion annually, the average annual appro- priation has been closer to $12 billion. Incoming chairman Miller is also expected to renew Demo- cratic efforts to increase the federal minimum wage to $7.25 per hour over two years and to reduce student interest loan rates. The following Democrats are expected to advance to the corresponding subcommittee chairmanships in the 110th Congress-Dale Kildee (Mich.-5) to 21st Century Competitiveness; Lynn Woolsey (Calif.-6) to Education Reform; Robert Andrews (N.J.-1) to Employer-Employee Relations; Ruben Hinojosa (Texas-15) to Select Education: and Dennis Kucinich (Ohio-10) to Workforce Protection. Continued on Page 8 Visit the League's Official Website---www.cacities.org PRIORITY FOCUS. PAGE 7 December 1, 2006 . Issue 146