January 25, 2000 Vol. 2, No. 4

This Week in Washington...

For more information, contact Reva Price, Washington Representative at rprice@thejcpa.org

This Week in Congress: The second session of the 106^th Congress begins this week with Representatives and Senators returning to the nation’s business in Washington. Although the Senate will begin its work by attempting to cut off debate on legislation to overhaul bankruptcy laws, the House is not expected to have any full floor votes before Thursday. On the budget surplus front, the Congressional Budget Office will announce new estimates in a report due out Wednesday. What’s new? The CBO is no longer working on the assumption that Congress will live within the 1997 budget caps. Its report is expected to reflect the fact that lawmakers will "bust the caps" again in fiscal 2001 and 2002 when they expire. This week’s flagship event: on Thursday evening, William Jefferson Clinton is set to deliver the final State of the Union address of his presidency.

Nice Work If You Can Get It: Because of the 2000 election, this second session of the 106^th Congress is a very short one, with barely 60 legislative days to finish all legislative business for the year. The target adjournment date is Friday, October 6^th following a 5-week recess from July 31 – September 5, 2000.

This Just In: The Supreme Court ruled yesterday that governments have the power to impose campaign contribution limits on electoral candidates in state races. With this decision on the eve of the Iowa Caucuses and the kickoff of the primary season, the holding in Nixon v. Shrink Missouri Government PAC reaffirms the principle that government may regulate campaign contributions without running afoul of First Amendment free speech rights. As such, it gives an important boost to campaign finance reform advocates nationwide. JCPA has long supported voluntary spending limits for and/or public financing of congressional elections; the prohibition of "soft money" abuses; limits on political action committee (PAC) contributions to individual candidates; and limits on the aggregate PAC contributions a candidate may receive. Recognizing the important functions PACs serve for various American constituencies, including the Jewish community, the JCPA opposes their abolition, favoring instead reforms similar to those detailed here.

Credentials, Please: Having presented his credentials to the State Department last week, Ambassador David Ivry will begin his first full week as Israel’s Ambassador to the United States. JCPA leadership met with the new Ambassador during their recent mission to Israel just days after his selection by Prime Minister Barak. A formal credentials presentation to President Clinton will take place in early February.

This Week in New York...

For more information, contact Benita Gayle-Almeleh, Senior Community Consultant at bga@thejcpa.org

Race Report Wrap-up: A conference call will take place this Friday to review the final draft of the report to be released at Plenum 2000, capping two years of study by the committee and JCPA member agencies across the country. Contact ksenter@thejcpa.org for more information.

Agenda for Action: The Plenum 2000 Agenda for Action will be sent to JCPA member agencies on February 4^th. As a reminder, this is the document that identifies the issues for debate during the Plenum’s Public Policy Formulation session. Member agencies should plan to review the document with Plenum delegates and CRC leadership in advance of the Plenum. Contact bga@thejcpa.org for more information.

Plenum Update: Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Dr. Ephraim Sneh will discuss the current state of the peace process…Television and radio commentator Michael Medved will kick of the 2000-2001 JCPA year-long study of Constitutional Freedoms In the Age of Cybertechnology…Don’t forget to make hotel reservations at the Hyatt Regency Baltimore by the February 4th cutoff date…Need plenum information? Contact nava@thejcpa.org