December 18, 2000 Vol. 2, No. 42

This Week in Washington...

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

Y’all Come Back Now…In 2 Weeks: The 106^th Congress finally adjourned this weekend with just two weeks until the 107^th Congress begins. After passing 21 Continuing Resolutions, Congressional negotiators finally concluded their work on the fiscal 2001 spending bills. With this session of Congress entering the history books, we can reflect on what was and was not done.

Included among the successes are:

The Religious Land Use and Institutional Persons Act (RLUIPA) passed in July and signed by the President in September. RLUIPA requires that when land use regulations impose a significant burden on a religious institution, the government must show that its rules serve a compelling state interest and are the least restrictive means of doing so.

The Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization (VAWA) passed this fall with bipartisan support after a long and arduous fight to reauthorize the 1994 law. VAWA authorized nearly $3.3 billion for a variety of grant programs which address domestic violence, date rape, stalking and other crimes. It also included new provisions making it easier for battered immigrant women to call police and get help without fear of deportation.

The Older Americans Act was reauthorized for five years in mid November after having being stalled in Congress since 1995. In addition to reauthorizing traditional programs, the bill established a new National Family Caregiver Support Program to help families care for the elderly at home by subsidizing services such as caregiver training respite care, counseling and support groups and information as to how to obtain other services. The bill finally saw action when congressional leaders compromised on a proposal to shift community service job programs from nonprofit senior groups to the states.

Foreign Aid for Israel and others passed with several provisions sought by the JCPA. Congress included funds for debt relief to the world’s poorest nations, fully funded UN Peacekeeping programs and funded foreign aid to Israel.

JCPA priority agenda items not passed this year include: Enhanced hate crime legislation, an increase in the minimum wage, patients bill of rights, modest gun control provisions, a $750 million supplemental foreign aid proposal for Israel and others, reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, efforts to make holocaust assets restitution tax exempt, an initiative to protect against discrimination in insurance based on genetic information and some immigration provisions were among the many initiatives that failed to move in this Congress. In addition, efforts to keep charitable choice provisions off the Youth Drug and Mental Health Services act attached to the Child Health Act of 2000 and the New Markets initiative failed. We were successful in keeping the provision off the Even Start literacy program, funded as part of the final year end efforts.

Support for the ICC: JCPA has signed onto a letter urging President Clinton to sign the Rome Statute for the International Criminal Court (ICC) before it closes for signature on December 31 of this year. After that time, the United States will no longer have the possibility of declaring its support for international justice and the rule of law by signing the ICC treaty. The only remaining option to show U.S. support will be ratification. For more information, contact rprice@thejcpa.org

This Week in New York…

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

Attention, Insider Devotees: Insider will take a brief hiatus and will return, tanned, rested and ready, on Tuesday, January 2, 2001.

Keep Those Cards and Letters Coming In: Early Bird Plenum Registration is available through January 1, 2001. Contact JCPA at 212-684-6950, ext. 200 for more information.