September 27, 1999 Vol.1, No. 21

This Week in Washington…
For more information, contact Reva Price, Washington Representative

So Much to Do, So Little Time: With only one of thirteen fiscal 2000 Appropriations bills signed by the President, the Congress must focus on the remaining Appropriations bills, with the clock ticking and the end of the Fiscal Year draws near. The Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Appropriations bill must still make it out of Committee in both the House and Senate, with floor action in both houses anticipated this week. Expect a tug-of-war, with appropriators, reluctant to exceed budget caps, seeking to cross that fiscal River Styx without touching the social security surplus. Fancy footwork abounds: House Appropriators have cut $3 billion in TANF (Temporary Aid to Needy Families) block grant funds for FY 2000, claiming they will put it back next year. In the interim, however, states will not have the funds to assist poor families in moving from welfare to work. Congressional leadership and the White House are trying to work out terms of a Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the government running in the absence of a budget, with Congress suggesting a three week measure and the White House threatening to veto anything longer than two. These rancorous negotiations are just the start of discussions between the two groups over the mandatory spending bills, several of which the President has threatened to veto. Contact reva@thejcpa.org for more information.

Family Planning Dispute Stalls Foreign Aid: Disputes over funding of abortion-related restrictions in international family planning assistance have again stalled the Foreign Aid Bill. House conferees would like to restrict funds to international family planning organizations that provide counseling and abortion services, while Senate conferees would prefer to adopt legislation free of such provisions. Because of these proposed restrictions, and because the House and Senate versions are $2 billion short of the White House request, President Clinton has threatened to veto the bill, noting that the funding levels currently being discussed are insufficient to maintain U.S. foreign policy.

Other Issues? Did Someone Say Other Issues? Senators Brownback (KS) and Kerry (MA) plan to introduce the Workplace Religious Freedom Bill (WRFA) at a press conference scheduled for Wednesday. The bill is expected to mirror the legislation introduced in the last Congress. Current civil rights law defines the refusal of an employer to reasonably accommodate an employee's religious practice, unless such accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the employer, as a form of religious discrimination. This standard has been interpreted far too narrowly by the courts, placing little restraint on an employer's ability to refuse to provide religious accommodation. The legislation serves to correct this interpretation of the law which forces religiously observant employees to choose between their faith and their jobs.

This Week in New York…
For more information, contact Benita Gayle-Almeleh, Senior Community Consultant at bga@thejcpa.org

Appointments and Appearances: JCPA Vice Chair Nan Rich has been appointed by President Clinton to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council…JCPA Chair Steven Schwarz will address the Phoenix JCRC and present in a workshop on Issues Management at UJC's National Campaign Trainers Retreat in Scottsdale, AZ...JCPA Executive Vice Chairman Lawrence Rubin will join other Jewish leaders tomorrow at a breakfast with U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright…JCPA Associate Executive Vice Chairman Martin Raffel will represent the agency at the opening of Epcot's Israel Pavillion at Walt Disney World…Ambassador Zalman Shoval wil address the JCPA Board of Directors on Monday, October 18th.

Order Now! More than 60 communities have ordered videotapes of the rceent JCPA-Claims Conference satellite broadcast on Holocaust Assets Restitution. If your community is interested in obtaining a copy, contact koded@thejcpa.org…

The Plenum is Coming! The Plenum brochures have arrived! A mass mailing will go out this week. Contact hluftig@thejcpa.org for more copies. We are pleased to announce that William Cardinal Keeler, Archbishop of Baltimore will address the Plenum.