2001 Legislative Roundup
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| Senate Majority Leader
Tom Daschle, left, and BAC President John J. Flynn at
a recent meeting in Washington, D.C. |
The first session of the 107th Congress opened on a historic
note in January 2001. The 2000 Presidential election had
just ended in a virtual dead heat, the Senate was split down
the middle, and Republicans enjoyed a slender majority in
the House. The months to come would be stark in contrast—a
national crisis and a war that brought a nation together,
and a deepening recession that set the interests of corporations
against those of working people.
Within a month of taking
office, President Bush reversed four critical labor law
protections. One of those actions, Bush’s Executive Order repealing
Project Labor Agreements on new federally funded projects,
resulted in a loss of jobs for BAC members. In an important
victory for trade unions, a federal judge overturned the
President’s Executive
Order in November. Although the decision has been appealed,
BAC hopes and expects it will not be overturned.
In June,
the new Administration’s narrow margin of
power was dealt a setback when Senator James Jeffords of
Vermont switched political parties, shifting Senate control
to the Democrats. But that wasn’t enough to prevent
passage of a budget and tax cut bill that rewarded the wealthy
and did little for working families. The budget surplus disappeared,
and with it, the necessary resources to fund education and
health care programs that matter most to working families.
Many legislative initiatives, however, were completely
eclipsed by the events of September 11th. Almost immediately,
Congress became immersed in the war on terrorism, and enforcing
more stringent Homeland Security measures. The country
entered a formal economic recession, and the unemployment
rate began to rise.
While BAC leaders have expressed only the strongest
support for President Bush and U.S. armed forces in the
war against terrorism, “serious issues remain that deserve
our closest scrutiny, such as the debate over how to stimulate
the economy,” says BAC President John J. Flynn.
The
Bush Administration and GOP leaders have been using support
for the war on terrorism to try and pass measures that
are not in the interest of working families. For example,
they are continuing to push through tax cuts for corporations
and wealthy individuals, often referred to by opponents
as “corporate
welfare.” And in early December, by one vote, the House
passed fast track trade negotiating authority, which is expected
to pass the Senate in the New Year. Labor opposes this measure
because it fails to adequately address labor and environmental
standards.
House and Senate Democrats, on the other hand,
are pushing for measures that would provide relief for
working families who have been laid off since September 11th.
Since Thanksgiving, Senate Democrats have been fighting to
provide an extension of unemployment and health care benefits
to the over 700,000 people who lost jobs this fall.
As we look forward, several key votes are expected in 2002
on measures that have significant ramifications for working
families: election reform, a minimum wage increase, prescription
drug benefits, Social Security reform, and the patients’ bill
of rights. Since many House and Senate seats will be decided
in the November 2002 election, these legislative votes will
take on added significance.
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