Appropriations Committee Releases the Draft Fiscal Year 2012 Labor, Health and Human Services Funding Bill

 The House Appropriations Committee today released the draft fiscal year 2012 Labor, Health and Human Services (LHHS) funding bill.

 The legislation includes funding for programs within the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education, and other related agencies.In total, the draft bill includes $153.4 billion in discretionary funding, which is $4 billion (-2.5%) below the fiscal year 2011 enacted level and $27.5 billion (-15.2%) below the President’s budget request. The funding levels reflect the overall change in fiscal year 2012 discretionary spending to $1.043 trillion – the amount to which the House, Senate, and White House agreed in the recent debt ceiling legislation.  The legislation contains several policy provisions aimed at reducing harmful and unnecessary federal regulations that tie the hands of employers and undermine job creation and economic growth. The bill also contains several provisions intended to stop the Administration from implementing ObamaCare, including a prohibition on funding to implement the law and several provisions rescinding funding previously provided for ObamaCare programs.  “Many of the programs and services funded in this bill protect the health and safety of the American people and provide assistance to the most vulnerable among us. However, excessive and wasteful spending over the years has put many of the programs and agencies funded in this bill on an irresponsible and unsustainable fiscal path. To protect critical programs and services that many Americans rely on – especially in this time of fiscal crisis – the bill takes decisive action to cut duplicative, inefficient, and wasteful spending to help get these agency budgets onto sustainable financial footing,” House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers said.  “In addition, the bill makes great strides to rein in bureaucratic red tape and eliminate unnecessary regulatory burdens on businesses and industries that are the backbone of our economy,” Rogers continued. “These actions will help increase stability in our marketplace, and give employers greater confidence to invest in American businesses and create new jobs.” LHHS Subcommittee Chairman Denny Rehberg echoed Rogers’s remarks, saying: “This common-sense plan is built on the simple idea that the economy isn’t just a bunch of numbers. This bill is about investing in people and creating the jobs they need by funding things like education to empower innovation and restore American ingenuity, and freeing employers from stifling government regulatory burdens that replace productivity with paperwork.  By spending tax dollars strategically, we can balance critical funding for programs that actually help people and families with the real need to rein in government over-spending." A subcommittee mark up of the draft LHHS bill released today has not yet been rescheduled.