WASHINGTON, May 19 (UPI) -- The U.S. House Appropriations Committee voted unanimously Wednesday to approve DHS funding for Fiscal Year 2007.
That means the fiscal 2007 Homeland Security appropriations bill will now be presented for approval to the full U.S. House of Representatives, including a controversial Democratic amendment that would require minimum security standards for chemical facilities, CongressDaily reported Wednesday.
The bill sets fiscal 2007 discretionary spending for the Department of Homeland Security at about $32 billion, compared to about $31 billion requested by the Bush administration. Overall, the spending plan is about $1.8 billion more than the department's enacted fiscal 2006 budget.
However, the bill contains millions of dollars less than the Bush administration's request for a controversial new personnel system, which seeks to replace the deep-rooted General Schedule pay system with broad pay bands and to base pay raises on performance reviews.
The committee voted to provide $29.7 million for the system in fiscal 2007, which is equal to 2006 levels and far short of the $41.8 million requested in the president's budget.
Arguments broke out between Democrats and Republicans while marking up the bill regarding congressional oversight of the department. Both sides agreed the department has many problems, but were split over how far appropriators should go in mandating changes. An amendment by Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, that would have established an independent commission to investigate Hurricane Katrina contracting and reconstruction efforts, was defeated on a 33-24 party-line vote.
House Appropriations ranking member David Obey, D-Wis., said the House has been "spectacularly negligent" in conducting oversight of the department. Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., argued that not enough hearings have been held on the department's operations. House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Harold Rogers, R-Ky., objected to the criticisms.
