Public Policy/Federal

Public Policy Report for Federal Issues March 31, 2003

Mary A. Peterson, Chair

The Iraqi war is foremost in the news today when we look at federal public policy. There are many opinions about this war, however it is most important that each of us show support for our troops who are fighting for us in Iraq.

The federal budget has received a lot of attention because of the need for monies to finance the war. The main question before Congress is: Do we run a huge deficit or do we trim domestic programs? The House and the Senate voted differently on the tax cut program and it will go to a committee at this point. Some may say the budget is not an AAUW issue, but I disagree. You can pass any program you wish, but without funding the program will not be implemented.

Issues to watch have not changed much since the beginning of the 108^th Congressional session:

The No Child Left Behind law was passed in January 2002 and requires each state to submit to the U.S. Department of Education a plan by the end of this month detailing how it will gradually rachet up performance to meet the 100 percent mandates.

State Board of Education member Kathy Taft, who will meet with her board members this week to finalize North Carolina's plan, explained that the efforts being put into the state's ABCs standardized tests have not been all for naught; she views the federal regulations as an extension of the progress each school has already made. The same article states that in 2002 only 27 percent of the state's elementary and middle schools and 11 school districts would have met the standards using last year's test results.

The Supreme Court prepares itself to tackle affirmative action in university admissions this week,

Medicaid provides a wide range of health services for more than 40 million low-income, elderly and disabled people nationwide. By contrast, Medicare, the nation's health care program for seniors over 65 and the disabled, doesn't typically cover costs of long-term care, such as nursing homes. Many low-income seniors supplement Medicare benefits with Medicaid.

Two-thirds of states plan to cut benefits for Medicaid--the national health care program for low-income people, the disabled and seniors--increase co-payments, and restrict eligibility to the program, a new survey by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation has found. Some 21 states will freeze or decrease medical payments to doctors, hospitals and nursing homes. As states slash health services to make up for record budget shortfalls, one group will shoulder a disproportionate part of the burden: elderly women.

Congress defeated a bill to drill for oil in Alaska.