House Republican Study Committee Update
March 3, 2003

Issues

• Human Cloning Ban
• Miguel Estrada
• Budget
• Conservative Activity
• Money Monitor
• Legislative Bulletins

(To read PDF files, download Adobe Acrobat for free here.)

Human Cloning Ban
Last week, the House passed a bill (H.R. 534) banning all human cloning. RSC Legislative Bulletin on H.R. 534
(Passed 241-155)

Greenwood Substitute Amendment (which would allow the creation of--but prohibit the implantation of--human clones) (Failed 174-231-1) Read more

To access an RSC Cloning Packet, which includes the RSC Legislative Bulletin, human cloning facts, a chart comparing the bill that passed with the Greenwood substitute that failed, and links to additional resources, click here: http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/CloningPacket2003.PDF

Several RSC Members wrote "Dear Colleague" letters supporting the ban on all human cloning. To access the Dear Colleagues, click here: http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/cloningdearc.doc

Miguel Estrada
Last week, the RSC led efforts in the House to condemn Senate Democrat stall tactics on the confirmation of judicial nominee, Miguel Estrada. To read a letter (signed by 57 House members) to the Senate Democrat leadership and Judiciary Committee ranking minority member, Patrick Leahy, click here: http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/MiguelEstrada.pdf

Budget
The RSC prepared a one-page document putting President Bush's fiscal year 2004 budget in historical perspective. Compared to the President's proposed spending increases are the spending cuts in President Reagan's 1982 budget and in the first two budgets passed after the Republican takeover of Congress. For more details, click here: http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/SpendingHistory.PDF

Conservative Activity
--Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) is highlighting Iraq's intransigence regarding the no-fly zones. For example, Iraqi forces have fired on coalition aircraft patrolling the no-fly zones 331 times since the November 8th passage of UN Resolution 1441 and more than 3000 times since March 1991, when the zones were first raised. Further, Saddam Hussein has offered a reward to any solider who downs an American or British pilot. For more details, including a log of each firing on coalition aircraft, click these two links: http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/word/Hunter3303.pdf and http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/word/Hunter3303FactsIraqfirings.pdf

--Rep. Chris Chocola (R-IN) wrote a "Dear Colleague" letter touting all the benefits of ending the double taxation of dividends. To read the letter, click here: http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/word/Chocola3303.doc

--Rep. Chris Cox (R-CA) has introduced the Internet Tax Non-Discrimination Act (H.R. 49) to permanently extend the moratorium on taxing Internet access, on double-taxing Internet transactions, and on treating Internet transactions differently from other types of transactions. To learn more, please click on the following two links:
http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/word/Cox3303.doc and http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/word/Cox3303a.doc.

--Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN) applauded the Supreme Court decision in favor of pro-life groups. Click here for more information: http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/word/Souder3303.doc

--Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-AL) has introduced legislation (H.R. 971) to raise the tax exclusion for interest earned on savings from zero to $100 and to change the $10 threshold for reporting interest paid to $100. For more information, click here: http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/word/Bachus3303.doc

--Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) is calling for an investigation into whether public land agencies (like the National Park Service) are adequately integrated into efforts to secure the nation's borders. For more details, click here: http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/word/Tancredo3303.PDF

--Rep. Henry Brown (R-SC) will soon reintroduce a constitutional amendment (H.J.Res. 106 in the 107th Congress) to ban actual and virtual child pornography. To read more about the amendment, click here: http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/word/Brown3303.doc

--Rep. Gil Gutknecht (R-MN) is pushing for Congress to allow the re-importation of pharmaceuticals. To view a brochure on this issue from Rep. Gutknecht's office, featuring a chart comparing U.S., European, and Canadian pharmaceutical prices, click here: http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/word/Gutknecht3303.PDF

--Rep. Melissa Hart (R-PA) has introduced legislation (H.R. 926) to prohibit federal education funding for elementary or secondary schools that provide access to the "morning-after" pill. To learn more, click here; http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/word/Hart3303.PDF

For information on other activities of conservatives in the House, click here: http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/activity.htm

The Money Monitor
Each week in "The Money Monitor," the RSC tracks how the bills passed by the House would affect authorizations, mandatory spending, appropriations, and federal government revenue. Last week, bills passed by the House would result in a net $2 million decrease in mandatory spending over five years. To view "The Money Monitor" for the week of February 24-28, 2003, which includes year-to-date spending totals, click here: http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/MoneyMonitor22403.PDF

To access earlier editions of "The Money Monitor," click here: http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/budget.htm

Legislative Bulletins
Each week, the RSC analyzes the legislation that comes to the floor of the House. Included in each "Legislative Bulletin" is a summary of the legislation, relevant background information, cost to the taxpayer, constitutional authority, and any concerns that conservatives may have. The Legislative Bulletins from last week are linked below: http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/lb.htm

H.Res. 46--Honoring the life of Al Hirschfeld and his legacy http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/Lb22503.pdf, (Passed 403-0) http://clerkweb.house.gov/cgi-bin/vote.exe?year=2003&rollnumber=33

H.Res. 67--Permitting official photographs of the House of Representatives to be taken while the House is in actual session on March 12, 2003 http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/Lb22503.pdf (Passed by voice vote)

H.Con.Res. 40--Permitting the use of the rotunda of the Capitol for a ceremony as part of the commemoration of the days of remembrance of victims of the Holocaust http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/Lb22503.pdf, (Passed 408-0) http://clerkweb.house.gov/cgi-bin/vote.exe?year=2003&rollnumber=34

H.Con.Res. 36--Encouraging the people of the United States to honor and celebrate the 140th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and commending Abraham Lincoln's efforts to end slavery http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/Lb22603.pdf, (Passed 415-0) http://clerkweb.house.gov/cgi-bin/vote.exe?year=2003&rollnumber=35

H.R. 254--North American Development Bank Reauthorization http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/Lb22603.pdf (Passed by voice vote)

H.R. 657--Emergency Securities Response Act http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/Lb22603.pdf (Passed by voice vote)

H.R. 258--American 5-Cent Coin Design Continuity Act http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/Lb22603.pdf (Passed 412-5) http://clerkweb.house.gov/cgi-bin/vote.exe?year=2003&rollnumber=36