House Republican Study Committee Update
March 24, 2003

* RSC Alternative Budget
* Medicare and Social Security
* Dividend Taxation
* Message of the Week
* Conservative Activity
* Money Monitor
* Legislative Bulletins

(To read PDF files, download Adobe Acrobat for free: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html

RSC Alternative Budget

During last week's budget debate on the House floor, the RSC offered its alternative budget with more tax relief and less spending than any other budget proposal in the House. To read an executive summary of the RSC Budget, click here: http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/RSC04BudgetSummary.pdf.

To read a more detailed summary of the RSC Budget, click here: http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/RSC04Budget_tp.doc

To access charts and graphs that put the RSC Budget in historical perspective, click here: http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/RSC04BudgetCharts.pdf

To read a story in National Review Online about the RSC Budget, click here: http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/NRO303.htm

The RSC Budget, put forth by Rep. Pat Toomey (R-PA), garnered 80 votes (including those of Majority Leader Tom DeLay, Majority Whip Roy Blunt, and Deputy Majority Whip Eric Cantor). http://clerkweb.house.gov/cgi-bin/vote.exe?year=2003&rollnumber=79

Medicare and Social Security

The RSC released a fact sheet on the highlights from the 2003 Social Security and Medicare Trustees Report. Click here to access the sheet: http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/MedicareSSTrustees03.pdf

Dividend Taxation

To read an RSC document outlining the case for exempting dividends from the personal income tax (i.e. for ending the double taxation of dividends), click here: http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/DividendTaxationtp.pdf

Message of the Week

Each week, the RSC promotes a message around which conservatives are generally unified. To read this week's message about the war in Iraq, click here: http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/Message31903.pdf

To access previous RSC messages from earlier weeks, click here: http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/news.htm

Conservative Activity

--Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) wrote an op-ed making a case for the war with Iraq: http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/word/Hoekstra32403.DOC

--Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ) is introducing a resolution honoring the families of our Armed Forces by encouraging the display of the Blue Star Banner. For more details, click these two links: http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/word/Shadegg32403.pdf / http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/word/Shadegg32403a.PDF

--Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) spoke on the House floor about the abject failure of the United Nations to be a bulwark against tyranny. To read the speech, click here: http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/word/Pence32403.doc

--Rep. John Hostettler (R-IN) soon will be re-introducing a bill (H.R. 1466 in the 107th Congress) to make tax free all enlistment, accession, re-enlistment, and retention bonuses for our military personnel, regardless of their present assignment. For more details, click these two links: http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/word/Hostettler32403.doc / http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/word/Hostettler32403a.PDF

--Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) circulated a "Dear Colleague" letter noting that tens of thousands--and potentially hundreds of thousands--of constituents in every congressional district stand to benefit from the proposal to end the double taxation of dividends. To read the letter, click here: http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/word/Burgess32403.doc

--Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) has introduced legislation (H.R. 1252) to eliminate the "e-rate" surcharge on taxpayers' telephone bills. To learn more, click here: http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/word/Tancredo32403.doc

--Rep. John Sullivan (R-OK) has circulated a "Dear Colleague" letter arguing that unrestrained deficit spending violates the principles of America's Founders. To read the letter, click here: http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/word/Sullivan32403.doc

--Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD) spoke on the House floor against the destruction of a September 11th memorial by anti-war protesters in California. For more details, click here: http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/word/Bartlett32403.doc

--Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO), in honor of Women's History Month, circulated a "Dear Colleague" letter on the pro-life stances of many of the leading women suffragists. To read the letter, click here: http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/word/Akin32403.doc

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 over five years in a $14 million reduction in authorizations, a net $18 million increase in mandatory spending, and a net $677 million decrease in federal revenue. To view "The Money Monitor" for the week of March 17-21, 2003, which includes year-to-date spending totals, click here: http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/MoneyMonitor31703.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.Con.Res. 26--Condemning the punishment of execution by stoning as a gross violation of human rights http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/LB31803.pdf (Passed 417-0) http://clerkweb.house.gov/cgi-bin/vote.exe?year=2003&rollnumber=65

H.R. 868--Nicaragua Property Dispute Settlement Act http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/LB31803.pdf (Passed 414-7) http://clerkweb.house.gov/cgi-bin/vote.exe?year=2003&rollnumber=66

H.Res. 109--Urging passage of a resolution addressing human rights abuses in North Korea at the 59th session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, and calling on the Government of North Korea to respect and protect the human rights of its citizens http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/LB31803.pdf (Passed 419-1) http://clerkweb.house.gov/cgi-bin/vote.exe?year=2003&rollnumber=67

H.R. 145--To designate the Federal building located at 290 Broadway in New York, New York, as the "Ted Weiss Federal Building" http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/LB31803.pdf (Passed by voice vote)

H.R. 314--Mortgage Servicing Clarification Act http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/LB31803.pdf (Passed 424-0) http://clerkweb.house.gov/cgi-bin/vote.exe?year=2003&rollnumber=68

H.R. 417--Cibola Wildlife Refuge Boundary Correction http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/LB31903.pdf (Passed 424-0) http://clerkweb.house.gov/cgi-bin/vote.exe?year=2003&rollnumber=69

H.R. 699--To direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a comprehensive study of the Rathdrum Prairie/Spokane Valley Aquifer, located in Idaho and Washington http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/LB31903.pdf (Passed 414-6) http://clerkweb.house.gov/cgi-bin/vote.exe?year=2003&rollnumber=70

H.R. 519--To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study of the San Gabriel River Watershed http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/LB31903.pdf (Passed by voice vote)

H.R. 1307--Armed Forces Tax Fairness Act http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/LB31903.pdf (Passed 422-0) http://clerkweb.house.gov/cgi-bin/vote.exe?year=2003&rollnumber=76

H.R. 1308--Tax Reform, Simplification, and Equity Act http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/LB31903.pdf (Passed by voice vote)

H.Res. 132--Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in Newdow v. United States Congress (the Pledge of Allegiance case) is inconsistent with the Supreme Court's interpretation http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/LB31903.pdf (Passed 400-7, with 15 Members voting "present") http://clerkweb.house.gov/cgi-bin/vote.exe?year=2003&rollnumber=77

H.R. 975--Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/LB31903.pdf (Passed 315-113, with one Member voting "present") [NOTE: This version of the bill did NOT include the controversial abortion provisions that stalled the bill last year.] http://clerkweb.house.gov/cgi-bin/vote.exe?year=2003&rollnumber=74

H.R. 1104--To prevent child abduction, and for other purposes http://www.house.gov/burton/RSC/LB31903a.pdf (Floor consideration postponed until later this week)

H.Con.Res. 95--Fiscal Year 2004 Budget Resolution http://thomas.loc.gov/ (Passed 215-212) http://clerkweb.house.gov/cgi-bin/vote.exe?year=2003&rollnumber=82

H.Con.Res. 104--Expressing the support and appreciation of the Nation for the President and the members of the Armed Forces who are participating in Operation Iraqi Freedom http://thomas.loc.gov/ (Passed 392-11, with 22 Members voting "present") http://clerkweb.house.gov/cgi-bin/vote.exe?year=2003&rollnumber=83