Friday, November 2, 2007

Children's Insurance Bill Passes

The Senate gave overwhelming, final approval to the latest version of a bill to expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program, sending it to President Bush for a second veto after Senate Republican leaders pulled the plug on bipartisan negotiations.

The vote, 64 to 30, came in a surprise rush amid angry recriminations. Intense negotiations between House Republicans, Senate Democrats and Senate Republican supporters of the bill had homed in on four areas of contention, and participants said they were nearing agreement. At the urging of Senate Republican negotiators, Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) moved to delay a final vote until Monday, so the brokers could produce changes that would yield enough House GOP support to override a veto.

But Senate Republican leaders, for the second time this week, objected to the delay.

"They succeeded in stopping us today," said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), a leader of the negotiations. "I'm disappointed. I'm not discouraged."

"We were so close to a compromise," said Rep. Judy Biggert (R-Ill.), who led the talks for Republicans.

A coalition of Democratic allies immediately launched a national advertising campaign ahead of an anticipated veto override battle, asking, "for millions of working families, the children's health insurance program is what lets us sleep at night. So if you vote against it, how will you sleep at night?"

The Army Corps of Engineers would hold back more water in Georgia lakes as the governors of drought-stricken Georgia, Florida and Alabama work toward a water-sharing agreement, under a plan brokered by the Bush administration.

The proposal was announced after the states' governors met with Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne. The reduction of river flows into Florida and Alabama must be approved by the Fish and Wildlife Service because of the potential impact on protected species of mussels and sturgeon.

Two-thirds of the foreign drug manufacturers subject to inspection by the Food and Drug Administration may never have been visited by agency inspectors, a government watchdog reported. The FDA this year listed 3,249 foreign pharmaceutical manufacturers subject to its inspection -- yet the agency cannot determine whether it has inspected 2,133 of them, said a Government Accountability Office report released during a House subcommittee hearing.

The FDA is considering a plan under which food packages would show what percentage a product contains of a daily recommended limit of trans fat. The fat, used in fried foods, has been linked to high cholesterol that can cause heart attacks.

-- From Staff Reports and News Services