Did you miss this week's issue of NTUF's Taxpayer's Tab? If so, here's a quick recap.
This week's Wildcard: Congresswoman Marcia Fudge (D-OH) and Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) reintroduced the Honorable Stephanie Tubbs Jones College Fire Prevention Act. Citing the National Fire Protection Association Senator Brown said “there was an average of 3,840 fires nation-wide in on-campus housing costing an average of $20.9 million in property damage between 2005 and 2009.” A CBO analysis of the bill that was introduced in the 110th Congress estimated it would cost $347 million over five years. The grants would go to 20 institutions per year with schools receiving an average of $5 million from the federal government.
The Most Expensive Bill of the Week: H.R. 2828, Local Jobs for America Act, sponsored by Congressman George Miller (D-CA). H.R. 2828 would provide federal funds to ensure the jobs of public school teachers, law enforcement officers, and firemen. Congressman Miller said the Act would “support 250,000 education jobs, put 5,500 law enforcement officers on the beat, and retain, rehire, and hire firefighters.”
The Least Expensive Bill of the Week: H.R. 2309/S. 1625, Postal Reform Act of 2011 proposed by Congressman Darrel Issa (R-CA) and Senator John McCain (R-AZ). H.R. 2309 and S. 1625 call for “USPS to modernize its retail network and enable USPS to act more like a business.”
The Most Friended Bill: Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) sponsored H.R. 2954, the Health Equity and Accountability Act to help eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities. The bill would authorize more spending on health infrastructure throughout the nation. New spending would also go towards researching and treating “high impact” diseases such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, and heart-related problems. Individuals would be eligible for more benefits and services through not only the new programs mentioned above but expansions in the Medicaid and Medicare programs as well. All 72 cosponsors are members of the Democratic Party.
For more details, including NTUF's preliminary cost estimates for each of these bills, read the entire Taxpayer's Tab online.
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