Important Laws Enacted by the 108Th Congress During 2003-04

Important laws enacted by the 108th Congress during 2003-04.

This is an update of the biennial series used in Divided We Govern. Listed here is a total of ten enactments for this Congress, including one appearing in capital letters because wrapup writers seemed to rate it especially important.

2003:

MEDICARE REFORM. New prescription drug benefit; large new role for private health plans. To cost a projected $400 billion over a decade.

$350 billion tax cut. Bush administration plan. Cuts for families, investors, businesses.

AIDS funding. $15 billion to fight AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean.

Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003.

$87.5 billion special defense funding. To finance military operations and reconstruction in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Healthy forests law. To prevent fires by expanding forest-thinning operations and limiting anti-logging injunctions in national forests.

2004:

Corporate tax overhaul. $143 billion in tax breaks for businesses over ten years offset by loophole closures and other revenue raisers.

Disaster relief. $14 billion for hurricane relief in Florida and other states, drought relief in farm areas.

Unborn Victims of Violence Act. “Laci and Connor’s law.” Makes it a crime to harm a fetus during commission of a violent federal crime.

Intelligence overhaul. Restructuring of government intelligence services; new intelligence czar to coordinate anti-terrorism activities.

The closest calls: AIDS funding (which had strong support in the wrap-ups in 2003 although not in 2004), healthy forests.

Wrapup sources used for late 2003:

Helen Dewar, “Action on Energy, Medicare Critical to GOP Scorecard,” Washington Post, October 27, 2003

Carl Hulse, “Pass the Sour Grapes, Not Sweet Potatoes,” New York Times, November 27, 2003

Helen Dewar, “Congress Wraps Up Mixed-Bag Session,” Washington Post, November 28, 2003

Janet Hook, “GOP Puts Its Mark on Congress and Deficit,” Los Angeles Times, November 30, 2003

“Legislative Legacy of 2003: Congress Hands Bush Big Wins,” Congressional Quarterly Weekly, December 13, 2003, at pp. 3094-95.

Wrapup sources used for late 2004:

Carl Hulse, “Congress Halts Session, but Not Its Disputes,” New York Times, October 12, 2004

Richard Simon, “GOP-Led 108th Congress Ends With Mixed Results,” Los Angeles Times, October 13, 2004

Helen Dewar, “Congress Leaves Some Priority Bills Unfinished,” Washington Post, October 14, 2004

Carle Hulse and Sheryl Gay Stolberg, “Spending Bill in Hand, Congress Departs,” New York Times, November 21, 2004

Alex Wayne and Bill Swindell, “Capitol Hill Gridlock Leaves Programs in Limbo,” Congressional Quarterly Weekly, December 4, 2004, pp. 2834-37