Student loan measure passes House, Senate
WASHINGTON -- Congress acted last week to shield student loans from the deepening credit crisis.
Amid worries that the credit crunch is jeopardizing the federal student loan program, the House voted 388-21 to increase borrowing limits on government-backed loans for college.
The Senate approved the same measure by voice vote.
Credit woes have prompted dozens of lenders to stop offering federal student loans. The bill authorizes the Education Department to buy those loans to make capital available to lenders.
The legislation allows for some loans to be repaid by parents only after their children leave college.
It bumps the federally backed loan limit from $23,000 to $31,000 for students who can be claimed as dependents of their parents. Other students could borrow $57,500, up from $46,000.
Opponents said the bill relied too much on direct government support for student loans.
Reps. Jon Porter and Dean Heller, both R-Nev., and Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., voted for the bill.
INDUSTRIAL DUST STANDARDS
The House voted 247-165 for new regulations to protect workers from combustible dust, in response to industrial accidents involving the hazardous material.
A combustible dust explosion killed 13 people in a Georgia sugar plant in February.
The bill orders the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to draft combustible dust control standards for industries within 18 months and to have temporary regulations in place within 90 days of when the bill becomes law.
OSHA already has dust regulations for the grain industry, but not for other businesses where dust may cause fires or explosions.
Supporters said OSHA was not acting quickly enough to protect industrial workers.
Opponents said OSHA should be allowed to finish its investigation of the sugar plant explosion first.
The Bush administration, which threatened to veto the bill, said it applies an unsound "one-size-fits-all regulatory approach."
Porter and Berkley voted to force OSHA to develop new dust regulations.
Heller voted no.
HOUSE INVESTIGATES EARMARK
Following the Senate's lead, the House voted to ask the Justice Department to investigate a controversial earmark contained in the 2005 highway bill.
The earmark investigation was added in the Senate last month to a measure making technical corrections to the highway bill. The House approved it 358-51.
The $10 million earmark was initially approved by Congress for interstate highway improvements in southwest Florida, but changed before it was signed by the president. The money went to the Coconut Road interchange in Lake County, Fla.
Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, is blamed for the change. He was chairman of the House Transportation Committee at the time.
A developer linked to the Coconut Road project hosted a fundraiser for Young in 2005.
Young has denied any impropriety.
Opponents said the Senate should not have called for an investigation of activities in the House and that an executive branch agency should not be involved in congressional matters.
Berkley, Heller and Porter voted for the investigation.
GENETIC DISCRIMINATION BAN
The House voted overwhelmingly to prevent employers from discriminating against workers because of genetic tests.
The vote was 414-1. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, was the lone "no" vote. The Senate adopted the bill a week earlier 95-0.
Cases of discrimination against someone because of their DNA makeup is almost nonexistent.
But lawmakers were concerned that people might refuse important genetic tests because of fear the information may be used against them.
The bill prohibits insurers from determining premium rates or eligibility based on genetic testing.
Employers could not use the information for employment decisions.
Opponents said they worried the bill may open businesses up to lawsuits for inadvertently collecting genetic information.
Berkley, Heller and Porter voted for the bill.
Contact Stephens Washington Bureau reporter at asadler@reviewjournal.com or 202-783-1760.
