Washington briefs for December 14, 2001

Friday, Dec. 14, 2001 | 9:41 a.m.

Reid loses bid for legislation

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., lost his longtime battle again this year to fix a veterans pay issue.

Reid for two years has fought for legislation that would allow veterans to collect both disability pay and military retirement pay simultaneously. Reps. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., and Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., have pushed similar legislation in the House. Under current law passed shortly after the Civil War, veterans who receive a military pension and disability compensation must waive a portion of their retirement pay equal to the amount they receive in disability.

Reid has estimated 560,000 veterans, including about 7,400 disabled veterans in Nevada, would be affected by the legislation. The legislation would increase payments to veterans by roughly $8 billion over five years, according to congressional estimates.

Congress, now in a final effort to finish up work for the year, considered attaching Reid's legislation to a Department of Defense budget bill. But the lawmakers assigned to finalize the details of the bill did not include Reid's provision. Reid vows to pursue the legislation again next year, aides said.

Mahan approved as U.S. District judge

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved Nevada nominee James Mahan to be a U.S. District judge. That leaves him one hurdle away from the lifetime, $145,100-a-year federal appointment: a vote by the full Senate, expected next week, committee aides said.

Mahan is a Clark County District Judge. Mahan would fill the seventh and final open seat on Nevada's federal trial court bench. The Senate in November confirmed another nominee to the U.S. District Court bench, former Reno attorney Larry Hicks. Hicks was sworn into the new job Nov. 29. Hicks and Mahan were recommended for the judgeships by Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., and approved by President Bush.

Clark programs get increases

When the House passed the final version of a landmark education reform bill Thursday, it included increases for two programs that are important to Clark County, Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., said. Berkley took some credit for pushing for budget increases for dropout programs, as well as after-school programs called 21st Century Community Learning Centers.

The education bill includes $125 million for dropout prevention programs nationwide. While Congress has funded programs that may indirectly decrease dropout rates, this is the first time since 1995 that lawmakers have earmarked money for targeted dropout prevention programs, Berkley aides said.

Clark County has six schools that already use the 21st Century Community Learning Centers programs, designed for schools with histories of academic underachievement, high percentages of English language learners and high poverty and transience rates. Federal money approved in the bill for the programs: $1.25 billion next year; $1.5 billion in 2003; $1.75 billion in 2004; $2 billion in 2005; $2.25 billion in 2006; and $2.5 billion for 2007. Schools would apply for the federal grant money.

The Senate is expected to pass the education bill next week and President Bush plans to sign it before Christmas.