George S. May Business Blog

Coburn amendment one of several passed for stimulus bill

Lawmakers voted 73-24 to adopt a Tom Coburn’s amendment to place more stringent restrictions on facilities that can be built with money from the bill. The Coburn amendment prohibits spending on casinos, aquariums, zoos, golf courses, swimming pools, stadiums, community parks, museums, theaters, art centers, and highway beautification projects. Prior to the amendment the House-passed bill applied only to casinos, aquariums, zoos, golf courses and swimming pools. The Senate also adopted, 97-0, a Coburn amendment to require competitive bidding for grants and contracts funded by the stimulus bill.

By voice vote, an amendment from Bernard Sanders and Charles E. Grassley was agreed upon requiring TARP recipients to meet “strict standards” for hiring high-skilled foreign workers to make sure domestic workers are not displaced.

Tom Udall’s revision to expand the number of veterans eligible for a tax credit was adopted by voice vote. Prior to the revision, the credit covered anyone discharged from active duty on 2008, 2009 and 2010. Now, veterans discharged between Sept. 1, 2001 and Dec. 31, 2010 are to be covered as well.

Related posts:

1. GE CEO and BofA execs predict second stimulus Whether the end result proves to be positive or not, should this come to fruition, expect right wing radio hosts and Senators alike to have a...