Effective March 11, 2009 | Public law 111.8 | |
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Long title Making omnibus appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2009, and for other purposes. Enacted by the 111th United States Congress | ||
The Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009 (H
Contents
House version
The House of Representatives version of the bill includes $410 billion in spending. This includes a 21 percent increase to a program that feeds infants and poor women, an 8 percent increase to the Section 8 voucher program, a 13 percent increase to the Agriculture Department, a 10 percent increase in Amtrak subsidies, a 10 percent increase in Congress's budget, a 12 percent increase in the Department of State budget and foreign aid, and eliminated spending for the Millennium Challenge Corporation.
The watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense identified over 8,500 earmarks totaling $7.7 billion (1.9% of the bill's total), including $22 million for the John F. Kennedy Library, dozens of grants to assist states and counties prevent the spread of methamphetamine use, and $200,000 for the removal of tattoos from gang members.
The bill passed the House by a vote of 245-178 (including 16 Republicans) and the Senate 62-35 (including 8 Republicans).
Embryonic stem cell research
An amendment to the bill bans federal funding of "research in which a human embryo or embryos are destroyed, discarded, or knowingly subjected to risk of injury or death." Two days prior to signing the bill, Obama had lifted a ban on federal funding of such research.