House falls short of votes to override Bush veto of children's health bill
Despite strong bipartisan support, the U.S. House of Representatives was unable to muster the necessary votes to override President Bush's October veto of a compromise SCHIP bill that would have extended health insurance to millions of low-income children. In the 273-156 vote, 44 Republicans and all but two Democrats voted for the override.

"President Bush should be ashamed that he worked so hard to corral just enough Republican support to block this critical and bipartisan children's health program," said AFT president Edward J. McElroy. "Working-class families rely on this program, and they were counting on its extension. This is a big setback for children, who need high-quality healthcare to grow up healthy and succeed in school."

The bill to renew and extend the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) passed easily in the House (265-159) and Senate (67-29) in September. The bill would have expanded the $5 billion-a-year program by an average of $7 billion a year over the next five years, boosting enrollment from 6.6 million children to more than 10 million. SCHIP helps children whose families don't qualify for Medicaid but can't afford private insurance. The bill had widespread support, including among healthcare industry groups and insurance associations.

"Opposition to expansion of SCHIP defies reason," added McElroy. "This is a successful, popular and fiscally responsible program that gives low-income children access to healthcare. Children with quality healthcare are less likely to miss school, can concentrate better in class and do better academically. But this fight is far from over. We must re-double our efforts to ensure that children get the healthcare they need, and voters should hold accountable those who block that goal."

Bill to protect union nurses makes its way to the House
Legislation that would restore union protections to thousands of nurses and other employees is on track for congressional approval. On Sept. 19, the U.S. House of Representatives' Education and Labor Committee voted to send the Re-Empowerment of Skilled and Professional Employees and Construction Tradeworkers (RESPECT) Act, which has strong backing from the AFT and other unions, to the full House. The RESPECT Act would restore Congress' original intent that employees with minor supervisory duties not be considered "supervisors" under the National Labor Relations Act.

"This distinction is important because supervisors do not have protection under the NLRA to form and join unions, and can be legally fired for union activity," said AFT legislative director Kristor Cowan in a letter to committee members. The distinction also would overrule the National Labor Relations Board's decision in Oakwood Healthcare Inc., also known as Kentucky River, which broadened the interpretation of the term "supervisor" to include employees with "minor supervisory duties."

The AFT represents more than 40,000 nurses whose collective bargaining rights are at stake following the new interpretation of "supervisor" under Oakwood. Overall, more than 840,000 nurses and millions of other employees nationwide stand to be affected by the NLRB's decision. For more details, visit www.aflcio.org.

Federal funds for fit-testing respirators expected to resume
A measure that would have continued a ban on using federal funds to enforce annual fit testing of respirators (used to protect against tuberculosis in healthcare settings) was defeated this summer during a House Appropriations Committee hearing. The amendment has blocked OSHA from enforcing general industry annual fit-test requirements since the 2004-05 fiscal year. The vote on the rider proposed by Rep. Roger Wicker (R-Mass.) was 38-27.

N.J. governor signs infection-control bill
 New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine has signed a law  requires all hospitals in New Jersey to implement an infection prevention program to eliminate antimicrobial-resistant infections, and requires hospitals to report cases of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MSRA, a rare and potentially deadly staph infection. The new law, strongly supported by AFT affiliate Health Professionals and Allied Employees, is meant to prevent transmission of the bacteria, which comprises nearly 60 percent of staph infections in hospitals. The rapid screening can be done with a simple nasal swab, and is important since many people carry the bacteria without having symptoms.

"Each year, two million patients in this country become infected with MRSA after entering the hospital," said Gov. Corzine. "Staph infections are highly avoidable and having this prevention program in place to protect patients is a matter of good public health policy for New Jersey."