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House Defeats Conference Report on Labor-HHS Bill
Measure Included Solid Funding for Public Broadcasting Programs
Congress Extends Continuing Resolution Until December 18

In an unusual turn of events, the House of Representatives narrowly defeated passage of the conference report for the FY 2006 Labor-HHS-Education and Related Agencies bill. Normally conference reports on appropriations bills are treated as must-pass legislation and are approved along party lines. However, a group of 22 moderate Republicans joined the entire Democratic caucus in voting against the measure, purportedly because it contained some unpalatable spending cuts.

Ironically, the Labor-HHS conference report represented a significant victory for public broadcasting, as it provided level or near-level funding for almost every public broadcasting program that is covered in the bill. Conferees essentially accepted the levels proposed by the Senate over those recommended in the House bill. The conference numbers were as follows:

• CPB Advance Funding (FY 2008): $400 million
• CPB Funding (FY 2006): $400 million
• CPB Digital: $30 million
• Interconnection: $35 million
• Ready To Learn: $24.5 million
• Ready To Teach: $11 million

In the case of Ready To Learn, the program actually received an increase of $1.1 million dollars, even as Ready To Teach sustained a modest cut. To receive either level funding or an increase is a substantial achievement given the extraordinarily difficult budget environment.

At this point, however, it is unclear how Congress will resolve the Labor-HHS funding dilemma. Although options range from reopening the conference report to passage of a so-called full-year Continuing Resolution - which extends the FY 2005 funding levels for the remainder of the current fiscal year - it is still too early to speculate. Congress did approve another month-long CR, which will enable the government to continue to operate until December 17.

Public Broadcasting Ex-Chief Targeted in Report

2005-11-15

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The former chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting appeared to have been motivated by politics in recruiting a new board president, the corporation's inspectors reported on Tuesday.

Their report into the activities of Kenneth Tomlinson said "cryptic" e-mails between Tomlinson and the White House indicated by their timing and subject matter that Tomlinson "was strongly motivated by political considerations in filling the president/CEO position."

A former co-chair of the Republican National Committee, Patricia Harrison, was named to the post.

The report also found that Tomlinson, a conservative who resigned from the board earlier this month, erred when he failed to tell the board that he was hiring a consultant to review program content for objectivity and balance.

It also said Tomlinson did not follow proper procedures when he hired lobbyists to help deal with legislation to change the composition of the board.

The inspectors' report was prompted by media reports that Tomlinson and the board were making personnel decisions based on political ideology, criticism that was heightened after Harrison was named to head the board in June.

Tomlinson sought to add more conservative-minded shows to the line-up to counter what many conservatives considered a liberal bias in public broadcasting.

"While our review found no evidence that personnel decisions were based solely on 'political tests,' we did find evidence that politics may have influenced some decisions," the inspectors wrote.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a federally funded nonprofit corporation and the largest single source of money for U.S. public television and radio programming, including PBS and National Public Radio. It is governed by a presidentially appointed board.

Download the CPB Inspector General's Report (1 MB PDF)

More About OPB & CPB

Other Resources
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Download CPB Reform Recommendations from APTS (24 KB PDF)
National Public Radio
Public Broadcasting Service