Bill doesn’t provide all that Newport hoped

Alicia Robinson

A $388-billion federal spending bill approved last week gave Newport

Beach just $1 million for dredging and restoration in the Upper

Newport Bay, a far cry from the $10 million the city wanted in 2005

for the $38-million project.

The bill was approved Saturday despite “No� votes from Rep. Chris

Cox, who represents Newport Beach, and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, who

represents Costa Mesa.

Cox pushed for the $1 million, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein was

expected to add language to the bill that allowed Newport Beach to

begin the work with $13.5 million of its own money. For some reason,

that language didn’t get in, Cox said, but there’s still a chance it

could be added to a bill in January.

Other Orange County projects in the federal bill included $86,000

for environmental protection of San Diego Creek, $800,000 for the

Orange County Sanitation District for water treatment and $400,000 to

expand the emergency department at UCI Medical Center.

Although various local initiatives Cox supported were in the bill,

he voted against it because it was a stealthy “budget buster,� he

said.

“The overall spending level was $2 billion over the budget that I

voted for earlier in the year,� he said.

“This bill was not available for [House] members to read [before

the vote], and I have consistently voted against bills that I cannot

read.�

Cox has plenty of congressional choices

Often named on lists of other people’s possible political choices,

Cox will be in charge of his own destiny when the 109th Congress

convenes in January.

At that point, it looks like Cox will have to choose between his

leadership positions. Recently reelected as chairman of the House

Policy Committee, Cox also chairs the House Homeland Security

Committee, but next year he won’t be able to do both.

House Speaker Dennis Hastert said late last week he’ll recommend

the Homeland Security Committee be made a standing committee, which

requires a House vote.

To stay on Homeland Security, Cox would have to give up his spot

on the Policy Committee, a position that makes him the fifth-ranking

member of House GOP leadership.

“If the legislative jurisdiction given to the Homeland Security

Committee is robust, then I will take that course,� Cox said. “Either

way I will be more than satisfied, but it’s also a difficult choice.�

Rohrabacher calls for Saudi Arabian action

Rohrabacher included a call on the Saudi government in a

resolution he introduced this month denouncing Islamic terrorism.

In his resolution, Rohrabacher, a Republican, urged Congress to

demand that Saudi Arabia deny access to Muslim holy sites “both to

individuals who are members of organizations that have taken credit

for, and to individuals who have committed, any crime or act of

terrorism, barbarism, or mutilation in the name of Islam.�

At the root of his resolution were two killings: that of Margaret

Hassan, an Irish humanitarian worker who had lived in Iraq for

decades, and of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh, who was killed on an

Amsterdam street. In his resolution, Rohrabacher -- who has long

worked with Muslims in Afghanistan and other countries -- said “such

barbarous acts contradict the teachings of the monotheistic faith

that Islam shares with both Christianity and Judaism.�

Cox Internet tax ban awaits Bush action

A bill that would ban multiple taxes on Internet access and

commerce, long championed by Cox, was among the final work completed

by Congress last week.

“Republicans and Democrats have come together to say that no

matter how we might choose to fund government services, we all agree

the worst way to do it would be to create new taxes on the Internet,�

Cox said on the floor of the House before the bill passed. That would

be harmful to consumers, destructive to technological innovation and

bad for our economy.�

Cox also stressed the central role the Internet now plays in

business.

The bill now awaits President Bush’s signature to become law.