Update of Institute's Federal Report Available
The Institute publishes a Federal Report detailing the status of legislation and issues which it has been tracking, and reporting on its products and services, such as the weekly Bulletin, white papers, briefings, and its member breakfasts. A copy of the Executive Summary of the report, which was released in its most recently updated form, is attached. For a copy of the full report, please call the Institute at 202-546-3700.California Institute Federal Report, Fall 1996 Update

[The following is excerpted from a report delivered at the 9/19/96 California Institute Congressional Luncheon. For a copy of the full report, contact the Institute at 202-546-3700.]
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Executive Summary

The Federal Report is prepared by the California Institute staff for its semi-annual Board meetings. It details the legislative issues the Institute has worked on in 1996 and the products and services that the Institute provides to its Advisory Board and the congressional delegation.

Legislative Activity
Since January 1996, the Institute has engaged in activities regarding a number of significant issues, including:
_ Immigration -- The Institute continues to work to assess approaches for reimbursing states for certain costs of illegal immigration, and to monitor efforts to restrict various benefits to legal immigrants and reform laws regarding legal and illegal immigration.
_ Medicaid Formula -- The Institute has analyzed the impact of proposed Medicaid formula changes on California, and provided the delegation with this fair share data.
_ Disaster Insurance -- The Institute continues to focus on proposals for a national disaster insurance plan to cover damages caused by earthquakes and other natural disasters.
_ ISTEA Reauthorization -- The Institute has provided continuous analysis of the reauthorization deliberations and will continue to focus on the issue in the 105th Congress.
_ Education -- The Institute has worked with the delegation and a California K-12 alliance regarding California's interests in federal education funding allocations.
_ FDA Reform -- The Institute will continue to provide the delegation with information on the importance of this issue to California's biomedical technology industry.
_ Tax Policy and Technology Industries-- The Institute continues to advise the delegation regarding tax issues important to the state's technology community, including a targeted capital gains tax cut; a permanent research and development tax credit with an appropriate base year; and accelerated depreciation of semiconductor production equipment.
_ Budget, Appropriations, and Other Key Projects -- The Institute will continue to track policy and funding for a range of important California concerns in transportation, defense, space, science, energy, trade, and other areas.

Volume 3, Bulletin 33 -- September 19, 1996