The first congressional action on fiscal 2004 spending bills was not good news for construction. The House Appropriations Committee on June 17 approved a $9.2-billion military construction measure that cuts spending by $1.5 billion, or 14%, from 2003's level.

The panel also approved a $29.4-billion measure for the new Dept. of Homeland Security, up $536 million or 2%, from this year's total. The amount also is $1 billion higher than the amount President Bush requested for the department.

Within the "mil con" bill, $1.2 billion would go for construction and rehabilitation of military family housing, down from $1.3 billion in 2003, and $4.8 billion would be allotted for barracks, Dept. of Defense health care facilities and other projects, down from $5.6 billion this year.

The DOD base closure account is still alive. Under the House committee bill, the program would receive $370 million, more than 85% of which would be for environmental cleanup.

There has been no action yet in the Senate on any of the fiscal 2004 spending measures.