The committee then took evidence on the financial memorandum of the Domestic Abuse Bill from Labour MSP Rhoda Grant.
Unfortunately for Mr Wilkins, others in his party have been less apologetic notably John Graham Altman, an assemblyman from Charleston who was instrumental in squashing the original domestic-violence bill.
Under plans in the bill only domestic violence victims who can prove "a high risk of violence" will qualify for assistance.
However the minister said the definition of domestic abuse in the bill was too wide, but he assured Ms Grant that he, and the Lord Advocate would work with her until a workable definition was reached.
Both of those parts of the bill, the no timetable and the increased domestic spending, will be in the House bill and the Senate will vote on it probably Thursday night or Friday.
She warned that the definition of domestic violence proposed in the bill was "too narrow" and could mean victims would be left without support.
But the White House rejected the Democrats' opening bid, in which Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi offered to drop billions of dollars of domestic spending from the war bill.
Tacked on to a bill that addressed domestic violence, slavery and teenage suicide was a provision that directed the Treasury to pay out compensatory damages (but not punitive ones) to victims of terrorism who filed suit within a certain period of time.
The bill aims to boost domestic production of oil and natural gas through tax breaks and other incentives.
It also includes extended unemployment benefits and the expansion of the GI Bill, two key domestic priorities of Democrats.
They favor a narrower bill focused on helping domestic manufacturers and argue that multinationals moving jobs overseas shouldn't be rewarded with tax relief.
Republicans were unhappy about the additional domestic spending included in the House bill, but many said they were relieved the final measure did not set a timetable for troop withdrawal.
The other big post-World War II spending cutter was Bill Clinton, who cut domestic spending by 0.6 percent of GDP.
Unlike the freezes proposed by both Obama and the House Republicans, Bill and Maya include all domestic spending, including homeland security and the VA. Importantly, they propose an overall spending cap, not an across-the-board freeze.
My books include the novels "Sellout" and "Wink" and several educational titles (subjects varying from drug abuse and its impact on society, a historical look at domestic spying, and a biography of Bill Gates) as well as "Tested XX" - the bestselling history of my rather inbred family, which also happens to be America's oldest family of knife-makers, the infamous Case clan.
Bush leaves the romance of Rome and the warm reception from U.S. military troops in Kosovo, and goes back to Washington, where he faces battles with Congress over domestic issues, including a patient's bill of rights, education reform and his faith-based agenda.
"Most of our domestic initiatives were not paid for through the tobacco bill, " Reed said.
The bill contains other less controversial clauses on domestic violence, gangs, cowboy wheel clampers, unauthorised possession of mobile phones in prisons, compensating UK victims of overseas terrorism, controls on air weapons and restrictions on all-night drinking.
There are four freshwater wells on site, including two for domestic purposes, so Mr. Sieger has no water bill to speak of.
It would also add money for some of the Democrats' domestic priorities, including unemployment assistance, a new GI bill to fund education benefits for military veterans and a package of tax credits for renewable energy sources.
The new bill ensures that, like other employees, domestic workers will build up a fund of money paid by their employers, equivalent to 8% of monthly pay, to be made available upon compulsory redundancy, death and other contingencies.
The Leahy-Crapo VAWA reauthorization bill addresses many pressing issues facing all victims of domestic violence, including those in Indian Country.
After the Republicans won control of the Congress in 1994, then president Bill Clinton was hard-pressed to advance his domestic agenda.
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Community Safety Minister Fergus Ewing vowed to work with Rhoda Grant to improve her bill, in the interests of protecting victims of domestic abuse.
Then the spill in the Gulf of Mexico fouled the waters: one of the bill's key elements is an expansion of domestic offshore oil exploration.
The Conservatives pointed out that the part of her bill which allowed legal aid to be sought by domestic abuse victims without means testing could contravene human rights law.
Another Democratic aide said the House could pass a bill with a timeline and funding for the other domestic items, but the Senate would probably strip out most of them.
Senate Democrats haven't directly said what they would do with the House GOP bill, except to say they want to give domestic agencies the same protection and flexibility given the Pentagon.
President Bush said he was successful in cutting billions in domestic spending from the measure, but he acknowledged that the bill still includes more money for additional programs than he would have liked.
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