New layer commands added to CVS:

"Move selection to layer above" (Shift+PgUp) and "Move selection to layer below" (Shift+PgDn) will move the selection into the layer above or below the current layer (and make that layer current).

P.S. Bryce or someone with an access to the wiki, please lock this page: http://inkscape.org/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?ReleaseNotes041