House Votes to Make Tax Cuts Permanent
Representative Todd Platts voted with a majority of his colleagues in the House to pass several bills to make key elements of the 2001 and 2003 tax cut laws permanent. These bills included legislation to make permanent an increase in the child tax credit to $1,000 (H.R. 4359), to make permanent the tax rate reduction from 15% to 10% on the first $7,000 of taxable income for singles and $14,000 for couples (H.R. 4275), and to permanently eliminate the so-called “marriage penalty” (H.R. 4181).
Each of the aforementioned bills is now pending in the Senate. Failure to approve the measures by the end of this year will result in a loss of the tax benefits enacted by the 2003 law as of January 1, 2005.
House Highlights the Importance of Health Care Issues
Representative Todd Platts voted with a majority of his House colleagues in passing three measures intended to make health care more affordable and accessible for Americans.
The HEALTH Act (H.R. 4280) would reform medical malpractice law by placing reasonable limits on attorney’s fees, non-economic “pain-and-suffering” damages, and punitive damages in such suits. The legislation would not limit the amount of economic damages that may be awarded.
The Small Business Health Fairness Act (H.R. 4281) would allow small businesses to join together across state lines to purchase health insurance through Association Health Plans (AHPs), thus enjoying the same uniform regulation, economies of scale, and administrative efficiencies that large companies currently enjoy.
Finally, legislation (H.R. 4279) was passed to allow some unused funds in employee health Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) to be carried over from year-to-year. Under current law, unused amounts remaining in an FSA at the end of the tax year are forfeited by the employee.
Each of the aforementioned bills is now pending in the Senate. Similar legislation has been passed in the past, but not been acted upon in the Senate.
Web Page Highlights (www.house.gov/platts)
Six Area College Students Learn the Value of Public Service through Summer Internships with Congressman Todd Platts’ Office
Six area college students are spending the summer learning about the duties and responsibilities of public service through 11-week internships with Congressman Todd Platts.
Government Reform Committee Approves Platts Bill to Make Government More Results-Oriented
The Government Reform Committee approved a bill on June 3 to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Federal government—the Program Assessment and Results Act, or PAR Act, H.R. 3826.
The Month in Review
The following is a list of some additional key votes taken by the United States House of Representatives during the month of May 2004:
Fiscal Year 2005 Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 4200)
The House voted 391-34 to pass a defense bill providing for a 3.5% pay increase for military personnel, increasing the number of active-duty service members in the Army by 30,000 and in the Marine Corps by 9,000, improving survivor benefits for spouses of military retirees, and extending a health care program for National Guard members and reservists and their families who otherwise lack health insurance. Representative Platts voted in favor of this legislation.
House Vacancy Appointments (H.J. Res. 83)
The House voted 63-353 to reject a proposed Constitutional amendment allowing state governors to appoint temporary replacements for members of the House of Representatives in the event of a terrorist attack or other catastrophe resulting in mass vacancies. Opponents of the bill prefer alternate legislation passed in April (H.R. 2844) which would fill such vacancies within 45 days through expedited special elections. Representative Platts voted against passage of H.J. Res. 83 and in favor of H.R. 2844.
The Undocumented Alien Emergency Medical Assistance Amendment of 2004 (H.R. 3722)
he House voted 88-331 to reject legislation which would have required hospitals receiving federal health care reimbursements for the treatment of illegal aliens to report such aliens to immigration authorities. Representative Platts voted in favor of this legislation.
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