Statement on Passage of Tax Extension Bill
On December 16, 2010, the full United States House of Representatives voted to pass compromise legislation aimed at preventing a tax increase (H.R. 4853). Congressman Platts voted in favor of this legislation. His statement explaining the vote follows:
“Restoring the economy to full strength must be Congress’ top priority. Allowing taxes to increase during a recession would jeopardize economic recovery and cause further job losses. Today the full United States House of Representatives passed compromise tax legislation (H.R. 4853) that rightly puts our economy ahead of politics.
H.R. 4853 will preserve current income tax rates for all Americans for at least the next two years. Without the enactment of H.R. 4853, the lowest income tax rate would increase from 10% to 15%. Most other income tax rates would increase as well. The ‘marriage penalty’ would fully return, the ‘death tax’ would reach up to 55% of estates, and 15 million more middle-income taxpayers would have to pay the Alternative Minimum Tax. Taxes would increase on capital gains, dividends, and small businesses. The average middle income family would see their taxes go up by $1,540.
In all, H.R. 4853 halts a $3.9 trillion tax increase scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2011—keeping that money in the hands of the private sector instead of the government. Other components of H.R. 4853 would extend unemployment compensation benefits for an additional year and create a ‘payroll tax holiday’ amounting to 2% of workers’ wages for one year.
While some Members of Congress may support some elements of the package but not others, it was important to find common ground. Failure to act would have increased the uncertainty that already exists in the economy—an uncertainty that stops businesses from hiring and contributes to our nearly 10% unemployment rate.
H.R. 4853 passed the House by a vote of 277 to 148. It previously passed the Senate by a vote of 81 to 19. Because it reflects an agreement negotiated between President Barack Obama and Members of both parties in Congress, President Obama signed the measure into law on December 17th.”
Web Page Highlights (www.house.gov/platts)
Legislation to Eliminate Government Waste Advocated by Congressman Platts Passes Both U.S. House and Senate
The House of Representatives approved legislation in December designed to give Congress and the American people the tools to better evaluate the effectiveness of federal government programs—the Government Efficiency, Effectiveness and Performance Improvement Act of 2010. The legislation (H.R. 2142) was sponsored by Reps. Henry Cuellar (TX-28) and Todd Platts (PA-19) and is expected to be signed into law.
(http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/pa19_platts/PAR2010.shtml)
Statement on U.S. District Court Ruling Regarding the Health Care Law
On December 13, 2010, a U.S. District Court declared a main component of the new health care law unconstitutional. Congressman Platts’ statement regarding the decision is posted on the web page.
(http://www.house.gov/apps/list/speech/pa19_platts/hcruling.shtml)
Statement Regarding “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
Congressman Todd Platts issued a statement regarding his vote in favor of House of Representatives Bill 2965 (H.R. 2965). This legislation repeals the Department of Defense’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy contingent upon the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff certifying to Congress that the Department of Defense has prepared the necessary policies and regulations to implement the repeal in a manner that is “consistent with the standards of military readiness, military effectiveness, unit cohesion, and recruiting and retention of the Armed Forces.” His full statement is posted on the web site.
(http://www.house.gov/apps/list/speech/pa19_platts/DADT.shtml)
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