This Week in Washington- Friday, April 16, 2010
The filing deadline for federal taxes passed on Thursday. Every year it reminds me of the need for fundamental tax reform. We need a tax code that is simple, fair and promotes economic growth. While I am a co-sponsor of the Fair Tax, I would support any tax reform plan that meets those goals. We need to make April 15th, just another day.
Legislation:
• Clean Water and Infrastructure: On Thursday, April 15, House passed H.R. 4715, the Clean Estuaries Act of 2010 by a vote of 235—171. The bill extends the Environmental Protection Agency's National Estuary Program through FY2016, and increases the authorization to $50 million (currently $35 million) in each fiscal year for the next five year. The National Estuary Program is administered by the EPA to evaluate and implement a comprehensive conservation and energy plan for estuaries with a free connection to the open ocean. While I continue to promote the importance of being a steward of our environment, I had to vote no on the legislation because of the drastic increase in funding for the EPA's National Estuary Program. At a time when our nation's federal deficit has exploded, it is irresponsible to ask the taxpayer to fork over more of their hard earned money for the expansion of federal programs. Additionally, with no estuaries in the State of Missouri, this bill would essentially shift more Missouri taxpayer money to states with views of the ocean instead of the Missouri River.
• Temporary Extensions: On Thursday, April 15, 2010, the House passed H.R. 4851, the Continuing Extension Act of 2010, with Senate amendments, by a vote of 289-112. The bill retroactively extends federal unemployment insurance benefits, COBRA health insurance premiums, the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) adjustment and a number of other funding expansions from the Democrats' "stimulus" bill for 2 months, through May. The House passed the first version of the legislation on March 17 by voice vote. That bill would have extended these provisions—the majority of which expired on March 31—through April, 2010. However, the Senate did not act on the bill prior to recessing for the Easter holiday, and several federal benefits and programs authorized in this legislation lapsed. The Senate passed the legislation on Thursday, April 15, with an amendment to retroactively extend the programs through May 2010. I opposed the $18 billion spending bill because this legislation was not paid for and will create more debt. I believe we should live within our means. If we want to spend money on one priority, it should be offset by reducing our spending elsewhere. Congress was elected to make tough decisions, not to simply kick the can down the road to another generation.
Small Business Committee:
The Small Business Committee held a hearing on April 14th entitled, "Entrepreneurs and Tax Day: How IRS Policies and Procedures Impact Small Businesses." Click here to read about what was discussed at the hearing or click here to watch clips from the hearing.
The House will be in session next week. Have a good weekend.
Sincerely,
Sam Graves