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Recently in Washington Last week the House passed H.R. 2667, the Authority for Mandate Delay Act, and H.R. 2668, the Fairness for American Families Act. These two bills delay the implementation of the employer health insurance mandate and the individual health insurance mandate in Obamacare for one year. They both passed in the House with Congressman Simpson’s support. The House also passed H.R. 5, the Student Success Act, which reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act for five years. It makes significant reforms and returns much responsibility to states, school districts, and parents in educating K-12 students. Congressman Simpson supported H.R. 5, which passed 221-207.
“Decisions on how to best meet Clean Water Act standards, in the most economical way, can and should be made locally,” said Simpson. “We’ve seen this work in Idaho — the City of Boise’s Dixie Drain Project is a good example of how flexibility could allow the City to meet water standards in a more cost effective way — and I think this model could work in other communities as well. The EPA should work with individual citizens and communities to solve their needs in the most efficient and economic manner.”
Idaho Congressman joins colleagues in sending letter to IRS Commissioner demanding answers
“Taxpayers must know the IRS is doing its job with integrity and fairness, both which have been in serious question in recent months,” said Simpson. “It is my hope that the agency will respond swiftly and in a manner that protects taxpayers from further privacy violations.” The letter expressed serious concerns regarding reports that the IRS permitted up to 100,000 Social Security numbers to be openly posted on government websites accessible to the public. Some of the questions the Congressmen want answers to are:
This latest privacy breach is on the heels of the IRS improperly scrutinizing certain political organizations, particularly those with ‘tea party’ and ‘patriot’ in their names. Congressman Simpson cosponsored H.R. 1950, Taxpayer Nondiscrimination & Protection Act of 2013, which would help prevent further politically-motivated discrimination by increasing criminal penalties for such behavior. It would impose a fine of up to $5,000 and imprisonment of up to five years, or both. He also cosponsored H.R. 2009, the Keep the IRS Off Your Health Care Act of 2013, which would prevent the IRS from implementing or enforcing Obamacare. The IRS is tasked with overseeing some of the most controversial portions of the bill, including the individual health insurance mandate tax. “There is no excuse for the IRS practice of targeting any political organization or person, and Congress must act swiftly and decisively to ensure those who were responsible and had knowledge of the selective audits are held accountable and it does not happen again,” said Simpson. “Additionally, I will continue to investigate this recent report of a major leak of private citizen’s information, and demand answers from the IRS.”
Committee Action At 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, the House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee is scheduled hold a markup of the Labor-HHS-Ed Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2014. Floor Schedule MONDAY, JULY 22ND Legislation Considered Under Suspension of the Rules: 1) H.R. 697 - Three Kids Mine Remediation and Reclamation Act (Sponsored by Rep. Joseph Heck / Natural Resources Committee) TUESDAY, JULY 20TH, AND THE BALANCE OF THE WEEK On Thursday, the House will meet at 9:00 a.m. for legislative business. Last votes expected no later than 3:00 p.m. On Friday, no votes are expected. H.R. 2397 - Department of Defense Appropriations Act (Subject to a Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. C.W. Bill Young / Appropriations Committee) H.R. 2218 - Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act of 2013 (Subject to a Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. David McKinley / Energy and Commerce Committee) H.R. 1582 - Energy Consumers Relief Act of 2013, Rules Committee Print (Subject to a Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. Bill Cassidy / Energy and Commerce Committee)
The tax is just one of many written into the health care measure, but many across the country see this levy as perhaps the most daunting. In short, it’s something of a sales tax on insurance plans sold by health carriers and it packs a mighty punch. Officials estimate the tax will generate $8 billion in revenue in 2014, a figure expected to jump to $14.3 billion in 2018. The hefty levy is expected to capture $100 billion through the next decade. Business groups, including the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), say that because large firms often self-insure workers, small businesses will pay an unequal share of the tax. “It’s is one of the more onerous taxes,” said Suzie Budge, head of the NFIB’s Idaho branch. While Obamacare proponents might see the tax as an avenue to squeeze insurance companies for more and more cash, people like Budge offer a real economic forecast: She says the tax will be “100 percent pass-through,” meaning higher health care expenditures for individuals, families and small businesses. “It’s going to add costs, and it will mean a significant increase in premiums,” Budge said, adding that the health care law in general, combined with other factors, is stifling small business growth and confidence. It’s not that no one saw this coming. Before the controversial law passed Congress, the Congressional Budget Office noted in a November 2009 report that the cost of the tax “would be largely passed through to consumers in the form of higher premiums for private coverage.” How bad will it be? American Health Insurance Plans, an interest group representing health carriers, recently released projections outlining what the group thinks the tax will do to the economy and the outlook isn’t pretty. Nationwide, AHIP predicts the tax will cost 146,000 to 262,000 jobs between now and 2022, and could reduce potential sales between $19 billion and $35 billion. Closer to home, Idahoans will see increased health costs. An individual who obtains coverage through a small employer should expect to pay an additional $2,600 for health insurance during the next decade. Families who go through small employers, AHIP says, will likely need to pay at least an additional $5,700 through the same time frame. The numbers sound awful for Idahoans, but the situation could be worse. A New York family obtaining coverage through a small employer should expect to pay an additional $9,000 in health premiums during the next 10 years due to the tax. Idaho’s federal delegation isn’t silent on this issue. Congressmen Raul Labrador and Mike Simpson, both Republicans, have signed on to a House bill to repeal the tax, which provides a massive funding share for the workings of Obamacare. The House bill, formally H.R. 763, has 223 co-sponsors in the House, more than enough to secure passage. Utah Rep. Jim Matheson, a Democrat, signed on to the measure, giving the bill bipartisan credentials. If the measure passes the House, it’s likely dead-on-arrival in the Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate. Two GOP senators, Utah’s Orrin Hatch and Wyoming’s John Barrasson, introduced a companion bill in the Senate. Idaho Republican Sens. Jim Risch and Mike Crapo signed on to that bill, which has 24 sponsors in the Senate. Senate leadership referred the bill to the Senate Committee on Finance. Montana Democrat Max Baucus, a chief architect of Obamacare, chairs that committee. |
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