House Passes Tax Reliefs, Spending Control and Health Measures, Presents Immigration Principles

HOUSE PASSES TAX RELIEF, SPENDING CONTROL AND HEALTH MEASURES; PRESENTS IMMIGRATION PRINCIPLES

This week the House of Representatives passed permanent death tax repeal, a legislative line-item veto mechanism and two health care measures. Also, the House Republican Conference announced a set of principles to guide discussions with the Senate involving immigration reform. Congressman Chip Pickering, who voted for these measures, called it a productive week: "We passed significant tax relief and spending restraint measures, and next week we anticipate moving important energy bills and additional disaster response reforms."

Today the House of Representatives passed the Legislative Line Item Veto Act (HR4890) and the Permanent Estate Tax Relief Act (HR5638). The line-item veto measure passed 247-172 and would give the President an opportunity to reject spending items in federal appropriations, subject to legislative confirmation. Pickering said, "This will provide some common sense spending restraint for unnecessary or overly costly projects, but maintains the legislative oversight to protect important district funding. I believe this veto authority will be used selectively to target unreasonable spending requests, not those projects important to Mississippi."

The estate-tax relief bill passed 269-156 and would make permanent the death tax repeal set to expire in 2010. "This is an important measure for families, small businesses, agri-business and estate planners making life-end decisions. But more than that, it is unfair for the government to tax you your whole life just to tax you more for dieing." Pickering noted the impact on just Mississippi's forestry industry. "Over the next two decades seven million acres of timber farms in Mississippi will move from one generation to another. The repeal of the estate tax will allow tree farmers to invest in their own families and communities instead of the federal treasury. Whether someone owns a hundred acres or ten acres, these farms represent a life time of investment all of which has already been taxed. The IRS should not be a concern for families at the funeral home," said Pickering.

On Wednesday the House passed two health care measures. The Health Centers Renewal Act of 2006 (HR5573) funds health centers in medically underserved populations including rural health needs in Mississippi. The Children's Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act of 2006 (HR5574) extends through FY2011 the funding to children's' hospitals providing graduate medical training programs"

Pickering also noted that House Republicans issued a statement of principles on border security this week. "We must secure our borders to guard against drug smuggling, people smuggling, and terrorist infiltration; we must secure our borders to prevent those with criminal intent from harming America. We must enforce our laws regarding those who illegally enter our country, and also those who illegally employ them. And we must not reward lawbreakers with amnesty. Once we secure the border, we should reform the immigration bureaucracy so people around the world can seek the freedoms and prosperity of America and contribute to making this a greater nation. The shared values, spirit of enterprise and ethic of hard work has made this nation of immigrants strong for generations. But our first priority is to secure the border and enforce our laws and we intend to send a bill with these priorities to President Bush," Pickering said.

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http://www.house.gov/pickering/releases/jun06/HousePassage.htm