Rokita Report - Budget Conference, School Visits & More

Statement

Dear Friend,

Thank you for the opportunity to update you on the work of the 114th Congress. I trust this finds you and your family well, as we work together to bring Hoosier common sense to Washington.

Budget Conference Committee

As Vice Chair of the House Budget Committee, I have led the charge for a balanced federal budget. I am grateful for the opportunity to continue this work by serving on the Senate-House conference committee.

Conference committees consist of small groups of Representatives and Senators entrusted by our colleagues to negotiate bills. I will join Budget Chairman Tom Price, Representatives Mario Diaz-Balart, Diane Black, and John Moolenaar as conferees on behalf of House Republicans.

The conference committee will reconcile differences between the House passed A Balanced Budget For A Stronger America and the Senate 2016 budget resolution. I am confident that in the coming days and weeks, we can iron out our differences and produce a unified budget that will provide greater certainty and accountability for the future. The unified bill would be a joint concurrent budget resolution, that sets top-line federal spending levels for 2016.

Lowering Tax Burdens& Increasing IRS Accountability

April 15th was Tax Day, when taxes on income earned in 2014 were due. In 2015, the average American will have 31% of their income confiscated in taxes.

This week, the House took charge and passed legislation to reduce the tax burden and hold the IRS accountable for a pattern of abuse. I believe we need an economy that rewards innovators and job creators instead of one that funds bureaucrats, especially when federal employees owe about $2.5 billion in back taxes. Some of the bills that the House passed include:

Bureau Advisory Commission Transparency Act - Advisory committees of the CFPB would be required to comply with federal laws related to transparency.

Taxpayer Bill of Rights Act - Codifies rights for taxpayers including the right to be informed about IRS investigations and to challenge IRS decisions.

Ensuring Tax Exempt Organizations the Right to Appeal Act - Charitable organizations, certain corporations, and private foundations would be able to appeal IRS decisions regarding their tax-exempt status.

Prevent Targeting at the IRS Act - Allows the IRS to fire employees who use their position to target groups for political purposes.

Federal Employee Tax Accountability Act - Federal employees who are "seriously delinquent" in paying their taxes could be fired and job applicants with serious tax debts could be refused.

Death Tax Repeal Act - Repealing the Death Tax. This tax unfairly punishes family businesses and creates uncertainty for the future of many family farms.

The last bill is particularly important because throughout our lives, we pay taxes on all earned income, including salaries and investments. What happens to this property after we pass on is a personal decision, not that of government. However, the death tax has been a means for the government to confiscate property acquired through previously earned income, which again, was already taxed in life. Instead of these dollars going to the government, the fruits of family businesses, earned through hard work, should stay in the family. That is exactly what the Death Tax Repeal Act would ensure.

Visiting Indiana Schools

I recently visited several local schools. In West Lafayette, I grabbed lunch with the students at Burnett Creek Elementary and spoke with nutritionists and several classes (including National Teacher of the Year Award candidate Kathy Nimmer's class) at William Henry Harrison High School. I also chatted with the Pre-K students at Waterloo Elementary.

Speaking Before Ms. Nimmer's Class

As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education, these visits provide vital first-hand information for my work. One common theme that I heard about was that school lunch regulations have increased the amount of food that ends up in garbage cans while enormously driving up lunch program costs.

This week, I was able to take what I heard with me to a hearing examining federal child nutrition programs, which are due to be reauthorized by Congress later this year. The hearing was an opportunity for all of us on the Education& Workforce Committee to hear directly from school nutrition stakeholders about the current state of federal child nutrition programs.

Grabbing Lunch at Burnett Creek Elementary

It has become very clear that one-size-fits-all federal rules and mandates for school lunches are a recipe for disaster. I want to ensure that nutrition programs can continue serving students and families that need it most. The hearing was an important first step in that process.

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