Fighting Hunger Incentive Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHOCK. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman.

I would just say so much has been said I am not sure I will need 3
minutes.

Obviously, I am here to speak in support of a measure that I
introduced in this body last July that passed by a 2 to 1 majority.
That means nearly every Republican and tens and scores of Democrats, a
whole host of Democrats that passed by a 2 to 1 majority, voted for
almost identical language contained in this bill.

Now, the negotiation in the agreement between the House and the
Senate to make this more permanent fell apart, and so we did what we
have always done, which is extend it for another year.

Just a few months ago--just a few months ago--Republicans and
Democrats came together in this body to vote on identical legislation
to extend it a year at a time. In fact, this piece of legislation has
been extended four times since 2006 under the same proposal that we are
submitting here, just not a year at a time but, rather, permanent, the
same pay-fors or lack thereof, written almost identically.

So what is at stake? What is at stake is how much the people of our
respective districts are going to benefit and whether they will
benefit.

Back in my district, the head of the Galesburg Community Foundation
says that, when he is meeting with donors, if they can give to their
IRA, as this bill will allow, they give, on average, four times the
amount of goods and services that they would otherwise give without the
IRA donation provision--four times.

This isn't about the donor; it is about the recipient. And so I would
just simply ask: Why don't we give the certainty not to the donor but,
rather, give the certainty to the recipient, whether it be food and
shelter, whether it be education benefits here in our country and
around the world, a benefit from this provision, give them the
certainty, do what we have always done, but do it early and do it now?

Rather, I would ask anyone who stands up to oppose this: 10 months
from now, where will your vote be on a 1-year extension? Where will
your vote be on a 2-year extension? What is wrong with making what we
have been doing since 2006 1 year and 2 years at a time permanent?

It is important for us to give the certainty to the beneficiaries and
to the communities who benefit from this provision. I urge a ``yes''
vote on this. And I hope, once again, as we did last July, this body
will pass this bill with an overwhelmingly 2 to 1 majority.

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