ABLE Act headed for House passage

Rep. Ander Crenshaw's (R., FL) ABLE (Achieving a Better Life Experience) Act of 2013 is headed to the House Floor. Congress.gov notes that it "[a]mends the Internal Revenue Code to establish tax-exempt ABLE accounts to assist an individual with a disability in building an account to pay for qualified disability expenses." 

A press release by Rep. Crenshaw is below the jump. 

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Nov 19 2014

House to Take Up Crenshaw's ABLE Act in Early December

WASHINGTON, DC -- Congressman Ander Crenshaw, chairman of the House Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee, issued the following statement regarding the announcement that the House will consider the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (ABLE Act – H.R. 647/S.313) in early December. He is the House-side author of the federal legislation.

“The ABLE Act is headed for a vote in December – testament to the wide-spread support for millions who face the daily struggle of living with disabilities. They deserve the same financial planning tools available to other Americans. My bill gives them just that by empowering families to live healthy and independent lives through tax-free savings accounts.

“Step-by-step with focus and teamwork, ABLE has earned more bipartisan, bicameral support than any other bill in Congress, and I’m excited for its passage. Easing financial strains through tax-free savings accounts for qualified expenses such as medical, post-secondary education, housing, and transportation, the ABLE Act would provide a brighter future for millions of Americans.

“No longer would they have to stand by and watch others use Internal Revenue Service-sanctioned tools that are unavailable to them. The playing field would finally be level. It creates incentives to employment for individuals with disabilities by allowing them to contribute to their own ABLE accounts and seek out employment opportunities without the fear of losing benefits.”

BACKGROUND:

H.R. 647/S. 313 has the support of a majority of Congress (380 House co-sponsors, 74 Senate co-sponsors) and would amend Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Service Code of 1986 to create tax-free savings accounts for qualified expenses. Benefits provided through private insurance, the Medicaid program, the beneficiary’s employment, and other sources would be supplemented, but not supplanted by the legislation.

Mildly Entertaining Lame-Duck Bills That Could Still Pass ...

Here are a few mildly entertaining bills of the 113th Congress that could still pass in the lame-duck session:

H.R. 5595: SPOT (Strengthening Privacy, Oversight, and Transparency) Act

H.R. 5585: GO PACC (Granting Our People Access to Channel Choice) Act of 2014

H.R. 5555: FIREARM Act (don't know what the acronym stands for, if anything)

H.R. 5520:  SAFE (Security and Fairness Enhancement) for America Act

H.R. 5502:  FAIR (Fifth Amendment Integrity Restoration) Act

10|20|30 Funding Recipe

Rep. James Clyburn (D., SC) has introduced the 10|20|30 Act of 2014. The measure is more of a funding recipe for future legislation than anything. According to a press release by Rep. Clyburn, 

In the United States, there are 474 counties where 20 percent or more of the population has been living below the poverty line for the last 30 years. The counties are as diverse as our great nation; Appalachian communities in Kentucky and North Carolina, Native American communities in South Dakota and Alaska, Latino communities in Arizona and New Mexico and African American communities in Mississippi and South Carolina. They lack access to quality schools, affordable quality health care and adequate job opportunities.

...

When we drafted the Recovery Act, I fought to ensure that no communities were left behind by including a provision that directed at least 10 percent of Rural Development investments to communities where 20 percent or more of the population had lived below the poverty line for the last 30 years (10-20-30).

I am urging Congress to include the 10-20-30 approach in future funding proposals, and expand it to all federal agencies. It doesn’t require additional funding -- only the stipulation that at least ten percent of any agency’s appropriated programmatic funds be invested in 10-20-30 communities. We are only as strong as our weakest link, and these communities must be included in our efforts to get the entire nation back on track.

Brace for IMPACT

On Monday the President signed into law Rep. Dave Camp's (R., MI) Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation (IMPACT) Act of 2014. According to a White House press release, the measure "creates a standardized Medicare assessment tool for comparing patient data across the various types of post-acute care settings for purposes of quality, payment, and discharge planning, and makes other changes to Medicare current law relating to post-acute care."

More information on the measure, including the full text, can be found on Congress.gov. 

For All Sports FANS

Given all the current interest in professional sports, the Senate Judiciary Committee has convened a hearing on Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D., CT) and John McCain's FANS (Furthering Access and Networks for Sports) Act. According to a press release, the measure would "would decrease the frequency of sports blackouts by requiring leagues to meet basic obligations to fans if they wish to continue receiving substantial benefits from the public."

An identical measure was introduced in the House by Rep. Brian Higgins (D., NY). 

Spoof-Proofing America

Last week the House passed Rep. Grace Meng's (D., NY) Anti-Spoofing Act of 2014, which builds on the 2009 Truth in Caller ID Act, protecting American citizens from spoofers calling from outside the US. Also, the proposed law would now cover text messages as well. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D., MN) and Roy Blunt (R., MO) have introduced identical legislation in the Senate, known as the Caller ID Scam Prevention Act of 2014. 

The proponents of the new legislation claim that technology has advanced since passage the 2009 law, and new legislation is needed. 

W21

Senators Barbara Boxer (D., CA) and Dianne Feinstein (D., CA), and Representatives Grace Napolitano (D., CA) and Peter DeFazio (D., OR) have introduced W21, or Water in the 21st Century Act. The measure hopes to provide nationwide communities better help to "conserve, recycle and manage limited water supplies."

According to a press release, the bill would "would expand rebates and grants for water conservation and efficiency; support local investments in water recycling and improved groundwater management and storage; invest in research into water-saving technologies and desalination; and establish an open water data system. The measure would also help local communities take steps to become better prepared for drought."

The W21 label also seems a bit innovative, as it allows those tweeting about the bill to easily slip it into the text of a tweet and also use it as a hashtag. 

A partial press release is located below the jump, which notes some significant provisions. 

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The legislation includes a number of important provisions that would help communities in California, Oregon and across the country:

Efficiency and Conservation

• Strengthens EPA’s WaterSense program, which promotes water conservation in products, buildings, and landscapes through information and rebates. The bill authorizes $50 million to administer the program and $700 million for rebates, through FY2019, and then funds them at FY2019 levels adjusted for inflation thereafter.
• Creates a new grant program within the Environmental Protection Agency for local water systems to conserve water, increase water efficiency or reuse water; modify or relocate existing water system infrastructure made or projected to be made inoperable by climate change impacts; preserve or improve water quality, and other projects.

Water Recycling, Storage, and Integrated Water Management

• Leverages federal financing – through loan guarantees and matching grants – to help support projects on a regional scale, including water recycling, ground water management, water storage and water conveyance infrastructure.
  • $250 million over five years for secured loans.
  • $150 million for integrated regional water management, reclamation, and recycling projects grants.

Innovation through Research, Data, and Technology

·       Establishes an open water data system at the Department of the Interior.

• Reauthorizes the Water Resources Research Act at $9 million a year through 2020.
• Reauthorizes the Water Desalination Act at $3 million a year through 2020.
• Directs the Secretary of the Army to review reservoir operations and assess whether there is a benefit in adjusting operations to take into account improved forecasting data.

Drought Preparedness

• Establishes Drought Resilience Guidelines for state and local agencies through EPA in coordination with USDA, Commerce and Interior.
• Directs U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in consultation with state and federal agencies, to prepare a salmon drought plan to address the impacts of drought on the salmon population.

Stop Militarizing America's Cops

In the aftermath of the fatal shooting of Michael Brown and the ongoing protests in Ferguson, MO, Rep. Hank Johnson (D., GA) has announced that he plans to file the Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act, which would "rein in a Defense Department program that provides Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, M16 assault rifles and other surplus military equipment to local law enforcement, free of charge." The Huffington Post noted that Johnson said, 

"Our main streets should be a place for business, families, and relaxation, not tanks and M16s," Johnson says in his letter. "Our local police are quickly beginning to resemble paramilitary forces. This bill will end the free transfers of certain aggressive military equipment to local law enforcement and ensure that all equipment can be accounted for."

The militarization of local police has become one of the central issues in this ordeal, after two reporters from the Washington Post and one reporter from HuffPo were arrested, and video emerged of an Al Jazeera film crew getting tear gassed. Even Sen. Rand Paul (R., KY) penned an op-ed in Time arguing that America must demilitarize its police. 

Even in a Divided Congress, Autism CARES

On Friday President Obama signed Rep. Christopher Smith's (R., NJ) Autism CARES (Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education, and Support) Act of 2014. According to a press release, the legislation "authorizes $1.3 billion over five years to continue the critical pipeline of federal research dollars that are helping to unlock the mysteries of autism, find ways to prevent and mitigate its occurrence, and ensure that families have the tools they need to know what to do after a diagnosis."

The President also signed a number of other bills into law. The full list is provided below the jump. 

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H.R. 606, which designates a facility of the United States Postal Service located in Tyrone, New York, as the Specialist Christopher Scott Post Office Building;

H.R. 1671, which designates a facility of the United States Postal Service located in Dublin, California, as the James "Jim" Kohnen Post Office;

H.R. 2291, which designates a facility of the United States Postal Service located in New York, New York, as the Vincent R. Sombrotto Post Office;

H.R. 3212, the “Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act of 2014,” which requires the Secretary of State to initiate a process to develop and enter into bilateral procedures with certain countries concerning child abductions and contains other related authorities;

H.R. 3472, which designates a facility of the United States Postal Service located in Alden, New York, as the Sergeant Brett E. Gornewicz Memorial Post Office;

H.R. 3548, the “Improving Trauma Care Act of 2014,” which expands the definition of trauma as it applies to grants and activities authorized to support trauma and emergency care under the Public Health Service Act;

H.R. 3765, which designates a facility of the United States Postal Service located in Corning, New York, as the Specialist Ryan P. Jayne Post Office Building;

H.R. 4028, which includes the desecration of cemeteries among the many forms of violations of the rights to religious freedom;

H.R. 4360, which designates a facility of the United States Forest Service for the Grandfather Ranger District located in Nebo, North Carolina, as the Jason Crisp Forest Service Building;

H.R. 4386, the “Money Remittances Improvement Act of 2014,” which authorizes the Treasury Department to rely on examinations of financial institutions conducted by State supervisory agencies in assuring compliance with Federal requirements for recordkeeping and reports on certain monetary instruments transactions;

H.R. 4631, the “Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education, and Support Act of 2014” or the “Autism CARES Act of 2014,” which reauthorizes Combating Autism Act funding for autism research, screening, intervention, and education activities, as well as a coordinating committee at the Department of Health and Human Services;

H.R. 4838, which redesignates a railroad station located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, commonly known as "30th Street Station", as the William H. Gray III 30th Street Station;

H.R. 5021, the “Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2014,”which transfers a total of $10.765 billion to the Highway Trust Fund from the Treasury General Fund and the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund; extends the spending authority for surface transportation programs from September 30, 2014, to May 31, 2015; and increases Federal revenue by extending the authority to collect certain customs user fees and extending the period for certain lower required private pension plan contributions;

H.R. 5195, which authorizes additional Special Immigrant Visas for Afghan Nationals;

S. 653, the “Near East and South Central Asia Religious Freedom Act,” which authorizes the President to appoint a Special Envoy to Promote Religious Freedom of Religious Minorities in the Near East and South Central Asia;

S. 1104, the “Assessing Progress in Haiti Act of 2014,” which directs the Secretary of State to prepare a strategy and transmit that and an annual report to Congress on the status of the post-earthquake recovery and development in Haiti; and

S. 1799, the “Victims of Child Abuse Reauthorization Act of 2013,” which authorizes appropriations and establishes audit and other oversight requirements for Justice Department grant programs that assist in responding to victims of child abuse and in improving the quality of criminal prosecution of child abuse cases.

A Healthy Climate and Family Security: Who Would have Thought?

Today Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D., MD) introduced the Healthy Climate and Family Security Act of 2014. According to a press release the measure: 

caps carbon pollution and reduces CO2 emissions gradually but steadily, auctions carbon pollution permits to the first sellers of oil, coal, and natural gas into the U.S. market, and returns 100 percent of the auction proceeds electronically each quarter to every American with a valid Social Security number in the form of a Healthy Climate Dividend. On an economy-wide level, the price signal placed on carbon pollution will accelerate innovation and incentivize both greater energy efficiency as well as greater use of lower-carbon energy alternatives.

Rep. Van Hollen also has a factsheet and an infographic on the bill, and has written an op-ed for the Huffington Post. 

House Believes 'America Gives More'

Last week the House passed Rep. Tom Reed's (R., NY) America Gives More Act of 2014, which promotes charitable giving through the tax code. The measure is a combination of five previous bills, including the Fighting Hunger Incentive Act of 2014. 

The Obama Administration opposes the measure, and in a statement noted: 

[T]he Administration strongly opposes House passage of H.R. 4719, which would permanently extend three current provisions that offer enhanced tax breaks for certain donations and add another two similar provisions without offsetting the cost. If this same, unprecedented approach of making certain traditional tax extenders permanent without offsets were followed for the other traditional tax extenders, it would add $500 billion or more to deficits over the next ten years, wiping out most of the deficit reduction achieved through the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2013. Just two months ago, House Republicans themselves passed a budget resolution that required offsetting any tax extenders that were made permanent with other revenue measures.

As with other similar proposals, Republicans are imposing a double standard by adding to the deficit to continue and create tax breaks that primarily benefit higher-income individuals, while insisting on offsetting the proposed extension of emergency unemployment benefits and the discretionary funding increases for defense and non-defense priorities such as research and development in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013. House Republicans also are making clear their priorities by rushing to make these tax cuts permanent without offsets even as the House Republican budget resolution calls for raising taxes on 26 million working families and students by letting important improvements to the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, and education tax credits expire.