I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1920 
To provide incentives to the auto industry to accelerate efforts to develop 
more energy-efficient vehicles to lessen dependence on oil. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 18, 2007 
Mr. INSLEE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 
in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the juris-
diction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To provide incentives to the auto industry to accelerate ef-
forts to develop more energy-efficient vehicles to lessen 
dependence on oil. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Health Care for Hy-
brids Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
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(1) The United States imports over half the oil 
it consumes. 
(2) According to present trends, the United 
States’ reliance on foreign oil will increase to 68 per-
cent of total consumption by 2025. 
(3) Having only 3 percent of the world’s known 
oil reserves, the health of the United States economy 
is dependent on world oil prices. 
(4) World oil prices are overwhelmingly dictated 
by countries other than the United States, thus en-
dangering our economic and national security. 
(5) A major portion of the world’s oil supply is 
controlled by unstable governments and countries 
that are known to finance, harbor, or otherwise sup-
port terrorists and terrorist activities. 
(6) American automakers have lagged behind 
their foreign competitors in producing hybrid and 
other energy-efficient automobiles. 
(7) Legacy health care costs associated with re-
tiree workers are an increasing burden on the global 
competitiveness of American industries. 
(8) Innovative uses of new technology in auto-
mobiles in the United States will help retain Amer-
ican jobs, support health care obligations for retiring 
workers in the automotive sector, decrease America’s 
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dependence on foreign oil, and address pressing envi-
ronmental concerns. 
TITLE I—PROGRAM 
SEC. 101. COORDINATING TASK FORCE. 
Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Transpor-
tation, and the Secretary of the Treasury shall establish, 
and appoint an equal number of representatives to, a task 
force (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘task force’’) to ad-
minister the program established under this title. 
SEC. 102. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the task force established 
under section 101 shall establish a program to reimburse 
eligible domestic automobile manufacturers for the costs 
incurred in providing health benefits to their retired em-
ployees. 
(b) CONSULTATION.—In establishing the program 
under subsection (a), the task force shall consult with rep-
resentatives from eligible domestic automobile manufac-
turers, unions representing employees of such manufactur-
ers, and consumer and environmental groups. 
(c) ELIGIBLE DOMESTIC AUTOMOBILE MANUFAC-
TURER.—To be eligible to receive reimbursement under 
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the program established under subsection (a), a domestic 
automobile manufacturer shall— 
(1) submit an application to the task force at 
such time, in such manner, and containing such in-
formation as the task force shall require; 
(2) certify that such manufacturer is providing 
full health care coverage to all of its employees; 
(3) provide an assurance that the manufacturer 
will invest an amount equal to or more than 50 per-
cent of the amount of health savings derived by the 
manufacturer as a result of its retiree health care 
costs being covered under the program under this 
section, in— 
(A) the domestic manufacture and com-
mercialization of petroleum fuel reduction tech-
nologies, including alternative or flexible fuel 
vehicles, hybrids, and other state-of-the-art fuel 
saving technologies; 
(B) the retraining of workers and retooling 
of assembly lines for such domestic manufac-
ture and commercialization; 
(C) research and development, design, 
commercialization, and other costs related to 
the diversifying of domestic production of auto-
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mobiles through the offering of high perform-
ance fuel efficient vehicles; and 
(D) assisting domestic automobile compo-
nent suppliers to retool their domestic manufac-
turing plants to produce components for petro-
leum fuel reduction technologies, including al-
ternative or flexible fuel vehicles and hybrid, ad-
vanced diesel, or other state-of-the-art fuel sav-
ing technologies; and 
(4) provide additional assurances and informa-
tion as the task force may require, including infor-
mation needed by the task force to audit the manu-
facturer’s compliance with the requirements of the 
program. 
(d) LIMITATION.—The total amount of cost that may 
be reimbursed each year under the program under this 
section with respect to any single domestic automobile 
manufacturer shall not exceed an amount equal to 10 per-
cent of the retiree health care costs of that manufacturer 
for that year. 
SEC. 103. REPORTING. 
Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment 
of this Act, and every 6 months thereafter, the task force 
shall submit to Congress a report on any reimbursements 
paid under the program under this title and the resulting 
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changes in the manufacture and commercialization of fuel 
saving technologies implemented by automobile manufac-
turers as a result of such reimbursements. Not later than 
1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the task 
force shall submit a report to Congress on the effective-
ness of current consumer incentives available for the pur-
chase of hybrid vehicles in encouraging the purchase of 
such vehicles and whether these incentives should be ex-
panded. 
SEC. 104. ADDITIONAL ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENT. 
To be eligible to receive financial assistance under 
this title, a manufacturer shall provide assurances to the 
task force that fuel savings achieved with respect to the 
average adjusted fuel economy will not result in decreases 
with respect to fuel economy elsewhere in the domestic 
fleet. The task force shall determine compliance with such 
assurances using accepted measurements of fuel savings. 
SEC. 105. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There are authorized to be appropriated such sums 
as may be necessary in each fiscal year to carry out this 
title. 
SEC. 106. TERMINATION OF PROGRAM. 
The program established under section 102 shall ter-
minate on December 31, 2017. 
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TITLE II—OFFSETS 
SEC. 201. CLARIFICATION OF ECONOMIC SUBSTANCE DOC-
TRINE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 7701 of the Internal Rev-
enue Code of 1986 is amended by redesignating subsection 
(p) as subsection (q) and by inserting after subsection (o) 
the following new subsection: 
‘‘(p) CLARIFICATION
OF
ECONOMIC
SUBSTANCE 
DOCTRINE; ETC.— 
‘‘(1) GENERAL RULES.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In any case in which 
a court determines that the economic substance 
doctrine is relevant for purposes of this title to 
a transaction (or series of transactions), such 
transaction (or series of transactions) shall have 
economic substance only if the requirements of 
this paragraph are met. 
‘‘(B) DEFINITION
OF
ECONOMIC
SUB-
STANCE.—For purposes of subparagraph (A)— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—A transaction has 
economic substance only if— 
‘‘(I) the transaction changes in a 
meaningful way (apart from Federal 
tax effects) the taxpayer’s economic 
position, and 
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‘‘(II) the taxpayer has a substan-
tial nontax purpose for entering into 
such transaction and the transaction 
is a reasonable means of accom-
plishing such purpose. 
In applying subclause (II), a purpose of 
achieving a financial accounting benefit 
shall not be taken into account in deter-
mining whether a transaction has a sub-
stantial nontax purpose if the origin of 
such financial accounting benefit is a re-
duction of income tax. 
‘‘(ii) SPECIAL
RULE
WHERE
TAX-
PAYER RELIES ON PROFIT POTENTIAL.—A 
transaction shall not be treated as having 
economic substance by reason of having a 
potential for profit unless— 
‘‘(I) the present value of the rea-
sonably expected pre-tax profit from 
the transaction is substantial in rela-
tion to the present value of the ex-
pected net tax benefits that would be 
allowed if the transaction were re-
spected, and 
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‘‘(II) the reasonably expected 
pre-tax profit from the transaction ex-
ceeds a risk-free rate of return. 
‘‘(C) TREATMENT OF FEES AND FOREIGN 
TAXES.—Fees and other transaction expenses 
and foreign taxes shall be taken into account as 
expenses in determining pre-tax profit under 
subparagraph (B)(ii). 
‘‘(2) SPECIAL RULES FOR TRANSACTION WITH 
TAX-INDIFFERENT PARTIES.— 
‘‘(A) SPECIAL
RULES
FOR
FINANCING 
TRANSACTIONS.—The form of a transaction 
which is in substance the borrowing of money 
or the acquisition of financial capital directly or 
indirectly from a tax-indifferent party shall not 
be respected if the present value of the deduc-
tions to be claimed with respect to the trans-
action is substantially in excess of the present 
value of the anticipated economic returns of the 
person lending the money or providing the fi-
nancial capital. A public offering shall be treat-
ed as a borrowing, or an acquisition of financial 
capital, from a tax-indifferent party if it is rea-
sonably expected that at least 50 percent of the 
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offering will be placed with tax-indifferent par-
ties. 
‘‘(B) ARTIFICIAL INCOME SHIFTING AND 
BASIS
ADJUSTMENTS.—The form of a trans-
action with a tax-indifferent party shall not be 
respected if— 
‘‘(i) it results in an allocation of in-
come or gain to the tax-indifferent party in 
excess of such party’s economic income or 
gain, or 
‘‘(ii) it results in a basis adjustment 
or shifting of basis on account of over-
stating the income or gain of the tax-indif-
ferent party. 
‘‘(3) DEFINITIONS AND SPECIAL RULES.—For 
purposes of this subsection— 
‘‘(A) ECONOMIC SUBSTANCE DOCTRINE.— 
The term ‘economic substance doctrine’ means 
the common law doctrine under which tax bene-
fits under subtitle A with respect to a trans-
action are not allowable if the transaction does 
not have economic substance or lacks a business 
purpose. 
‘‘(B) 
TAX-INDIFFERENT
PARTY.—The 
term ‘tax-indifferent party’ means any person 
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or entity not subject to tax imposed by subtitle 
A. A person shall be treated as a tax-indifferent 
party with respect to a transaction if the items 
taken into account with respect to the trans-
action have no substantial impact on such per-
son’s liability under subtitle A. 
‘‘(C) EXCEPTION FOR PERSONAL TRANS-
ACTIONS OF INDIVIDUALS.—In the case of an 
individual, this subsection shall apply only to 
transactions entered into in connection with a 
trade or business or an activity engaged in for 
the production of income. 
‘‘(D) TREATMENT OF LESSORS.—In apply-
ing paragraph (1)(B)(ii) to the lessor of tan-
gible property subject to a lease— 
‘‘(i) the expected net tax benefits with 
respect to the leased property shall not in-
clude the benefits of— 
‘‘(I) depreciation, 
‘‘(II) any tax credit, or 
‘‘(III) any other deduction as 
provided in guidance by the Secretary, 
and 
‘‘(ii) subclause (II) of paragraph 
(1)(B)(ii) shall be disregarded in deter-
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mining whether any of such benefits are al-
lowable. 
‘‘(4) OTHER COMMON LAW DOCTRINES NOT AF-
FECTED.—Except as specifically provided in this 
subsection, the provisions of this subsection shall not 
be construed as altering or supplanting any other 
rule of law, and the requirements of this subsection 
shall be construed as being in addition to any such 
other rule of law. 
‘‘(5) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary shall pre-
scribe such regulations as may be necessary or ap-
propriate to carry out the purposes of this sub-
section. Such regulations may include exemptions 
from the application of this subsection.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section shall apply to transactions entered into after 
the date of the enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 202. PENALTY FOR UNDERSTATEMENTS ATTRIB-
UTABLE TO TRANSACTIONS LACKING ECO-
NOMIC SUBSTANCE, ETC. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter A of chapter 68 of the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by inserting 
after section 6662A the following new section: 
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‘‘SEC. 6662B. PENALTY FOR UNDERSTATEMENTS ATTRIB-
UTABLE TO TRANSACTIONS LACKING ECO-
NOMIC SUBSTANCE, ETC. 
‘‘(a) IMPOSITION OF PENALTY.—If a taxpayer has an 
noneconomic substance transaction understatement for 
any taxable year, there shall be added to the tax an 
amount equal to 40 percent of the amount of such under-
statement. 
‘‘(b) REDUCTION
OF PENALTY
FOR DISCLOSED 
TRANSACTIONS.—Subsection (a) shall be applied by sub-
stituting ‘20 percent’ for ‘40 percent’ with respect to the 
portion of any noneconomic substance transaction under-
statement with respect to which the relevant facts affect-
ing the tax treatment of the item are adequately disclosed 
in the return or a statement attached to the return. 
‘‘(c) NONECONOMIC SUBSTANCE TRANSACTION UN-
DERSTATEMENT.—For purposes of this section— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The term ‘noneconomic 
substance transaction understatement’ means any 
amount which would be an understatement under 
section 6662A(b)(1) if section 6662A were applied 
by taking into account items attributable to non-
economic substance transactions rather than items 
to which section 6662A would apply without regard 
to this paragraph. 
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‘‘(2) 
NONECONOMIC
SUBSTANCE
TRANS-
ACTION.—The term ‘noneconomic substance trans-
action’ means any transaction if— 
‘‘(A) there is a lack of economic substance 
(within the meaning of section 7701(p)(1)) for 
the transaction giving rise to the claimed ben-
efit or the transaction was not respected under 
section 7701(p)(2), or 
‘‘(B) the transaction fails to meet the re-
quirements of any similar rule of law. 
‘‘(d) RULES APPLICABLE TO COMPROMISE OF PEN-
ALTY.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—If the 1st letter of pro-
posed deficiency which allows the taxpayer an oppor-
tunity for administrative review in the Internal Rev-
enue Service Office of Appeals has been sent with 
respect to a penalty to which this section applies, 
only the Commissioner of Internal Revenue may 
compromise all or any portion of such penalty. 
‘‘(2) APPLICABLE RULES.—The rules of para-
graphs (2) and (3) of section 6707A(d) shall apply 
for purposes of paragraph (1). 
‘‘(e) COORDINATION WITH OTHER PENALTIES.—Ex-
cept as otherwise provided in this part, the penalty im-
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posed by this section shall be in addition to any other pen-
alty imposed by this title. 
‘‘(f) CROSS REFERENCES.— 
‘‘(1) For coordination of penalty with under-
statements under section 6662 and other special 
rules, see section 6662A(e). 
‘‘(2) For reporting of penalty imposed under 
this section to the Securities and Exchange Commis-
sion, see section 6707A(e).’’. 
(b) COORDINATION WITH OTHER UNDERSTATE-
MENTS AND PENALTIES.— 
(1) 
The 
second 
sentence 
of 
section 
6662(d)(2)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 
is amended by inserting ‘‘and without regard to 
items with respect to which a penalty is imposed by 
section 6662B’’ before the period at the end. 
(2) Subsection (e) of section 6662A of the In-
ternal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended— 
(A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘and 
noneconomic substance transaction understate-
ments’’ after ‘‘reportable transaction under-
statements’’ both places it appears, 
(B) in paragraph (2)(A), by inserting ‘‘and 
a noneconomic substance transaction under-
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statement’’ after ‘‘reportable transaction under-
statement’’, 
(C) in paragraph (2)(B), by inserting 
‘‘6662B or’’ before ‘‘6663’’, 
(D) in paragraph (2)(C)(i), by inserting 
‘‘or section 6662B’’ before the period at the 
end, 
(E) in paragraph (2)(C)(ii), by inserting 
‘‘and section 6662B’’ after ‘‘This section’’, 
(F) in paragraph (3), by inserting ‘‘or non-
economic substance transaction understate-
ment’’ after ‘‘reportable transaction understate-
ment’’, and 
(G) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(3) NONECONOMIC SUBSTANCE TRANSACTION 
UNDERSTATEMENT.—For purposes of this sub-
section, the term ‘noneconomic substance trans-
action understatement’ has the meaning given such 
term by section 6662B(c).’’. 
(3) Paragraph (2) of section 6707A(e) of the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended— 
(A) by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end of subpara-
graph (B), and 
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(B) by striking subparagraph (C) and in-
serting the following new subparagraphs: 
‘‘(C) is required to pay a penalty under 
section 6662B with respect to any noneconomic 
substance transaction, or 
‘‘(D) is required to pay a penalty under 
section 6662(h) with respect to any transaction 
and would (but for section 6662A(e)(2)(C)) 
have been subject to penalty under section 
6662A at a rate prescribed under section 
6662A(c) or under section 6662B,’’. 
(c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
for part II of subchapter A of chapter 68 of the Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by inserting after the 
item relating to section 6662A the following new item: 
‘‘Sec. 6662B. Penalty for understatements attributable to transactions lacking 
economic substance, etc.’’. 
(d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section shall apply to transactions entered into after 
the date of the enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 203. DENIAL OF DEDUCTION FOR INTEREST ON UN-
DERPAYMENTS 
ATTRIBUTABLE 
TO 
NON-
ECONOMIC SUBSTANCE TRANSACTIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 163(m) of the Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to interest on unpaid 
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