Date: 2011-03-03
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. I rise today in opposition to H.R. 4. the Small Business Paperwork Elimination Act of 2011. The stated purpose of this is to amend the Internal Revenue Code to repeal a provision added by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that extends to corporations that are not taxexempt. the requirement to report payments of $600 or more. However. I must say that while I strongly support providing relief to Americas small businesses and I absolutely support the landmark Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. I deeply regret that yet again we have had a closed rule regarding the full consideration and making of useful. meaningful amendments to H.R. 4. When the Republican majority came into this Congress they promised an open and transparent process. This is not open and transparent. It does not provide the assistance to Americas small businesses that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle would like us to believe and in fact. further burdens small businesses. If we had a truly open process. we could have all worked together in a bipartisan manner to provide real relief to Americas middle class and small businesses instead of the tax increase we are being asked to heap onto their backs today. The simple fact is that H.R. 4 Would Increase Taxes on Middle Class and Raises the Number of Uninsured. It is not good for the people of the 18th congressional district of Texas. it is not good for the State of Texas. and it is not good for the United States of America. H.R. 4 Increases Taxes on the Middle Class. H.R. 4 would force many middleincome Americans to pay higher taxes. Simply by accepting a better job. picking up extra shifts or receiving a holiday bonus. these families would have to pay the IRS the value of their health premium tax credits. jeopardizing their financial security. H.R. 4 Creates a Steep Cliff that will Penalize the Middle Class. It would eliminate protections for families with income between 400 and 500 percent of poverty ($88.000 to $110.000 for a family of four). That means if a familys actual annual income was even one dollar above 400 percent of poverty. they could have to pay the IRS the entire value of their health insurance premium tax credits. According to the Joint Committee on Taxation. the average payment for a family between 400 and 450 percent of poverty will go up by $3.000 due to the Republican policy. for a total of $6.000 or more in payments to the IRS. H.R. 4 Undoes the Bipartisan Agreement on Health Care. While there has been contentious disagreement about health reform. the structure of the repayment caps is one of the few health reform issues with strong bipartisan agreement. The House fixed the problem of a steep cliff if ones income increased to 400 percent of poverty by a bipartisan vote of 4092 last Decemberand it was signed into law. H.R. 4 undoes that bipartisan agreement so that Republicans can increase taxes on the middle classthose between 400 and 500 percent of povertyby $25 billion. H.R. 4 Leads to an Increase in the Number of Uninsured. According to the Joint Committee on Taxation. the Republican proposal will cause an increase in the uninsured of 266.000. Over a quarter of a million individuals will no longer receive health insurance out of fear that they will be forced to pay substantial amounts to the IRS at tax time. H.R. 4 Disproportionately Hurts Families Living in High Premium Areas. Families who have to pay the IRS the value of their health premium tax credits will have to pay even more if they live in parts of the country that have higher premiums due to circumstances in the local market. So. I urge my colleagues to join me in opposing this bill and supporting true bipartisan relief for Americas middle class and small businesses.