[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 129 (Wednesday, September 18, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S10873]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         NATIONAL PAYROLL WEEK

 Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise today during National 
Payroll Week to recognize the contributions to American businesses and 
workers that are regularly made by payroll professionals. I am proud to 
participate in National Payroll Week by paying tribute to the 
professionals who pay the wages, report the earnings, and withhold the 
taxes of over 124 million American workers annually.
  Payroll departments collectively withhold, report, and deposit nearly 
$880 billion in taxes on behalf of the Federal Government alone. They 
spend more than $15 billion each year just to comply with the huge web 
of Federal, State, and local wage and tax laws and an additional $6 
billion annually complying with Federal, State, and local, unemployment 
insurance laws.
  More importantly, however, payroll professionals routinely protect 
American workers by helping to enforce fair labor practices by ensuring 
that workers receive overtime pay that they are due. Payroll 
departments also ensure through wage reporting that retirees' Social 
Security benefits accurately reflect their career earnings.
  The work of payroll departments transcends office matters, though. 
Payroll professionals help identify deadbeat parents by filing new hire 
reports to child support enforcement agencies in more than two dozen 
States. This action helps identify noncustodial parents and ensures 
that child support payments can be withheld from a parent's pay, if 
appropriate. In fact, payroll departments collect from noncustodial 
parents more than half of all child support payments--more than $8.1 
billion over the last 10 years.
  Mr. President, payroll professionals clearly play an essential role 
benefiting millions of Americans across our Nation. I am indeed glad to 
take this opportunity to express my appreciation and that of the people 
of Virginia for the fine work of America's payroll 
professionals.

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