[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 161 (Wednesday, December 8, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8631-S8632]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TAXPAYER ASSISTANCE ACT OF 2010

  Mr. BENNET. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Finance 
Committee be discharged from H.R. 4994, the Taxpayer Assistance Act of 
2010, and that the Senate then proceed to its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will state the bill by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 4994) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 
     1986 to reduce taxpayer burdens, enhance taxpayer protection, 
     and for other purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. BENNET. Mr. President, there is a substitute amendment at the 
desk, and I ask that the amendment be considered and agreed to; that 
the bill, as amended, be read the third time; and that after the 
reading of the Budget Committee pay-go letter, the bill, as amended, be 
passed; and that the title amendment, which is at the desk, be 
considered and agreed to; further, that any statements relating to the 
measure be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment (No. 4742), in the nature of a substitute, was agreed 
to.
  (The amendment is printed in today's Record under ``Text of 
Amendments.'')
  The amendment (No. 4743) was agreed to, as follows:

       Amend the title so as to read: ``An Act to extend certain 
     expiring provisions of the Medicare and Medicaid programs, 
     and for other purposes.''.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will read the pay-go letter.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       Mr. Conrad: This is the Statement of Budgetary Effects of 
     PAYGO Legislation for H.R. 4994, as amended.

       Total Budgetary Effects of H.R. 4994 for the 5-year 
     Statutory PAYGO Scorecard: net increase in the deficit of 
     $2.278 billion.
       Total Budgetary Effects of H.R. 4994 for the 10-year 
     Statutory PAYGO Scorecard: net decrease in the deficit of 
     $17.276 billion.

       Also submitted for the Record as part of this statement is 
     a table prepared by the Congressional Budget Office, which 
     provides additional information on the budgetary effects of 
     this Act, as follows:

[[Page S8632]]



   ESTIMATE OF THE STATUTORY PAY-AS-YOU-GO EFFECTS FOR H.R. 4994, AN ACT TO EXTEND CERTAIN EXPIRING PROVISIONS OF THE MEDICARE AND MEDICAID PROGRAMS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES (AS INTRODUCED ON
                                                                DECEMBER 7, 2010--ERN10381; ASSUMED ENACTMENT LATE DECEMBER 2010)
                                                                            [By fiscal year, in millions of dollars]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                 2011       2012       2013       2014       2015       2016       2017       2018       2019       2020    2011-2015  2011-2020
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                      Net Increase or Decrease (-) in the On-Budget Deficit
 
Total On-Budget Changes.....................................     12,035      7,038        299       -742     -1,849     -2,893     -3,626     -4,037     -4,336     -4,662    -16,782     -2,772
Less:
    Current-Policy Adjustment for Medicare Payment to             9,624      4,881          0          0          0          0          0          0          0          0     14,505     14,505
     Physicians \1\.........................................
                                                             -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Impact..............................      2,412      2,157        299       -742     -1,849     -2,893     -3,626     -4,037     -4,336     -4,662      2,278    -17,276
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes: Components may not sum to totals because of rounding. This legislation would freeze Medicare's payment rates for physicians' services at the current level through the end of December
  2011 and extend many other expiring provisions in Medicare. Additionally, the legislation would limit the aggregate amount recovered from reconciliation of income used for determining
  eligibility for tax credits provided through health insurance exchanges.
\1\ Section 7(c) of the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 provides for current-policy adjustments related to Medicare payments to physicians.
Sources: Congressional Budget Office, Staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation.




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