[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 146 (Wednesday, December 3, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H8305-H8309]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
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PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 5771, TAX INCREASE PREVENTION ACT
OF 2014, AND PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 647, ACHIEVING A
BETTER LIFE EXPERIENCE ACT OF 2014
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I
call up House Resolution 766 and ask for its immediate consideration.
The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:
H. Res. 766
Resolved, That upon adoption of this resolution it shall be
in order to consider in the House the bill (H.R. 5771) to
amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend certain
expiring provisions and make technical corrections, and for
other purposes. All points
[[Page H8306]]
of order against consideration of the bill are waived. The
amendment printed in part A of the report of the Committee on
Rules accompanying this resolution shall be considered as
adopted. The bill, as amended, shall be considered as read.
All points of order against provisions in the bill, as
amended, are waived. The previous question shall be
considered as ordered on the bill, as amended, and on any
further amendment thereto, to final passage without
intervening motion except: (1) one hour of debate equally
divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority
member of the Committee on Ways and Means; and (2) one motion
to recommit with or without instructions.
Sec. 2. Upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in
order to consider in the House the bill (H.R. 647) to amend
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for the tax
treatment of ABLE accounts established under State programs
for the care of family members with disabilities, and for
other purposes. All points of order against consideration of
the bill are waived. In lieu of the amendment in the nature
of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Ways and
Means now printed in the bill, the amendment in the nature of
a substitute printed in part B of the report of the Committee
on Rules accompanying this resolution shall be considered as
adopted. The bill, as amended, shall be considered as read.
All points of order against provisions in the bill, as
amended, are waived. The previous question shall be
considered as ordered on the bill, as amended, and on any
further amendment thereto, to final passage without
intervening motion except: (1) one hour of debate equally
divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority
member of the Committee on Ways and Means; and (2) one motion
to recommit with or without instructions.
Sec. 3. In the engrossment of H.R. 5771 the Clerk shall--
(a) add the text of H.R. 647, as passed by the House, as
new matter at the end of H.R. 5771;
(b) conform the title of H.R. 5771 to reflect the addition
of H.R. 647, as passed by the House, to the engrossment;
(c) assign appropriate designations to provisions within
the engrossment; and
(d) conform cross-references and provisions for short
titles within the engrossment.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Texas is recognized for 1
hour.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield
the customary 30 minutes to my friend, the gentlewoman from New York
(Ms. Slaughter), pending which I yield myself such time as I may
consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is
for the purpose of debate only.
General Leave
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, as the calendar year comes to an end,
America's small businesses and taxpayers are looking to Congress for
certainty before they file their taxes in April of 2015. While far from
perfect, the Tax Increase Prevention Act will provide certainty by
extending for 1 more year a number of tax relief provisions that simply
would have expired at the end of this year. Put simply, this bill will
prevent tax increases on millions of families that would happen if we
were not bringing it to the floor today.
And to Mr. Kingston, I thank you for your years of service to this
body on behalf of the American people and the people of Georgia.
In an ideal world, Mr. Speaker, the House would be debating a more
comprehensive approach to tax reform. We would be worried and focusing
our activities on growing jobs in America and giving the American
people more of their hard-earned money back so they could invest either
in their family or in their business--an opportunity to grow our
economy to keep America strong--but our Tax Code is holding back
America from being competitive and from providing America with more
jobs.
American taxpayers deserve what we are doing today, which is an
opportunity to work incrementally on a better, simpler, easy-to-
navigate Tax Code with certainty, but only for 1 more year. We should
be making long-range plans by working with the United States Senate and
the President to make sure the American people come up winners. The
United States tax rate is currently the highest in the world, and I
would prefer to be debating reform, but we are here today for 1 more
year's worth of opportunity to keep America where she and her citizens
are prepared for the future.
Thanks to the leadership of the chairman of the Ways and Means
Committee, Dave Camp from Michigan, we almost had a chance to fix these
issues today, but he came to the rescue and said, ``I am going to work
with Republicans and Democrats and anybody who will work with me''--
meaning the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee--``on helping
American business be stronger.''
The bottom line is that I believe we are going to work together, and
it starts in the House of Representatives to get that work done. So
just like the deal that Dave Camp started, we are here for the process
today of jump-starting American business for yet another year.
Sadly, reports tell us that the President's veto threat undermines
these bipartisan negotiations. The things Chairman Dave Camp is working
on to make American jobs stronger and a reality--and working on in a
bipartisan effort--the President of the United States is threatening to
veto that very legislation. So, today, despite the veto threat, we are
here to do our work.
Today, you will see, Mr. Speaker, Republicans and Democrats certainly
have things in the bill which are special and important to them but
that, more importantly, are about the American people and opportunities
to save and grow jobs.
Earlier this year, and certainly last year, the House passed a number
of permanent extensions of these policies on a bipartisan basis. That
means, Mr. Speaker, Republicans and Democrats tried to work together.
But the failure of leadership on the Senate side meant those bills were
not ever even brought before the Senate to debate them. Worse yet, the
President of the United States opposes those efforts.
We are here for one simple reason today. By taking the leadership
opportunity, we think we can gain the ability, on a bipartisan basis in
the House of Representatives, to give the Senate and the President one
more whack at it.
Let me be clear. Even if this legislation is not as ambitious as it
could have been, it is still vitally important. I think what we are
doing here, under the leadership of John Boehner, is to say to the
American people that we know what our job is, even if we are not as
wildly successful as we want to be. America's small businesses and
families actually need, and rely upon, Congress to do its job.
Mr. Speaker, as the Representative of the 32nd Congressional District
of Texas, which is essentially Dallas, Texas, and some suburbs, I
regularly meet with small businesses--important businesses--that employ
people. Earlier in the year, I met with Jamey Rentfrow of Ascend Custom
Extrusions in Wylie, Texas. Jamey's company manufactures and designs
custom aluminum extrusions for industry. It was a most interesting
visit. They call this manufacturing in America.
On the same day, I also met with JoAnn Gardner, a young woman who
owns Savage Precision Fabrication. They make parts for military
aircraft. They count on us to be able to get our job done to buy the
newest and best equipment. It goes to help not only aerospace and
military but other civilian needs also. They know that if we do this,
the option for them to expense 50 percent of the purchase price of
their assets can be taken care of. They can write it off when they want
to rather than when the Tax Code wants.
In March, I met with Frank Millsap. It was a most interesting visit.
He runs a rod car store called Sachse Rod Shop. He explained to me how
our onerous Tax Code prevented him from employing more people.
Mr. Speaker, that is why we are here today. We are here to make sure
we take care of the people in our home districts, many of them
companies that are small mom-and-pop shops, but others that employ
hundreds of people.
The bill would also affect a minority-owned business called Aluma
Graphics, which is located in Wylie, Texas, and owned by Randall
Williams, a young man who played professional football. When he got
out, he decided he was going to go into business. He is realizing how
tough it is to manufacture labels and decals for industrial products.
This bill would help him and his employees.
These businesses, not just in the 32nd Congressional District but all
over our
[[Page H8307]]
country, are important, as they provide people the honesty of hard work
and the return of continuing to come to work the next day because their
company can make the money to get it done.
What we are doing today will extend for only 1 more year the tax
provisions, but it will help millions and millions of people.
Additionally, Mr. Speaker, this rule contains a great bill that's
called the ABLE Act, which represents, I believe, what our country can
do best when Republicans and Democrats and people who care in the
United States Congress work together.
Almost every single person in America, I believe, knows someone with
a disability: a family member, a best friend, perhaps a brother or
sister, or maybe even an aunt or uncle. But we all know that it is only
fair that we pay attention to the people we dearly love.
So, today is a game-changer. Today, we are removing what I think is a
glass ceiling for disabled people who are held at a disadvantage in our
Tax Code. The ABLE Act would make 529 tax-free savings accounts
available so that families can cover important expenses such as
postsecondary education, housing, career development, and medical
expenses not covered by private insurance, Medicaid, or other benefits
that might be available to them offered by government.
These tax-free savings accounts will empower families so that their
loved ones can have opportunities they have not had in the past. It is
personal to me because as my father looks at all of his grandchildren,
he can have the opportunity of helping out in their education, but not
for Alex Sessions, his grandson with Down syndrome. He can help all the
grandkids, but not Alex.
This happens millions of times in our country. There are millions of
people with disabilities who count on going into a program or being
enrolled in something that the Federal Government pays for, but we
discriminate against them. When this gets signed into law, my father,
Judge Sessions, will be able to treat Alex as he does his other
grandchildren. What is amazing is that Alex needs it more than all of
them combined, but he is the one that we wanted to keep in his place
because he has a disability called Down syndrome.
Mr. Speaker, this bill is important. It is important to the people
whom it impacts. It is important to our families. But more importantly,
it is important to our country. The gentleman, Ander Crenshaw from
Jacksonville, has worked on this bill for 8 years. We are finding a way
to put it into a piece of legislation. To help millions of people with
their jobs, it needs to pass.
Mr. Speaker, that is why we are here today. We are here doing
important work for millions of people. It does matter, and I think we
make a huge difference.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me the
customary 30 minutes, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Today, we have two bills before us: one extending tax relief measures
and another for helping our brothers and sisters and family members
with disabilities. These bills, considered under two more closed rules,
which I feel I must point out, adds to the tally of the most closed
Congress in American history.
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First, H.R. 5771, the Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014. This 1-
year extension will cover approximately 60 temporary Tax Code
provisions that expired at the end of 2013 or during 2014. Many of the
provisions have been previously extended with broad bipartisan support.
This bill is far from perfect, but it provides us a sorely-needed
stopgap measure. Our economy has finally emerged from the shadow of the
Great Recession, but playing games like this, lurching from one short-
term measure to another, will certainly harm that recovery.
This bill will ensure some consistency in the Tax Code that will help
the American people avail themselves of the tax credits that they
depend on, just in time for the tax filing season.
However, of particular note, left out of this package is the health
coverage tax credit, which is made available to workers who have lost
their jobs as a result of unfair trade deals and retirees who are at
risk of losing their pensions.
In my district, in Rochester, the retirees of Delphi and other local
companies depend on the health coverage tax credit to cover their
health care bills, and they have been fighting mightily for some relief
from the fact that they have lost their pensions and their health care.
This is all that they have, the government program.
Denying a critical tax credit to families who have been hit hardest
by unfair foreign competition and a tough economy here at home is a
mistake, and one I will fight hard to correct.
The second bill we have before us today is H.R. 647, the ABLE Act.
This bill will right an injustice that has been impacting millions of
Americans with disabilities, their families, and their caregivers.
Under current law, the individuals with disabilities can qualify to
receive Social Security Disability Insurance, but there is an asset
limit of $2,000, meaning that if you have more cash than that on hand,
your SSDI benefits will be reduced.
This disincentivizes work and saving, creates an unnecessary economic
uncertainty, and it does nothing to better the circumstances of our
Nation's most vulnerable.
The ABLE Act will change that by creating a tax-free savings account,
with an annual cap on contributions of $14,000, ensuring that people
with disabilities have a better sense of security and ways that friends
and family can contribute to their education, transportation, medical
expenses, employment support, housing, and more without risking their
eligibility for the badly-needed disability insurance.
I am pleased to see this come to the floor with such strong support
because my district in Rochester has a vibrant and involved community
of people with disabilities.
I commend my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, my friend, the
chairman of the Rules Committee, in particular, for the diligent,
passionate, and careful work on this important issue.
Mr. Speaker, I have some reservations about these bills, the first
bill anyway, but stabilizing the Tax Code and ensuring financial
independence for our brothers and sisters does provide much-needed
support. So I urge my colleagues to do the best they can on the rule
and the bill.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield 3 minutes to the
gentleman from Jackson County, North Carolina (Mr. Meadows).
Mr. MEADOWS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman of the Rules Committee
for his leadership and his vision and his passion and his great words.
I also want to thank the gentleman from Jacksonville, Florida (Mr.
Crenshaw). He is a true leader, and I am proud to be a cosponsor of the
ABLE Act.
Today, we can talk about taxes, we can talk about legislation, but
really, what we are talking about is people, Mr. Speaker.
I want to share two personal stories because, for me, I don't have to
deal with children with disabilities on a daily basis. I was blessed
with two kids that didn't have some of those same challenges.
What I have had is I have experienced the love and the compassion
that two children with special needs have given to me over and over.
The first one of those is a young lady, 21 years of age, with Down
syndrome named Chloe. Chloe is not only a dear friend but also is
someone who has been able to share with me the struggles in her life,
the passion in her life, the vision. She has a part-time job.
But the other part of that story is the difficulties that sometimes
families with special needs have. What I have seen over and over again
is that, even though I was able to experience the love firsthand, that
there is a 24-hour, 7-day a week job that parents have to deal with,
and some of those challenges are monumental.
We need to address that as a body. We need to partner with those moms
and dads across America to make sure that, indeed, what they have to
face is
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not really handicapped because of a Tax Code that penalizes them.
So the ABLE Act, after 8 long years of work by the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Crenshaw), hopefully, will be voted on and passed in this
very House to provide the needs and the help that those parents so
desperately need.
But I also want to share another story about a young lady from my
home district who has just turned 1 named Holland Burleson, because,
indeed, Down syndrome, whether it is with Chloe or this young lady, has
a profound effect; same love, same compassion that I got to experience.
But yet, what happened is that those parents went out, funded a 5K
run to bring the awareness to a community up in the mountains of
western North Carolina, and overwhelmingly, that community came
together, raising funds not just for the benefit of the Burleson family
but for the benefit of all of those families.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman an additional 1
minute.
Mr. MEADOWS. I thank the gentleman.
What happened is lives were transformed in that small little town.
And so I am here today to speak on behalf of not only great work, but
great vision and a partnership in which we can partner with families,
moms and dads across this country, to do a job that should have been
done long ago, to allow the special needs of those special families to
be addressed.
Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I have one request for time, and so I
yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Vermont (Mr.
Welch), within the parameters of the debate time, and provided that no
one else shows up who requests time.
Mr. WELCH. I thank the gentlelady.
Mr. Speaker, I just want to reiterate what Mr. Sessions said, and
thank you for your tremendous service here in this body. So thank you
for acknowledging that too.
Mr. Speaker, Congress is broken. We know it, and the American people
know it. The difference between us and them is that we can actually do
something about it. In fact, that is our job.
But here we go again, ducking our responsibility and not doing our
job. We ducked when we failed to pass a long-term transportation bill.
We ducked when we failed to meet our constitutional responsibility to
debate a new, long-term military commitment in the Middle East.
And now, here we go again with this tax extender bill.
We need tax reform. 435 Members of Congress agree. Both parties
agree. This year we had an opportunity. The Ways and Means Committee,
under Chairman Dave Camp, presented a real plan, real simplification
and lower rates, and all of it was paid for.
There were many points of disagreement, as well as agreement in that
bill. In a functioning legislature, we would have debated the Camp
bill, modified it, and passed some version of it to move America
forward.
Instead, Speaker Boehner said the Camp bill was dead on arrival. No
discussion, no debate, no progress. More ducking and dodging instead of
Congress doing its job.
This tax extender package adds insult to the American people who want
tax reform to the injury Congress inflicts by failing to do its job.
When we pass tax extenders instead of tax reform, Congress, once again,
is back to doing business as usual.
This bill, considered on December 3, is retroactive to January. How
can we expect businesses and families to plan when we don't let them
know what the rules for the tax year are until the year is nearly over?
It is business as usual when we preach fiscal responsibility,
pledging allegiance to a balanced budget, and then pass a bill which
adds $44.7 billion to the taxpayers' credit card.
Mr. Speaker, how can Congress assert today that we will do tax reform
next year, tax reform that the American people are demanding, when we
are about to repeat the irresponsible practice of passing short-term,
retroactive bills, something Congress has been doing year in and year
out?
This bill says to the American people that Congress is up to its old
tricks. Meet the new Congress--same as the old Congress. Congress says
one thing: ``We need tax reform,'' but Congress does another, kicks the
can down the road.
Mr. Speaker, I do support some of the provisions in this bill and I
would like to vote for them, but Congress must do its job, not dodge
its responsibilities.
Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``no'' vote.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, we are going to take the gentleman from Vermont up on,
really, his issues. We are going to have a Republican House, a
Republican Senate, that is able to effectively work with each other,
look each other in the eye and find progress for the American people.
So I promise the gentleman, he is going to get what he wants and more
so that we can grow our economy.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to have as our next speaker a gentleman
who, for 8 years, has toiled on the ABLE Act. He is the chief sponsor.
He is the young man who has made so many conversations and discussions,
not just among our Members here, but also among people all around this
country, disability groups.
I earlier accused him of being from Texas. He is actually from
Jacksonville, Florida, so I am sure I will get lots of cards and
letters about that. We wish he were a Texan, but he is from Florida.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr.
Crenshaw).
Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding the
time. I thank Chairman Sessions for the work that he has done all along
the way.
Mr. Speaker, I want to urge the adoption of this rule and the
underlying legislation, particularly the ABLE Act, which the chairman
just talked about.
Eight years ago I first filed this legislation, and an awful lot of
people have spent a lot of time and a lot of energy bringing us to
where we are today.
The gentleman before me spoke about how Congress is often
dysfunctional. As we look at the ABLE Act today, I think we will have a
chance to see what can happen when people work together, when Democrats
and Republicans come together, when the House and the Senate work
together to do what is best for the people of our country.
I think it is a great illustration of what we can do, and the fact
that we have over 380 cosponsors in the House, over 70 sponsors in the
United States Senate, is a demonstration of that, what can be
accomplished when we put our minds to it and work together.
It has been pointed out that most of us know someone with a severe
disability, might be Down syndrome, might be autism. But sometimes it
is hard for us to understand the difficulties that they have to go
through, along with their families. They face challenges that we can
hardly even imagine sometimes.
The ABLE Act seeks to try to remedy that situation, to bring justice,
to bring peace of mind to millions of American families who have to
live with disabilities every day. It does that by creating these tax-
free savings accounts, allows the money that they set aside to grow
tax-free as long as they use those proceeds for qualified expenses. And
what that does is it simply gives those individuals with disabilities a
chance for the American Dream.
They have hopes and dreams just like we all do, and this will give
them the tool to open the door to a brighter future, the way to realize
their full potential.
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We help other people save for college by creating 529 tax-advantaged
accounts. We allow people to save for their health care by creating
health savings accounts. We allow people to save for their retirements
through individual retirement accounts and 401(k)'s.
It seems only fair that we offer individuals with disabilities the
same tax-advantaged tools, so they can realize their dreams, maybe get
a job, maybe save for the future, maybe go to college.
I just hope that, as we adopt this rule and as we move into the ABLE
Act, that we will all continue to work together because I can't think
of anything more special, as more of a privilege, than for us as a
Congress to speak up for those who so often can't speak for themselves.
[[Page H8309]]
I urge the adoption of the rule and of the underlying bill as well.
Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
A number of people who asked to speak today are on their way here,
and we will do that.
I really want to stand up for just a few minutes, pending those
several Members coming here, to say to you and to the American people,
Mr. Speaker, that this country--America--is a great, great, great
country. It is great because of its people. There is a lot that has
been said today and on other days about some of our frailties, about
some of our warts, about some of the problems that we have.
I think what Mr. Crenshaw said in his remarks is most appropriate
because you have a man who has a number of very important issues that
he carries on behalf of his congressional district in Jacksonville,
Florida. He spoke about also taking the time to be a voice for millions
of people across this country, not just for those whom he saw
specifically in Jacksonville.
You heard the gentleman, Mr. Meadows, speak very plainly about two
Down syndrome young women of our country who are key assets to our
country. We weren't asking for anything else today through this ABLE
Act that Mr. Crenshaw has so ably moved forward--it has taken 8 years--
than for people to have equity or fairness.
In the larger scheme of things, as a parent of a Down syndrome young
man, I looked at where we stood, and said, ``Why wouldn't we allow the
fairness?''
Really, let's look at it another way. Why would we want to keep these
disabled individuals from having fairness? Why do we want to keep them
poor and in the same circumstances they are in? Why would we want
everyone else to be treated under one set of rules and, because they
are disabled, they are treated another way?
These are questions and discussions that have been in my family now
for 20 years. I don't know why Alex is my special gift. He is perfect.
God made every child perfect in His image. We are the ones who
struggle.
Today, we are working together as the House of Representatives for a
bill that Mr. Crenshaw saw a need for, and he had the fortitude and the
opportunity today because of John Boehner. Yes, Chris Van Hollen, a
Democrat Member of this body; yes, some United States Senators,
including Senator Harkin of Iowa and, yes, Senator Casey from
Pennsylvania; yes, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a senior member of our
Republican leadership team who, by the way, has a Down syndrome son,
Cole--we all worked together. This is a special thing.
I think, today, it ought to be a pat on the back for us, an
opportunity for us to say this is important and this is good. That is
what we should remember from today, in that we may not go to sleep
knowing our job is done, but that we did something right by coming
together as a body.
My dear colleague Louise Slaughter, who is from New York, very
clearly understood a long time ago, as she put her name on the bill,
that this is a good bill. Members of the Rules Committee, who typically
don't put their names on bills, put their names on this bill--380
Members of this body. See, there are good things that happen.
I do want to thank my colleague, Ms. Slaughter. I do want to thank
people because this is a bipartisan effort. This is a chance for us to
work together, and I think we did a good job today.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, in reply to the gentlewoman, I will let
her make her closing arguments, and then I will do the same.
Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, in closing, the Democrats have
reservations on these bills, but extending tax credits to ensure
continuity in the Tax Code is very important to us, even though we know
that large pieces of America have been left out of this bill.
It causes us great sadness, but nonetheless, we recognize the need to
get this done. All of us appreciate the opportunity for the brothers
and sisters with disabilities to have the stability that they need, and
we are certainly in concert with that.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
It has been mentioned a couple of times today, but I also want to
thank you, Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from Georgia, for your
distinguished service, not only to the people of Georgia in your
district, but also to the people--your friends--who are in this body,
who have benefited from your service on the Appropriations Committee
and who knew that you took time, just as we are doing here today, to
deal with the intricacies of NIH, to deal with the intricacies of
cancer, to deal with the intricacies of disabilities, to deal with the
intricacies of our working together as a country and as a body and as
Americans to make life better for people.
Mr. Speaker, your years of service here--some 20 years of service
that you have given--have been of distinguished service. I have known
you for a long time and have admired you.
I want to thank the gentleman, Jack Kingston, for his great service
to America, which is exactly in line with what we are doing today.
Thank you, sir. I appreciate your hard work. Your being in the chair
as we do this is not by accident. It is on purpose. With the
distinguished opportunity that you have of serving as the Speaker pro
tempore today, I appreciate your great service.
Mr. Speaker, we have made the case today of what we are trying to do.
We are on the floor to bring certainty to the Tax Code for one more
year. It is not perfect--the gentleman from Vermont noted that--but it
is an opportunity as best as we can do in the environment that we are
in, and that is what this is about. It is the knowledge that we are
going to wake up and do the best that we can for the American people.
Today is about the American people and their Tax Code. Today is about
the ABLE Act and about millions of people with disabilities who are
attempting as best as they can to make due with what they have but who,
tomorrow, can get fairness and equity in that process. It is about an
opportunity for families not to question why but to dig in and help.
Today is yet another opportunity when not only the gentlewoman, Ms.
Slaughter, and I may work together in our tutelage as chairman and
ranking member of the Rules Committee but when we can have a common
sense of purpose. This is not perfect, but the world can be better
today and tomorrow.
I would ask my fellow Members to understand that we are here asking
for everybody to vote ``yes'' on the rule. They can do what they want
to do on the underlying legislation, but today is an opportunity to
give thanks for the opportunities that lie ahead of us that are about
others instead of ourselves.
Mr. Speaker, I move the previous question on the resolution, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The previous question was ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the resolution.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this question will be postponed.
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