[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 156 (Thursday, September 28, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1292-E1293]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BILL PASCRELL, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 28, 2017

  Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, on September 28, 2017, I missed four Roll 
Call votes because I was attending a funeral for my cousin in New 
Jersey. Had I been present, I would have voted:
  YES on the Democratic Motion to Recommit on H.R. 3823, Disaster Tax 
Relief and Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2017 (Roll Call No. 
541). This amendment includes the full, bipartisan National Disaster 
Tax Relief Act, which I introduced with my colleague Representative Tom 
Reed from New York. The Reed-Pascrell bill would help victims of 
natural disasters recover faster with tax relief to alleviate cleanup 
and rebuilding expenses. The bipartisan bill would provide tax relief 
to communities across the country devastated in a presidentially-
declared disaster in recent years. The amendment takes nothing away 
from the underlying bill, only making tax relief more robust for 
victims of recent hurricanes, and adding tax relief for victims of 
Sandy and other disasters.
  NO on final passage of H.R. 3823, Disaster Tax Relief and Airport and 
Airway Extension Act of 2017 (Roll Call No. 542). I was pleased to 
support aid to those affected by Harvey and Irma and will continue to 
do so. We urgently need to deliver relief and assistance to those 
currently impacted by Hurricane Maria in the U.S. Virgin Islands and 
Puerto Rico, where the

[[Page E1293]]

entire island has lost power and many are without water. But, I would 
have cast my vote in opposition to this legislation before us today, 
which does not even come close to providing the robust relief that 
Puerto Rico needs. The Congress and this Administration need to step up 
and help Puerto Rico recover. However, this bill includes extraneous 
provisions that provide limited tax relief to 2017 hurricane victims 
while omitting natural disaster tax relief for victims of disasters 
from 2012 through 2016. The bill before us today completely 
circumvented the committee process, despite the fact that 
Representative Reed and I have had legislation on comprehensive 
disaster tax relief for years.
  NO on final passage of H.R. 2792, the Control Unlawful Fugitive 
Felons Act of 2017 (Roll Call No. 543). This bill would harm vulnerable 
seniors and individuals with disabilities by cutting off their live-
saving Supplemental Security Income benefits without due process, and 
in many cases for offenses with low monetary values, probation 
violations for misdemeanor offenses, and unpaid court fees or fines. I 
voted in opposition to this bill when it was considered by the 
Committee on Ways and Means on September 13, 2017, and I would have 
opposed it again today.
  YES on the Journal Vote.

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