[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 62 (Tuesday, April 17, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2199-S2200]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               TAX REFORM

  Mr. YOUNG. Mr. President, I rise today on tax day to recognize this 
as the very last time Americans will have to file their taxes under the 
complicated, burdensome, outdated system of the past. Today, we 
officially kick off a new tax code--one that is simpler, fairer, and 
allows hard-working Americans to keep more of their hard-earned money.
  Since we passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act last December, success 
stories have poured into my office from Indiana businesses that are 
paying their workers more and from constituents who are earning more. 
Tax reform has provided needed relief across Indiana and across the 
entire country.
  To date, we have found scores of companies in my home State of 
Indiana that have invested in their employees, invested in capital 
improvements, or lowered energy rates for consumers. They range in size 
from large companies, such as Walmart and AT&T, to smaller Indiana 
businesses, such as Family Express, which has 70 convenience stores 
across the State and is building 10 more and increasing its starting 
wage. ``We feel obligated to pass on a significant portion of the tax 
savings to our staff,'' said Family Express president and CEO Gus 
Olympidis.

[[Page S2200]]

  My guest to this year's State of the Union Address was another 
beneficiary of this historic tax overhaul. Chelsee Hatfield is a young 
mother of three children and a teller at a rural branch of First 
Farmers Bank & Trust in Tipton, IN. Chelsee received a raise and a 
bonus as a result of this tax reform effort. This additional income 
will help Chelsee go back to school to earn her associate's degree. It 
will enable her to put money away for her children's future college 
education. Chelsee represents so many Americans who work in small towns 
and who live in our rural communities and are going to get a fair shot 
because of the benefits from tax reform.
  The tax reform success stories don't stop there. NIPSCO, or the 
Northern Indiana Public Service Company, is an electric utility company 
in Merrillville, IN. It is passing on $26 million in new savings to its 
customers. Andy Mark, a mechanical and electrical parts supplier in 
Kokomo, is hiring more employees. Muncie Aviation Company is providing 
tax reform bonuses for all of its employees. One Hoosier, who lives in 
Cedar Lake, IN, is growing his third-generation milk-hauling business, 
and another, who lives in Southern Indiana and works for U-Haul in 
Louisville, used his $500 tax bonus to pay a bill. These bonuses and 
raises are allowing more Hoosiers to save for a rainy day, to put more 
money away towards their child's education, to make repairs to their 
home, and to keep food on the table.
  It is worth noting that when we were debating tax reform, I listened 
carefully to feedback from my constituents across Indiana. I spent a 
lot of time traveling the State, holding roundtables, visiting 
businesses, and talking to folks on the street. I am glad to say that 
Hoosier voices were heard, and they are receiving the tax relief they 
asked for. I look forward to continue hearing Hoosiers' tax reform 
stories, and, like the rest of America, I look forward to this being 
the last day of the old, outdated tax system.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.

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