[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Pages 7900-7901]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    JUSTICE AND MENTAL HEALTH COLLABORATION ACT OF 2013--MOTION TO 
                           PROCEED--Continued

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oregon.


                               EXPIRE Act

  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I wanted to take a couple of minutes now to 
underscore the importance of the Senate passing the EXPIRE Act now, and 
in particular to highlight what the cost of inaction would be if the 
Senate fails to act.
  This legislation is critically needed because it is an essential tool 
to prevent a tax increase and particularly

[[Page 7901]]

the kind of tax increase that will harm our ability to create more 
good-paying jobs--high-skilled, high-wage jobs. These are the jobs tied 
to innovation.
  Without this legislation, for example, what we would have is a new 
tax on innovation because we wouldn't renew for a period of 2 years, as 
we work on tax reform, the research and development tax credit. This 
credit is absolutely essential because it is what is used by the 
employers who are coming up with innovative approaches to create more 
long-term employment for our country. This credit is used to help pay 
the wages for those kinds of innovation-oriented jobs. Without this 
legislation, we would have in this country a tax on innovation. I don't 
think that is where this country wants to go.
  It will be harder without this legislation to have employers hire 
veterans--veterans who are now coming out in throngs to job fairs in 
cities across the country. Employers will find it even harder to assist 
them in terms of finding employment.
  Without this legislation, when an underwater homeowner gets hold of a 
life raft that keeps them in their homes when their lender works with 
them to try to work out an arrangement to reduce their obligation, 
reduce their debt, that underwater homeowner would be taxed on phantom 
income. So right when that underwater homeowner is trying to get their 
head above water, without this legislation the Tax Code would shove 
them back underwater once more. I don't think that is where our country 
wants to go.
  I don't think our country wants to give a back of the hand to 
millions of students already up to their eyeballs in debt. Without this 
legislation, they would have to go even deeper into debt.
  Producing clean energy will become more expensive, risking the kind 
of high-tech jobs the Congress wants and is working in a bipartisan way 
to protect.
  So with the EXPIRE Act we can address all these issues, bring greater 
certainty to our economy, put an expiration date on the broken tax 
system, and lay the foundation for working on tax reform and moving 
away from what has been a long run of stop-and-go tax extender 
policies. We ought to get away from that, and the point of this 
legislation is, between now and the end of 2015, to work on 
comprehensive bipartisan tax reform.
  A number of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have talked 
about their interest in this and that they wish we were doing 
comprehensive reform. I think colleagues have heard me say on the floor 
of the Senate I'd much prefer to be doing comprehensive tax reform, but 
when Chairman Baucus went to China, it became clear to me it wasn't 
going to be possible to get comprehensive tax reform done in this 
session.
  What I sought to do is to make sure we wouldn't do further harm to 
middle-class families, and small businesses, and those who are creating 
the innovative jobs. That is why we need this legislation and need to 
use the legislation when it passes as a bridge to tax reform.
  The bill is called the EXPIRE Act. People have often said: What does 
that mean? It is not just what it means--the bill actually does expire. 
I have indicated to my colleagues on the Finance Committee that this 
will be the last extenders bill on my watch. We are not going to have 
any more of them on my watch. We are going to move to create a 
stronger, better, more pro-growth, fair tax system, which allows us to 
be more competitive in a tough global economy and create good-paying 
jobs. The tax reform process is not going to be a walk in the park, but 
it is only going to grow harder if the Senate fails to pass the EXPIRE 
Act first.
  We have had bipartisan proposals in the past. Our former colleague 
Senator Gregg worked with me for 2 years, and we sat together on a sofa 
almost every week for 2 years to create what is the first bipartisan 
Federal income tax reform bill in three decades. With his retirement, 
thankfully Senator Coats and Senator Begich stepped in. So we know it 
can be done, but that task will simply be harder if the Senate fails to 
pass the EXPIRE Act.
  The first thing people are going to say is: If the Senate couldn't 
deal with these extenders on a temporary basis, how in the world will 
the Senate be able to take up comprehensive tax reform?
  Fortunately, at a time when many think Washington is utterly broken, 
the distinguished senior Senator from Utah, Mr. Hatch, was willing to 
work with me and meet me halfway in terms of producing a comprehensive, 
bipartisan effort to move forward on these extenders. It wasn't easy, 
but it got done, and it got out of the Finance Committee with an 
overwhelmingly bipartisan vote. The bill may not be perfect, but the 
committee got it done with the kind of bipartisan approach Americans 
want to see more of. I hope the Senate will want to do the same thing. 
I was encouraged by the procedural vote we had earlier this week.
  So with tonight's developments, I simply underscore the importance of 
passing the EXPIRE Act. I hope Senators on a bipartisan basis will join 
me in supporting the legislation. It is going to meet urgent needs of 
our people now, and if we can get it passed and signed into law 
quickly, it will allow us to turn our attention exclusively to the kind 
of tax overhaul that is long overdue. That can bring Democrats and 
Republicans together, as we saw several decades ago when progressive 
Democrats and conservative Republicans joined together for tax reform. 
We can go to that agenda as soon as we address the immediate needs 
behind the urgent requirement of enacting the extenders bill quickly.
  I hope we will see the Senate do that in the next few days ahead.
  I thank my colleagues, particularly on the Finance Committee--
Democrats and Republicans--for the good and cooperative bipartisan 
work.
  I yield the floor and I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                           Order of Procedure

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding 
rule XXII, on Thursday, May 15, 2014, at 11:15 a.m., the Senate proceed 
to vote on cloture on Calendar Nos. 667, 668, 669, and then proceed to 
consideration and vote on confirmation of Calendar No. 693 and Calendar 
No. 541; further, that if cloture is invoked on Calendar Nos. 667, 668, 
or 669, at 1:45 p.m. all postcloture time be expired and the Senate 
proceed to vote on confirmation of the nominations in the order listed; 
that following disposition of Calendar No. 669, the Senate proceed to 
vote on cloture on Calendar No. 732; and that if cloture is invoked, 
all postcloture time be expired and the Senate resume legislative 
session and proceed to vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the 
substitute amendment No. 3060 to H.R. 3474; further, that on Tuesday, 
May 20, 2014, at 5:30 p.m., the Senate proceed to executive session to 
vote on the confirmation of Calendar No. 732; further, that there will 
be 2 minutes for debate prior to each vote, equally divided in the 
usual form; that any rollcall votes following the first in each series 
be 10 minutes in length; further, that if confirmed, the motions to 
reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, with no 
intervening action or debate; that no further motions be in order to 
the nominations; that any statements related to the nominations be 
printed in the Record and that President Obama be immediately notified 
of the Senate's action.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? Without objection, it is 
so ordered.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, with this agreement, on Thursday there will 
be as many as five rollcall votes starting at 11:15 a.m. and as many as 
five rollcall votes beginning at 1:45 p.m. That could change a little 
bit. We will see how the day goes.

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