In August, President Clinton vetoed two pieces of legislation which would have ended the marriage tax penalty and repealed the federal estate and gift tax.

I disagree with the President's decisions, which is why I voted to override his vetoes of H.R. 4810, the Marriage Tax Penalty Relief Act and H.R. 8, the Death Tax Elimination Act.

Unfortunately, the final bipartisan vote of 270 to 158 on overriding the President's veto of marriage penalty relief was short of the two-thirds required by the Constitution. Similarly, the final vote of vote of 274 to 157 was 14 votes short of the total required to override the President's veto and repeal the estate tax.

H.R. 4810 expands the bottom 15 percent tax bracket, increases the standard deduction for married filers to twice that of singles, and allows more lower-income couples to claim the earned income tax credit (EITC).

Twenty-five million couples who now pay more than they should will no longer be penalized once this legislation becomes law. The marriage penalty is particularly hard-hitting for people at income levels between $20,000 and $75,000. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, an average couple's "marriage penalty" totals $1,400 per year. In my judgment, the tax code should not impose an extra financial burden on married couples.

H.R. 8 phases out the estate, gift, and generation-skipping taxes. It also makes a number of simplifying changes to the generation-skipping tax prior to its repeal.

I support repealing the estate and gift taxes, which have had devastating effects on small businesses and farms. Nearly 80 percent of failed family businesses enter bankruptcy following the unexpected death of the founder, oftentimes because the heirs are forced to liquidate or break up the business to pay the estate taxes. These taxes can range from 35 to 55 percent of the present value of the business.

Given the broad support for both of these bills in the House, I am hopeful we can eliminate the marriage tax penalty and repeal the estate tax in the future.

For an analysis on how marriage penalty relief could affect your family, click here.

For a description of the Death Tax Elimination Act, click here.

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