REPEAL OF THE TELEPHONE TAX - 9/14
In order to fund the Spanish-American War in the
late 1800s, Congress applied a "luxury tax" on those who had
telephones. Since the Spanish-American War has been over for 100
years and telephones are certainly no longer a "luxury," I voted
to eliminate this archaic tax once and for all. Every month when
consumers receive their telephone bill there is a federal tax
assessed against their calls. This tax hits every consumer at
every income level and must be eliminated. As a result, consumers
can look forward to having fewer charges on their new monthly
phone bills. Once the Senate clears this bill, it will be sent to
the President for his review.
NEEDLE EXCHANGE - 9/14
During consideration of a bill to fund the
government of the District of Columbia, an amendment was offered
that would prohibit any funds from being used for needle exchange
programs. Proponents of needle exchange programs contend that it
would help reduce the rate of HIV infections caused by the sharing
of needles by drug-addicted persons. Opponents, however, contend
that needle exchange programs are ineffective and amount to
government sanctioning of the use of illegal drugs. I supported
this amendment because I believe that government-sponsored needle
exchange programs feed addiction rather than treat it and send the
wrong message to children. Although I strongly support HIV
prevention efforts, I will not require any taxpayer to pay for
needles or syringes or any device that abets an illegal,
destructive activity. The amendment passed by a vote of
239-181.
EXPANSION OF FEDERAL HATE CRIMES - 9/13
An amendment was narrowly adopted by the Senate
earlier this year to expand current law by allowing the federal
government to prosecute hate crimes regardless of whether the
crime is a federal offense. This would open the door for rape and
murder cases -- offenses clearly within state jurisdiction -- to
be prosecuted as federal offenses. Rep. John Conyers (D-MI)
offered a motion for the House to agree to the provisions
contained in the Senate amendment. I voted against this motion
because I believe this represents a sweeping expansion of federal
authority. Washington State, which already has a hate crimes
statute that would cover such cases, has an excellent record in
prosecuting hate crimes. I do not believe that further
federalizing of crimes that have been prosecuted aggressively and
competently at the local level will advance the cause of justice
in our society. I opposed the Conyers motion, which passed by a
vote of 232-192.
OVERRIDE OF PRESIDENT'S VETO OF MARRIAGE PENALTY
RELIEF - 9/13
Reacting to the President's veto of legislation that
would have provided marriage penalty relief to over 72,000 couples
in the Eighth Congressional District of Washington State, the U.S.
House of Representatives attempted to override the veto.
Unfortunately, the chamber fell 12 votes short of the required 2/3
vote of the House and the override attempt failed. Married couples
pay an average of $1,400 in taxes each year simply because they
file as a couple rather than as two single individuals. For
instance, the standard deduction for a single individual is $4,400
per year while the standard deduction for married couples filing
jointly is only $7,350. In addition, the 15 percent tax bracket
for single filers ends at $26,250 while the 15 percent tax bracket
for married couples filing jointly only goes to $43,850. This is
unfair. The Marriage Penalty Tax Relief Act would have doubled
both the individual standard deduction and the 15 percent tax
bracket for couples who are married.
