WASHINGTON - Congressman Charles B. Rangel proudly stood with fellow Democratic members of the House in passing legislation that would permanently extend middle-class tax cuts that will help the vast majority of struggling Americans and spur economic growth.

"Today's bill helps provide tax relief for millions of working class and middle class Americans. It asks those with higher incomes to show generosity for the good of the nation," said Rangel. "We still need to do more to get this economy and our communities back on track, but it certainly points us in the right direction."

The Middle Class Tax Relief Act of 2010 passed by the House includes keeping tax rates at its current levels for families making less than $250,000 a year. It also permanently extends marriage penalty relief, the current amount of the Earned Income Tax Credit, capital gains and dividends rates, and $1,000 child tax credit (for earnings above $3,000). The bill will protect more than 25 million taxpayers from the alternative minimum tax by extending the AMT patch through 2011. It will permanently extend small business expensing. (Click here for estimated revenue effects provided by the non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation.)

The bill, an amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 4853, will expire Bush-era tax cuts for the nation's wealthiest three percent to the same levels that existed during the nation's last economic boom in the 1990s. It saves about $700 billion that would have been otherwise added to the nation's ballooning deficit.

Experts estimate that the typical middle class family could save approximately $1,000 per year. The vast majority of small businesses (97%) will also continue to see benefits. Hedge fund managers, investors, and super-wealthy individuals that file as S Corporations or partnerships will not.

"There is no doubt that we need to reform the tax code in this country. I look forward to working with my colleagues next Congress to create a fairer and more efficient system," said Rangel. "What we need is target relief that spurs consumer spending, job growth. You don't do that now by pushing for a tax break that's not paid for, to those who neither need it nor asked for it."

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month

WASHINGTON - Congressman Charles B. Rangel praised the enactment of the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act, which will enable people with disabilities to engage in society and utilize all that modern technologies have to offer--especially Internet-based and mobile services. President Obama signed the bill into law on October 8, 2010.

"The Internet and other telecommunications tools enable students to learn, families to connect, and businesses to reach beyond their local communities," said Congressman Rangel. "Access to these technologies should be readily available to everyone, regardless of disability." 

The Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act requires the telecommunications industry to provide captions for television programs delivered over the Internet, requires video description on television for people with vision loss, allocates $10 million per year for communications equipment used by people who are deaf-blind, ensures emergency information is accessible to individuals who are blind or have low vision, and provides for accessibility of advanced communications such as text messaging, email and web browsing on mobile devices, among several other provisions.

"This new law will empower 36 million people who have been left behind in the digital world due to their disability." Rangel added. "Access to information can lead to success in innovation."

The law is one of the most significant victories for people with disabilities since the Americans with Disabilities Act, signed 20 years ago. The Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (S. 3304) will significantly increase accessibility for Americans with disabilities to the indispensable telecommunications technology tools of the 21st century by:

•    Making access to the Web possible through improved user interfaces for smart phones
•    Enabling Americans who are blind to enjoy TV more fully through audible descriptions of the on-screen action
•    Making TV program guides and selection menus accessible to people with vision loss
•    Providing Americans who are deaf the ability to watch new TV programs online with the captions included
•    Mandating that remote controls have a button or similar mechanism to easily access the closed captioning on broadcast and pay TV
•    Requiring that telephone equipment used to make calls over the Internet is compatible with hearing aids
•    For low-income Americans who are both deaf and blind, providing up to $10 million per year to purchase communications equipment to access the telephone system and the Internet so these individuals can more fully participate in society.

For more information, read about the Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act from the House Committee and Energy and Commerce.

Visit Disability.gov for more information about accessible technology.
 

WASHINGTON – Today Congressman Rangel congratulated Chairman Sandy Levin and Ranking Member Dave Camp for their bipartisan efforts in the Ways and Means Committee to pass by a vote of 348-79, the critical legislation that addresses China’s fundamental undervaluation of its currency. 

"We do recognize there's a split among the business people as to whether or not we should go forward with this bill that would point out to China it is time that they be fair in terms of international trade," said Congressman Rangel.

The legislation, H.R. 2378, the Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act, is the first of its kind to pass the House of Representatives and signals a mounting concern among U.S. lawmakers regarding China’s violation of its international obligations.

"For those people that buy from China and enjoy the lower prices, I can understand why they would not support the equity that we're seeking in international affairs as well in WTO," said the Congressman on the House floor, in the final minutes before the vote was cast.

"But for those Americans that feel deep-seated pride when they see 'Made in the USA', when we know we can make it in America with jobs, it's certainly in our best national interest to tell China that getting into World Trade Organization comes with some obligation to do the right thing," he added.

The legislation considered on the floor today reflects the text of an amendment adopted by the Committee on Ways and Means last week.

Please click here to view a one-page summary of H.R. 2378 as amended, from the Ways and Means Committee.

Please click here to view a background document on the issue of China’s exchange rate policy.

To view Congressman Rangel's remarks on the House floor, please click here.

WASHINGTON - Congressman Charles B. Rangel congratulated the House leadership and members of New York's congressional delegation for the passage of legislation, commonly referred to as the 9/11 health care workers bill, that will provide medical treatment for the ailing first responders and recovery workers who were exposed to toxic dust following the collapse of the twin towers in New York City on September 11, 2001. The bill passed in the House today by a vote of 268 - 160.

"At long last, the House has taken firm action on this vital piece of legislation that should have received bipartisan support in the first place," said the Congressman, who managed the bill on the House floor as a member of the Ways and Means Committee. "This is not a tax question, this is a moral question. We hope so badly that this bipartisan issue would get a bipartisan vote," Rangel urged his colleagues. 

Republicans blocked the passage of the bill in July after branding it as another massive government entitlement program that would increase corporate taxes. The bill, which would cost $7.4 billion over the next ten years, however, is fully paid for by a provision preventing foreign multinational firms that are incorporated in tax haven countries from avoiding tax on income earned in the U.S.

As dean of New York's delegation that was pushing such a measure for years, Congressman Rangel has been at the forefront of pressing for bipartisan support of the bill. Few days before the 9th anniversary of 9/11, on September 8, Congressman Rangel joined the New York delegation at Ground Zero, in commending the bipartisan leadership of Reps. Carolyn Maloney, Jerry Nadler, Anthony Weiner and Peter King, and called for immediate action on the legislation.

"Nine years have been too long and morally wrong. I hope the Senate would follow our lead and do what is right." said Rangel. "We have a chance not to talk about loopholes that we have in the tax code but loopholes in the hearts of people that want to say thank you to these brave men and women."

To watch Congressman Rangel speak on the House floor, please click here.

About H.R. 847, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act:

First introduced on February 4, 2009, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act would provide services to those whose health continue to suffer after working at Ground Zero in the aftermath of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in 2001. Specifically it would:

•    Provide medical monitoring and treatment to WTC responders and survivors (area workers, residents, students) who were exposed to the toxins at Ground Zero.
•    Build on the existing monitoring and treatment program by delivering expert medical treatment for these unique exposures at Centers of Excellence.
•    Reopen the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) to provide compensation for economic losses and harm as an alternative to the current litigation system.
•    Provide liability protections for the WTC Contractors and the City of New York.

The legislation is named in honor of James Zadroga, a police detective who died at age 34 in 2006, from a respiratory disease attributed to toxic chemicals contracted at Ground Zero.

WASHINGTON - Congressman Charles Rangel praised President Barack Obama for signing into law legislation that would spur economic growth and create 500,000 new jobs by encouraging the development of American small businesses without adding a dime to the deficit. 

“Thanks to our President, our small businesses will have the resources they need to grow their entrepreneurial dreams into job opportunities for all," said Rangel. "These businesses are the foundation of our economy and we must do all that we can to create the kind of create the kind of environment that helps them grow and flourish."

The Small Business Jobs bill immediately restarts the Small Business Administration’s Recovery lending, helping more than 1,400 small businesses who had been waiting to get the credit they need. The legislation also includes several new small business tax cuts that provide an immediate incentive for businesses to make new investments and expand.
 
For example:

•        If you are a small business and you buy new equipment, you can immediately write off the first $500,000 of your investments;

•        If you are one of over one million eligible small businesses, key long-term investments in your company will be subject to zero capital gains taxes;
•        If you are an entrepreneur and take a chance on a new idea, you can deduct the first $10,000 of your start-up costs;
and
•        If you are self employed,  you can deduct 100 percent of the cost of health insurance for you and your family from your self-employment taxes.

In all, the bill that passed the House of Representatives last week by a vote of 237-187 will help America’s 27 million small businesses create new jobs and grow with $12 billion in tax cuts. It will make Main Street businesses more competitive with big corporations by leveraging up to $300 billion in private sector lending for small businesses, along with state grants for small business lending.

“In spite of rampant Republican opposition, obstructionism, and delay, we have passed a bill that moves America forward,” said Rangel. “With tax cuts and access to more capital, our nation’s small businesses will be able to put more Americans back to work now, which means putting more money in people's pockets and revamping our economy."

Click here for more information on the legislation from the White House.

Cloture Vote to Pass the DREAM Act Fails in the Senate 56-43

WASHINGTON - "In 1951, Harlem's Langston Hughes asked, 'What happens to a dream deferred?'" 60 years later, we're back to asking the same question. What are the implications of exclusion for individuals, their communities, and our society when millions of dreams go up in smoke?" said Congressman Rangel.

Congressman Rangel expressed his disappointment in the failure to pass the bipartisan Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, that would provide a mechanism by which undocumented students who have lived in the U.S. before age 15 to apply for legal permanent resident status if they graduate from high school and go on to college or military service. The vote failed by 56-43 in the Senate today.

"It's a shame a few adults failed to move the millions of young dreams forward," said Congressman Rangel.  "These students have lofty dreams, encouraged at home and in school, yet are at risk of being forced into living in the shadows. Such wasted talent imposes financial and emotional costs not only on undocumented children themselves but also on our economy and society as a whole."

The DREAM Act would provide 360,000 undocumented high school graduates with a legal means to work and attend college, and could provide incentives for another 715,000 youngsters between the ages of 5 and 17 to finish high school and pursue postsecondary education.

Out of a total of approximately 38 million immigrants live in the U.S., nearly 12 million are undocumented (9.7 million from Latin American countries) — the children of undocumented immigrants account for 1.8 million, or 15 percent of the total. About 65,000 undocumented children who have lived in the U.S. for five years or longer graduate from high school each year. Although they can legally attend most colleges, they are not eligible for most forms of financial aid so only a fraction of undocumented high school graduates go to college.

"The Supreme Court has upheld the right of all students, regardless of status, to a basic education up through high school, said Rangel. "The DREAM ACT ensures that instead of cutting the potential of these students, we are giving them the opportunity to extend America's prosperity. That they can continue to make the kind of positive contributions that will lift up their families and our economy."

ONCE A BIPARTISAN BILL

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced last week that the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act would come up as an amendment to the Defense Authorization bill. Republicans -- including Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) who had originally introduced the bill in 2001-- have vehemently opposed to including an immigration provision as an amendment to the defense authorization bill and blocked it.

According to the 2009 version of the senate bill, DREAM Act beneficiaries must:

•    Have proof of having arrived in the United States before age 16.
•    Have proof of residence in the United States for a least five consecutive years since their date of arrival, compliance with Selective Service.
•    Be between the ages of 12 and 35 at the time of bill enactment.
•    Have graduated from an American high school or obtained a GED.
•    Be of "good moral character"

During the first six years, the immigrant would be granted "conditional" status, and would be required to graduate from a two-year community college or complete at least two years towards a 4-year degree, or serve two years in the U.S. military. After the six year period, an immigrant who met at least one of these three conditions would be eligible to apply for legal permanent resident status. During this six year conditional period, immigrants would not be eligible for federal higher education grants such as Pell grants, but they would be able to apply for student loans and work study.

If the immigrant did not meet the educational or military service requirement within the six year time period, their temporary residence would be revoked and they would be removable. They also must not commit any crimes other than those considered non-drug related misdemeanors, regardless of whether or not they have already been approved for permanent status at the end of their six years. Being convicted of a major crime, or drug-related infraction would automatically remove the six year temporary residence status and they would be subject to deportation.
 Permanent residency would be granted at the end of the 6-year conditional period if all of these conditions were met, paving the way for them to apply for U.S. citizenship.

"It wasn't the choice of these students to come to this country, but many of them are succeeding, making their schools and their communities a better place," said Rangel. "In them, we might just have the next Einstein, the next Bill Gates, or the next great American who might discover a cure for cancer or employ thousands of workers. Why we would want to cut down our own future prosperity is beyond me."

Congressman Rangel's audio tweet on the DREAM Act can be heard by clicking here.

WASHINGTON – Congressman Rangel praised President Obama's signing of H.R. 1586, a bill that includes measure to appropriate nearly $40 million and save 542 teacher jobs in his Upper Manhattan district.  The state of New York will receive $608 million that will prevent 8,200 teacher layoffs in the upcoming school year, 2010-2011.

"The enactment of this law comes at such a critical time, when our country can neither afford to suffer additional job losses nor undercut the quality of education for the schoolchildren. With the help from the federal government, states and districts will be able to avoid serious losses," Congressman Rangel said.

A total of $10 billion has been allocated to an Education Jobs Fund, which will save 160,000 educator jobs nationwide. Another $16 billion will extend for 6 months increased Medicaid payments to the states - freeing up money to keep more than 150,000 police officers and other public workers on the state payroll.

The aid for the states is to be completely paid for, in part by closing tax loopholes that encourage corporations to ship American jobs overseas. This is estimated to cut the federal deficit by $1.4 billion over 10 years.

"I'm happy I joined my colleagues to vote on this very important legislation that provides the necessary funds before children return to classrooms. Ultimately we are making invaluable investments on the future of our nation, not to mention the impact of creating manufacturing jobs in America," commented Rangel.

Speaker Pelosi called the members to return to Washington, D.C., for a special one-day session on Tuesday, to vote on the Senate-passed emergency jobs bill.

NEW YORK - Congressman Charles Rangel praised his colleagues in the Senate for overcoming yet another Senate Republican filibuster, enabling legislators to pass legislation that looks to create current and future jobs for Americans looking to work again.

"This bill cannot come at a better time for local and state governments struggling to provide services to those who need it the most," said Congressman Rangel. "This jobs bill will not only provide funding to save the jobs of thousands of teachers and nurses, it will also provide funding for urgent services for children and seniors and people with disabilities.

In anticipation of the Senate's passage of the bill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has called back members of the House of Representatives into session next week in order to send the measure to President Barack Obama for signature.

"I look forward to returning to Washington and working with my colleagues to getting this bill into the President's hands as soon as possible," said Rangel. "In these difficult economic times, we must have the courage to make important investments that will put money in people's pockets, spur both short term and long term job growth and support those who are looking for a leg up, not a hand out,"  

For more information on Congressman Rangel's position on the economy and jobs, please visit his web site at http://www.rangel.house.gov.

WASHINGTON – Congressman Rangel praised the passage of two oil spill bills that seek to overhaul offshore drilling regulations and extend whistleblower protections to oil and gas workers on the outer continental shelf.

 “In the wake of the BP debacle, these bills ensure that a spill of this kind must not happen again. The disaster in the Gulf threatened our shores and destroyed our way of life," said Congressman Rangel.

The updated CLEAR Act includes strong new safety measures, restores the Gulf Coast, protects local residents and taxpayers, reforms the agency charged with overseeing oil drilling, and holds the oil industry responsible for cleanup costs and recovery. 

“This new measure will strengthen our national security by restoring our environment and the health of our natural resources, and reduce our deficit by more than $5 billion in the next five years, and up to $50 billion over the next 25 years," Rangel said.

Targeted to effective prevention and response to oil spills and protection of our coastal communities and waters, the CLEAR Act (H.R. 3534):

• Contains strong new safety measures, including independent certification of critical equipment
• Holds BP and oil industry fully responsible for cleanup costs and recovery after spills – removing the $75 million cap on economic damages to be paid by Big Oil to families and small businesses 
• Strengthens oversight of oil drilling by dismantling the current scandal ridden agency in charge
• Restores the Gulf Coast and protects local residents and
• Provides long overdue taxpayer protections, making oil companies pay their fair share for drilling on public lands

The other piece of this package – the Offshore Oil and Gas Worker Whistleblower Protection Act – protects industry workers who put the people’s interest first, speak up, and inform state and federal government authorities of violations or practices that endanger the public.
 
"Workers on the Deepwater Horizon had serious safety concerns prior to the explosion, but couldn't come forward for the fear of losing their jobs.  Their reluctance, in part, led to unfortunate deaths of 11 Americans and one of the worst oil spills in our history," said Congressman Rangel. 

"It's for everyone's safety that we provide whistleblower protections to workers regarding Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas exploration, drilling, production, or cleanup, whose employers are engaged in those activities – as they are best position to discover safety hazards," he added.

Modeled after other modern whistleblower statutes, the Offshore Oil and Gas Worker Whistleblower Protection Act (H.R. 5851) will:
•    Prohibit an employer from discharging or otherwise discriminating against an employee who reports to the employer or government official that he or she reasonably believes the employer is violating the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA).  

• Protect employees who prepare and/or testify about the alleged violation, report injuries or unsafe conditions related to the offshore work, refuse to work based on a good faith belief that the offshore work could cause injury or impairment or a spill, or refuse to perform in a manner that they believe violates the OCSLA.
• Establish a process for an employee to appeal an employer’s retaliation by filing a complaint with the Secretary of Labor. 
• Make an aggrieved employee eligible for reinstatement, back pay and compensatory and consequential damages, and, where appropriate, exemplary damages. 
• Require employers post a notice that explains employee rights and remedies under this Act and provide training to the employees of these rights. 

WASHINGTON - Congressman Charles Rangel announced Wednesday's passage of legislation to reduce the disparity in penalties for crack versus powder cocaine offenses.   Approved by both the House and the Senate, the bill now goes to President Obama for signature.

The bill would reduce the ratio for crack and powder cocaine sentences from 100-to-1 to 18-to-1.  New sentencing guidelines would also eliminate the mandatory minimum prison sentence for simple possession of crack, the only drug for which possession leads to such sentences.

"I welcome the enactment of this bill which takes a substantial step in narrowing the disparity in sentencing for crack and powder cocaine," said Congressman Rangel, who has long advocated for a change in the law.  "That inequality in punishment has played a major role in feeding the nation's jail population, and has had a disproportionate impact on minorities.  The legislation is an important first step toward full equality in application of the drug laws."

The Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 would raise the minimum quantity of crack cocaine that triggers a 5-year mandatory minimum from 5 grams to 28 grams, and from 50 grams to 280 grams to trigger a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence.

The amount of powder cocaine required to trigger the 5 and 10-year mandatory minimums remains the same, at 500 grams and 5 kilograms respectively. 

According to the U.S. Sentencing Commission, the approved changes to the current penalties for crack cocaine offenses could impact nearly 3,000 defendants a year by reducing their average sentence 27 months.  The Commission projects that 10 years after enactment the changes could produce a prison population reduction of about 3,800.