Congressional Record United States of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 106Th CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION

E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 106th CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 146 WASHINGTON, FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2000 No. 96 House of Representatives The House was not in session today. Its next meeting will be held on Monday, July 24, 2000, at 12:30 p.m. Senate FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2000 The Senate met at 9 a.m. and was PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE MARRIAGE TAX RELIEF REC- called to order by the President pro The Honorable LINCOLN CHAFEE, a ONCILIATION ACT OF 2000ÐCON- tempore [Mr. THURMOND]. Senator from the State of Rhode Is- FERENCE REPORT PRAYER land, led the Pledge of Allegiance, as The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under follows: the previous order, the Senate will now The Chaplain, Dr. Lloyd John I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the resume consideration of the conference Ogilvie, offered the following prayer: United States of America, and to the Repub- report to accompany H.R. 4810, which Gracious Father of all the families of lic for which it stands, one nation under God, the clerk will report. the earth, this coming Sunday we cele- indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. The legislative clerk read as follows: brate Parents' Day. We pray that this f A conference report to accompany H.R. special day, established by Congress 4810, an act to provide for reconciliation pur- and signed into law by the President, RECOGNITION OF THE ACTING suant to section 103(a)(1) of the concurrent will be a day to recall America to a MAJORITY LEADER resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2001. new commitment to the family. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. L. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under We ask You to bless parents as they CHAFEE). The Senator from Delaware is the previous order, there are now 30 live out their high calling. Help them recognized. minutes equally divided for debate. to learn from the way You parent all of f Mr. ROTH. Mr. President, I yield my- us as Your children. You have shown us self 5 minutes. Your faithfulness, righteousness, and SCHEDULE Mr. President, the provisions in this truthfulness. You never leave nor for- Mr. ROTH. Mr. President, today the bill will help 45 million families, and sake us; You respond to our wants with Senate will resume debate on the con- that is substantially every family in what is ultimately best for our real ference report to accompany the mar- the U.S. Some of my colleagues have needs. You love us so much that You riage penalty reconciliation bill. There argued that almost half of those fami- press us to become all that You in- will be 30 minutes for closing remarks, lies do not deserve any tax relief. I re- tended. with a vote to occur on adoption of the ject that. I reject it because in my As parents, we commit ourselves to conference report at approximately 9:30 home state of Delaware it would mean moral purity, absolute honesty, and a.m. As previously announced, this will leaving over 30,000 families that con- consistent integrity. Make us depend- be the only vote today. Following the tributed to our ever-growing budget able people in whom children can expe- disposition of the marriage penalty surplus out of family tax relief. They rience tough love and tender accept- conference report, the Senate is ex- contributed to the surplus and they ance along with a bracing challenge to pected to begin consideration of the en- should benefit from the surplus. excellence and responsibility. May our ergy and water appropriations bill. Today's bill amounts to less than 5 example of patriotism raise up a new Amendments are expected and Sen- percent of the total budget surplus generation of Americans who love You ators are encouraged to come to the over the next 5 years. That is less than and their country. floor to offer their amendments. a nickel on the dollar of our total Be with parents when they grow I thank my colleagues for their at- budget surplus. It amounts to just 9 weary or become discouraged or feel tention. percent of the total non-Social Secu- they have failed. Be their comfort and f rity surplus over the next 5 years. That courage. Remind them that they are is less than a dime on the dollar of the partners with You in the launching of RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME non-Social Security surplus. A nickel children into the adventure of living The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under and a dimeÐby any comparison or esti- for Your glory and by Your grace. the previous order, the leadership time mation, this marriage tax relief is fis- Amen. is reserved. cally responsible. Those who dispute ∑ This ``bullet'' symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S7409 . VerDate 21-JUL-2000 01:06 Jul 22, 2000 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4637 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A21JY6.000 pfrm01 PsN: S21PT1 S7410 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Ð SENATE July 21, 2000 that are themselves seeking to ``nick- figures, when Congress sends this bill There are 65 marriage penalties in el-and-dime'' America's families out of to the President it, along with the the Tax Code. The measure before us tax relief. other bills we have passed, comprise deals with one, half of another, and I ask those who oppose this family just $120 billion worth of tax relief over half of yet another, leaving, if you tax relief: just how big will America's the next 5 years. count, as you will, 62 or 63 untouched. budget surplus have to get before Second, there is only one bill before The most notorious and the most dif- America's families deserve to receive us today and there will be only one bill ficult, dealing directly with a palpable some of their tax dollars back? If not when it arrives on his desk: family tax social problem, which is that of single now, when? If just 5 percent of the relief. When we look at this bill, we parents, is the earned-income tax cred- budget surplus and just 9 percent of the need to look at its actual provisionsÐ it. In this morning's New York Times, tax overpayment is too big a refund, not some concocted estimate of what also, there is an article by David how little should it be? How long do another Congress and another Presi- Riemer, who is the Milwaukee director they have to wait? How hard do they dent will do. Congress' official esti- of administration for the Wisconsin's have to work? How large an overpay- mator scores this bill at under $90 bil- welfare replacement program, which ment do they have to make? lion for both five and ten years. That is has received very encouraging notices This bill is fair. We have addressed the accurate figure and that is the ap- in recent years. It is entitled ``The the three largest sources of marriage propriate measure of the tax relief be- Marriage Tax on the Poor.'' He de- tax penalties in the tax codeÐthe fore us today. scribes how this works. standard deduction, the rate brackets, Despite what the President's advisers The earned-income tax credit evolved and the earned income credit. We have may wish, the issue is whether he will in the aftermath of President Nixon's done so in a way that does not create or won't grant America's families the effort to establish a guaranteed na- any new penaltiesÐany new disincen- tax relief they have earned. Let's ap- tional income, family assistance plan, tives in the tax code. We have ensured prove the Marriage Tax Relief Rec- and Congress rejected that. The House that a family with one stay-at-home onciliation Act of 2000 and let's divorce passed it. The Senate did not. The Sen- parent is not treated worse for tax pur- the marriage tax penalty from the tax ate thought at least we should do poses than a family where both parents code once and for all. something equivalent for people who work outside the home. This is an im- Mr. President, I yield the floor. work; hence, the earned-income tax portant principle because these are im- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- credit. It has been expanded over the portant families. ator from New York. years, and it is our most effective anti- Finally, we have made this tax relief Mr. MOYNIHAN. Mr. President, poverty program, period, if you de- immediate for the current year. That might I first express my gratitude to scribe poverty in terms of resources, of means when a couple files their tax re- our chairman who suggested that the income. turn next April, they will be able to see 10 hours reserved for a conference com- I read one paragraph: and feel the results of our work. As a mittee report be reduced, in this case, The earned-income tax credit's marriage result, I believe that we should call to a half an hour in order that we penalty can be huge. Imagine a young this bill the ASAP tax relief bill for might continue with the Senate's busi- woman and the father of her two children, living together as one household, unmarried America's taxpayersÐtax relief for ness on appropriations, the sooner to America's families now. but hoping to wed. She earns $12,000 a year; reach the issue of permanent normal he earns $20,000.

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