http://www.governor.wa.gov/news-media/inslee-county-leaders-urge-congress-oppose-repeal-critical-federal-tax-deduction
Today, Gov. Jay Inslee and elected county leaders from across Washington sent a letter to the state’s congressional delegation urging them to oppose repeal of the State & Local Tax (SALT) deduction that reduces federal taxes for over 1 million mostly middle-class Washington households. The Trump Administration and congressional leaders have proposed repealing the deduction as a part of federal tax reform.
“On behalf of the state of Washington and its 39 counties, we strongly urge you to oppose efforts to eliminate the federal tax deduction for payment of state and local taxes,” wrote Inslee and Kittitas County Commissioner Obie O'Brien, Wahkiakum County Commissioner Blair Brady, Lincoln County Commissioner Scott Hutsell, and Snohomish County Councilmember Stephanie Wright, who together serve as the leaders of the Washington State Association of Counties.
“If enacted, this would result in over 1 million Washingtonians – primarily middle class families – seeing their income tax burden increased by the federal government. Such a radical change in federal tax law would also place additional pressure on our governments to cut the important local services that over seven million Washingtonians rely upon.
The SALT deduction allows for Washingtonians to deduct their sales and property tax payments to state and local governments from their federal income tax liability. A 2014 study found that the deduction reduced the average Washington State claimant’s federal taxes by approximately $600 per year. In Washington and across the country, the vast majority of families who claim that SALT deduction are in the middle class; over 85 percent of Washington households who claim the deduction make less than $200,000 per year.
The SALT deduction has been available to American families ever since the federal government first implemented an income tax, in 1913. However, after Congress reformed the federal tax code in 1986 this deduction did not apply to payment of states sales tax, but could be used only in states with an income tax. Congress reinstituted the sales tax deduction on multiple temporary bases, and later made it permanent, in 2015, thanks to bipartisan advocacy from the Washington State Congressional Delegation.
In addition to increasing the federal taxes on middle-class families, repealing the SALT deduction would place pressure on state and local governments to reduce their own revenue collections that sustain local services, since their residents’ local tax payments would no longer receive preferential tax treatment from the federal government. This could affect schools, housing, health care, roads and infrastructure, public safety and emergency services, and more.
Inslee and Washington county leaders join state and local government officials from both parties and across the country, as well as education, housing and other stakeholders, in urging Congress to reject proposals to eliminate the SALT deduction. Last month a national bipartisan coalition including the National Governors Association (NGA) and National Association of Counties (NACo) wrote to Congress urging it to oppose this policy.
NEWS FROM OUR CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION TO D.C.
Kilmer Applauds Twitter Announcement to Label Campaign Advertisements on the Service
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 10/ 24/ 17
http://kilmer.house.gov/news/press-releases/kilmer-applauds-twitter-announcement-to-label-campaign-advertisements-on-the-service-
Washington D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Derek Kilmer (D-WA) released the following statement after Twitter announced that going forward, political electioneering advertisements would be clearly identified. The company also announced additional steps to minimize how users can be targeted by advertisements and the creation of a transparency center.
“I’m glad Twitter is taking steps to cast light on how exactly advertisers are trying to use their platform to influence elections,” said Kilmer. “This proves that increased transparency on online platforms is possible. We need clear rules of the road for all online advertisements which is why I’ll keep pushing to enact our bipartisan bill and protect our democracy.”
Last week, Representatives Kilmer and Mike Coffman (R-CO) introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to ensure online political advertisements are better monitored by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). The legislation would have the FEC enact rules for online advertisements similar to what is in place for television, radio, and satellite ads so it’s clear to the public where they are coming from.
The Honest Ads Act (H.R. 4077) is a companion to a bill introduced by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Mark Warner (D-VA), and John McCain (R-AZ) following revelations that a Russian company purchased upwards of 3,000 political advertisements on Facebook in an effort to influence the 2016 Presidential election. The bill would require large digital platforms to maintain a publicly available file of all requests to run advertisements that cost more than $500 within a calendar year.
Senator Murray Votes in Support of Disaster Funding Bill, Urges Continued Relief for Millions of Americans Affected by Recent Hurricanes & Wildfires
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 10/ 24/ 17
https://www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/newsreleases?ContentRecord_id=03A4409E-85B2-47FD-B3EE-6E4B0D46F084
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, voted for legislation to provide $36.5 billion in disaster aid to help fund ongoing recovery efforts in multiple locations throughout the country. Major hurricanes caused unprecedented flooding throughout Texas and Florida earlier this year and ravaged the island of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, where many residents are still without electricity or clean drinking water. In the West, devastating wildfires leveled entire communities, threatened industries, and caused millions of dollars’ worth of damage.
“From hurricanes that caused unprecedented flooding and catastrophic damage, to deadly wildfires that scorched communities across the West, there are countless families—from Santa Rosa to San Juan--that need a hand up right now,” said Senator Murray about the bill’s passage. “The relief package Congress approved today should not be the end of our commitment to those affected by recent disasters, but rather a down payment on what we know will be a long road to recovery for many devastated regions.”
Included in the disaster aid package is funding for the following recovery priorities:
Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) disaster relief fund: $18.7 billion
National Flood Insurance Program: $16 billion
Wildfire recovery efforts: $576.5 million
Disaster Food Assistance for Puerto Rico: $1.27 billion
Senator Murray also highlighted the need for increased funding to fight wildfires and support wildfire prevention efforts in a speech on the Senate floor, urging her colleagues to treat wildfires like the natural disasters they are. Previously, Senator Murray wrote a letter to Senate leaders urging them to include a wildfire funding fix in any future disaster aid legislation.
“For far too long, the U.S. Forest Service has been forced to use up its budget fighting wildfires each season—only to have no funds left over to work on preventing them. This is a dangerous cycle and a disservice to so many communities in the West, and it’s only gotten worse as climate change takes hold, meaning our wildfires have grown more massive in size and intensity in recent years,” added Senator Murray in her floor speech.
Cantwell Statement On Secretary Zinke’s Decision To Raise National Park Visitor Fees
Press release issued 10/ 24/ 17
https://www.cantwell.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cantwell-statement-on-secretary-zinkes-decision-to-raise-national-park-visitor-fees_-
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Maria Cantwell (D-WA) made the following statement regarding Secretary Zinke’s decision to increase entrance fees during the peak season at 17 national parks:
"While Secretary Zinke flies around on private jets using our taxpayer dollars, he is hiking up the fees all American families pay to enjoy our National Parks."
Cantwell Speaks on Senate Floor on Groundbreaking GAO Climate Change Report
Report reveals that by 2039, climate change will cost U.S. taxpayers more than $1 trillion
Press release issued 10/ 24/ 17
https://www.cantwell.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cantwell-speaks-on-senate-floor-on-groundbreaking-gao-climate-change-report
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) took to the Senate floor to speak about a new, groundbreaking Government Accountability Office report requested by Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) on the economic impacts of climate change.
“We need to take [the GAO] accounting very seriously and start doing things that will help us reduce the risk, lower the cost, better protect our communities, and give the taxpayers a sense that we're not leaving them to devastation and storms every year, but we're coming up with better strategies to save lives and to save dollars,” said Cantwell.
What the report means for Washington state:
Ocean acidification will mean a decrease in Washington state’s shellfish harvest. According to the study, ocean acidification in the Pacific Northwest is already affecting shellfish harvests.
Western states will continue to face record-breaking wildfire seasons.
Coastal communities will face drastic sea level rise and changes in the frequency and intensity of storms. According to the study, storm-related losses due to sea level rise and changes in the frequency and intensity of storms are expected to cost $2.5 trillion by the end of the century.
WORLD AND NATIONAL NEWS FROM REUTERS...
Twitter bans ads from two Russian media outlets, cites election meddling
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Twitter Inc on Thursday banned advertisements from accounts owned by Russian media outlets Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik, citing allegations by U.S. intelligence agencies that the two had tried to interfere with the 2016 U.S. election.
Boycott, shooting and tear gas mar Kenya election re-run
KISUMU, Kenya (Reuters) - Kenyan opposition supporters skirmished with police and threw up burning barricades in pockets of the country on Thursday, seeking to derail President Uhuru Kenyatta’s likely re-election with a low voter turnout.
U.S. imposes sanctions over alleged North Korean rights abuses
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on seven North Korean individuals and three entities over what it called serious human rights abuses.
Trump to declare opioids a public health emergency: officials
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump will declare the nation’s opioid crisis a public health emergency on Thursday in a bid to redirect federal resources and loosen regulations to combat widespread abuse, senior administration officials said.
George H.W. Bush apologizes after actress accuses him of groping
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush apologized through a spokesman on Wednesday for what an actress described as a sexual assault but which Bush said was intended as a friendly pat and a joke to put her at ease during a picture-taking session.
Final trove of documents to offer new details on JFK assassination
BOSTON (Reuters) - More than half a century after U.S. President John F. Kennedy was struck down by an assassin’s bullet in Dallas, Texas, the United States is due on Thursday to release the final files on the investigation into the killing that rattled a nation.
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