Congressman Jim Matheson voted Tuesday for legislation to extend tax relief, promote energy independence, reduce the regulatory burden on business and ensure seniors will continue to be able to see their doctors.
Matheson voted for HR 3630 – the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act. In 2011, more than 1 million Utahns received a total of $800 million in tax relief through the payroll tax reduction—a tax cut that expires the end of December.
“This ensures that Utahns won’t see a bite taken out of their paychecks starting in January. It also requires approval of the Keystone oil pipeline –a project that would put thousands of Americans to work and decrease our dependence on oil supplies from the Middle East,” said Matheson. “I am focused on strengthening the economic recovery and encouraging job growth and this legislation advances those goals.”
Matheson said the legislation also extends unemployment insurance benefits for 13 months, while providing states more flexibility to oversee the program. It also provides a two-year patch to a flawed reimbursement formula for doctors who care for seniors. Without the temporary fix, seniors would have been at risk for losing access to their doctors. It also blocks the implementation of four EPA proposals that would impose steep costs on utilities that operate industrial boilers.
Matheson said the bill is paid for by, among other things, an auction of the unused broadband spectrum, the extension of a federal employee pay freeze, and higher fees for mortgage loan guarantees issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.