National Taxpayers Union Names Three Hassan-Led Bills to 2021 No-Brainer List of Bills Congress Should Pass

WASHINGTON – The National Taxpayers Union, a national taxpayer advocacy and pro-economic growth organization, named three pieces of legislation co-sponsored by U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan to its 2021 “No-Brainer” list of bills that Congress should pass.

National Taxpayers Union publishes an annual list of 10 “no brainer” bills that can bridge partisan divides, and this year’s list is topped by three Hassan-led bills. The bipartisan American Innovation and Jobs Act would double the refundable R&D tax credit and extend it to more startups and small businesses. The Improving Child Care For Working Families Act builds on the American Rescue Plan by permanently increasing the amount of tax-free dollars working parents and their employers can set aside in a dependent care assistance plan (DCAP) to use toward child care expenses. The Prevent Government Shutdowns Act of 2021 would take government shutdowns off the table by setting up an automatic continuing resolution (CR) if government funding has not been enacted on time and requiring Congress to stay in town until the job is done.

Andrew Lautz, Director of Federal Policy for National Taxpayers Union praised Senator Hassan saying, “Common-sense bipartisan legislation is unfortunately in short supply these days, but NTU is happy to recognize Senator Hassan and other members of Congress who have been able to put forward real solutions that would help taxpayers everywhere. From preserving research and development (R&D) incentives in the tax code to helping parents set aside tax-free dollars for child care to stopping costly government shutdowns, Senator Hassan is helping lead the charge on no-brainer legislation.”

“These bills reflect New Hampshire’s proud tradition of coming together to find commonsense solutions to challenges that we face,” said Senator Hassan. “I look forward to continuing to push forward these pro-growth bills and working with Granite Staters to bring New Hampshire solutions to Congress.”

NTU’s 11th Annual “No Brainers” List: Bipartisan Legislation Congress Should Pass in 2021

For the eleventh consecutive year, National Taxpayers Union (NTU) is proud to present ten “no-brainer” bills that can bridge the partisan divide. Each bill meets three important criteria: 1) it has bipartisan support, 2) it has not been on a prior NTU “No Brainers” list, and 3) it is a common-sense solution to a real problem facing taxpayers. That means no renaming post offices or commemorative coin legislation. Each bill below demonstrates that there can be broad support for meaningful solutions to a variety of issues when partisan politics are put aside. […]

American Innovation and Jobs Act

• Bill Number: S. 749
• Lead Sponsor/Cosponsors: Sens. Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Todd Young (R-IN), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Rob Portman (R-OH), and Ben Sasse (R-NE)
• Why It’s a No-Brainer: The American Innovation and Jobs Act (AIJA) would stop a harmful tax policy change scheduled to take effect in 2022 that would increase the costs businesses face when investing in research and development (R&D). Starting in 2022, companies that have long been able to fully and immediately recover R&D costs (i.e., full and immediate expensing for R&D) will instead be forced to amortize, or spread out, cost recovery over five years. AIJA would cancel the five-year amortization scheduled to go into effect, making permanent American companies’ ability to fully and immediately expense R&D. This is a pro-growth change to the tax code that would make it easier for businesses to invest in highly valuable R&D that drives job, wage, and economic growth in the U.S. The legislation also includes an expansion of the refundable R&D tax credit.

[… ] Improving Child Care for Working Families Act

• Bill Numbers: S. 987, H.R. 2121
• Lead Sponsors/Cosponsors: Sens. Joni Ernst (R-IA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) in the Senate; Reps. Cindy Axne (D-IA) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) in the House
• Why It's a No-Brainer: Congress first allowed parents to set aside their income for child care expenses on a tax-free basis in 1981, and it set the limit at $5,000 per family per year in 1986. The limit has been $5,000 ever since, even though child care costs have increased significantly in the past 35 years. It's long past time Congress lifted the limit on tax-free dependent care assistance program (DCAP) contributions for working parents, and lawmakers took the first step toward doing so -- for the 2021 tax year alone -- by lifting the limit from $5,000 to $10,500 in the American Rescue Plan Act. The Improving Child Care for Working Families Act would lift the limit to $10,500 on a permanent basis. 

Prevent Government Shutdowns Act

• Bill Number: S. 2727
• Lead Sponsor/Cosponsors: Sens. James Lankford (R-OK) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH)
• Why It’s a No-Brainer: This legislation would provide for automatic continuing resolutions (CRs) in the event Congress cannot agree to fund the government on time. Given lawmakers regularly fail to enact appropriations bills on time, and given shutdowns cause significant disruptions to the U.S. economy and to taxpayer-funded government programs and services, the Prevent Government Shutdowns Act is a smart bill that would limit costly interruptions to government funding while still compelling lawmakers to get their act together in the event of a failure to pass timely appropriations. […]

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