Masonry Magazine July 2008 Page. 22
LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE
Sen. Wayne Allard (R-CO) says we must address three things: health care has to be fixed; creating an energy blueprint extending two decades; and K12 education needs to be fixed. He also says the corporate tax rate needs to be lowered to compete with other countries.
After lunch, the conference attendees were addressed at the Longworth House office building in the afternoon. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) is a supporter of the MilCon bill. He says the surcharge tax eats up profits and that we must explore more and secure energy in the United States.
Rep. Jason Altmire (D-PA) says immigration problems are more regional than Republican vs. Democrat. He believes the estate tax probably won't be decided this year and that health care should be inner-connected across the country.
Issues at Hand
School Construction - The masonry industry encourages Congress to pass legislation to address the need for updated and new infrastructure of America's public schools.
Hidden Tax on Small Business - 3% Government Withholding Tax - The masonry industry opposes the 3% withholding tax and urges members of Congress to support H.R. 1023 bill and S. 2394 to immediately repeal this overreaching new requirement.
Comprehensive Immigration Reform - The masonry industry supports a comprehensive approach that includes provisions to secure our nation's borders and creates a temporary guest worker program that meets the demand for labor and a process for addressing those undocumented and currently employed in the United States. It urges Congress to act quickly and decisively to address the ever-growing problem and to pass a comprehensive reform package, rather than piecemeal legislation that only addresses a few narrow components of the overall program.
Alternative Minimum Tax - The masonry industry supports repeal of the AMT, or appropriate indexing of the AMT to its original date of enactment or date of enactment of a new AMT bill.
Workplace Crystalline Silica - The masonry industry urges Congress to ensure that OSHA's regulatory focus is not swayed by bad science on the matter of workplace exposure to crystalline silica. A comprehensive standard is needed to provide for exposure monitoring, medical surveillance and worker training, but the standard must be fair.