{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://sinema.house.gov/latest-news/sinema-mcsally-legislation-to-stop-tax-hike-on-arizona-seniors-middle-class-families-passes-house/", "Sinema, McSally Legislation to Stop Tax Hike on Arizona Seniors, Middle Class Families Passes House", "2016-09-14", "2016", "2016-09", "Democrat", "House", "AZ", "Kyrsten Sinema", "S001191", "sinema.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, the House of Representatives passed the Halt Tax Increases on the Middle Class and Seniors Act (H.R. 3590), legislation introduced by Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema and Congresswoman Martha McSally to prevent a tax increase on out-of-pocket medical expenses for Arizona seniors and middle class families.\r\n\r\n\t\u201cArizonans continue to struggle with increasing health care costs,\u201d said Congresswoman Sinema.\u00a0 \u201cThis commonsense legislation allows Arizona seniors and families to deduct more of their out-of-pocket health care expenses, a relief sorely needed during tough economic times.\u201d\r\n\r\n\t\u201cMany Arizona seniors have saved their entire lives in the hopes of a secure retirement. It would be completely unfair now to hand them the bill for the runaway spending of the past few years,\u201d said Congresswoman McSally. \u201cOur bill stops this looming tax hike before it hits seniors and rolls it back on middle class families already being squeezed by it.\"\u00a0\r\n\r\n\t\u201cMany Arizona seniors already face high out of pocket medical costs,\u201d said AARP Arizona State Director Dana Marie Kennedy. \u201cIncreasing this tax deduction threshold on them will only cost them more.\u00a0 AARP is proud of the bipartisan work of Congresswoman McSally and Congresswoman Sinema to preserve this important medical deduction and help ensure seniors in Arizona with high health care costs do not also get hit with tax hikes.\u201d\r\n\r\n\tPreviously, taxpayers could deduct out-of-pocket medical expenses that exceed 7.5 percent of their adjusted growth income (AGI). The Affordable Care Act increased this threshold to 10 percent for individuals under 65.\u00a0 For individuals 65 and older, the increase is scheduled to occur in 2017. The Halt Tax Increases on the Middle Class and Seniors Act prevents that increase and returns the AGI threshold to 7.5 percent for all individuals.\r\n\r\n\t  \r\n\tCongresswoman Sinema spoke on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives in support of the bill:\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\twatch\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\r\n\tCongresswoman Sinema full remarks here: \r\n\r\n\tThank you Congresswoman McSally for working with me to introduce this bipartisan legislation.\r\n\r\n\tI rise today in support of H.R. 3590, the Halt Tax Increases on the Middle Class and Seniors Act.\r\n\r\n\tAs the cost of healthcare shifts onto households, Congress must act to make sure that hardworking families can make ends meet.\r\n\r\n\tH.R. 3590 provides commonsense and needed relief for hardworking Arizona families.\r\n\r\n\tThis legislation returns the adjusted gross income threshold for claiming the medical expense deduction to 7.5 percent and prevents a looming tax hike on seniors.\r\n\r\n\tAccording to a 2014 CRS report, medical expenses are the second largest deduction for taxpayers with adjusted gross incomes of under $50,000.\u00a0\r\n\r\n\tMiddle income families who itemize deductions are more likely and more able to claim this deduction than high income earners.\r\n\r\n\tAccording to 2014 IRS data, 98% of those claiming this deduction have incomes less than $200,000, and 84% claiming this deduction make less than $100,000. More than half (54%) of those who claim this deduction earn less than $55,000.\r\n\r\n\tIf we talk dollars, 94% of the dollars that went back to hardworking families to cover medical expenses went to filers who make under $200,000.\r\n\r\n\tWhile the annual growth in healthcare spending has slowed to historically low rates, the out of pocket costs for hardworking families continue to rise.\r\n\r\n\tThis legislation provides modest relief for middle class families and seniors, which is why it is strongly supported by AARP.\r\n\r\n\tAgain, I thank my colleague from Arizona for her bipartisan work on this bill. \u00a0\r\n\r\n\t###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://sinema.house.gov/latest-news/sinema-mcsally-legislation-to-stop-tax-hike-on-arizona-seniors-middle-class-families-passes-house/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7019019685685635, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}