{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://woodall.house.gov/media-center/e-newsletter-archive/washington-watch-121117", "Washington Watch - 12/11/17", "2017-12-11", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "GA", "Rob Woodall", "W000810", "woodall.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "TAX REFORM LEGISLATION MOVES TO CONFERENCE COMMITTEE\nFor those of you who are following the tax reform process closely, you\u2019ll know that last week brought us another step closer to wrapping up our work on a comprehensive tax overhaul before the end of the year. The House led the way last Monday by voting to meet the Senate in Conference Committee to hash out the differences in each chamber\u2019s tax reform plan, and the Senate followed our lead on Wednesday. Once the members of the Conference Committee reach an agreement on a unified tax reform bill, it will come before the House and Senate for final passage, and if approved by each chamber, the tax reform bill will head to the President\u2019s desk for his signature.\nYou may be wondering what those outstanding differences are in the House and Senate tax bills. The good news is that the bills are pretty similar, but there are several areas in which the plans differ. For example, the House-passed version of H.R. 1 would consolidate the current seven tax brackets into four, while the Senate bill maintains all seven of today\u2019s brackets. Another outstanding issue is how to deal with certain deductions and credits, including the deduction for medical expenses, which the House bill eliminates and the Senate bill retains, and the child tax credit, which both bills expand but in different ways, to name a few. Even in areas where there is agreement, such as lowering the corporate tax rate to 20%, the two chambers currently disagree on whether the changes should take place in 2018 or be delayed a year until 2019. My expectation is that, after much consideration and debate, the Conference Committee will reach an agreement on each and every one of these issues in the coming days.\nFor those of you who are interested in learning more about each of chamber\u2019s tax reform bill and the sections that need to be reconciled, I encourage you to take a look at the Tax Foundation side-by-side comparison. And as I\u2019ve said many times in past newsletters, I hope you all will continue to reach out to me about those parts of our tax reform bill that you like and those parts that you believe could be improved. My commitment to you all is that I will continue working until the very last minute of this debate to deliver a tax reform plan that makes the American taxpayers proud!\n\u00a0\nPRESIDENT TRUMP RECOGNIZES JERUSALEM AS ISRAEL\u2019S CAPITAL CITY\nPresident Trump fulfilled yet another one of his campaign promises last week by recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel.\u00a0This move was lauded by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and described by many as an important step toward peace in the troubled region. The President wants what we all want\u2014peaceful coexistence between the Israeli and Palestinian people\u2014and the simple fact is that bipartisan majorities in Congress have voted multiple times to recognize Israel\u2019s self-identified seat of government.\u00a0 The Jerusalem Embassy Act became the law of the land in 1995 during President Bill Clinton\u2019s Administration, and I\u2019m pleased that this law is finally being implemented by President Trump, as it should have been long ago.\n  \n\t\u00a0\nSTRONG BIPARTISAN OPPOSITION TO ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT\nAmongst the other matters considered in the House of Representatives this past week, Representative Al Green (D-TX) offered articles of impeachment against President Trump, describing the President as a divisive and controversial figure, but failing to actually cite any criminal actions. The articles were overwhelming dismissed, with only 58 members, all Democrats voting in favor of taking the matter up on the House floor, and 364 members, the vast majority of the House \u2013 both Democrats and Republicans \u2013 in opposition to such an action. While demands for impeachment are not rare, even George Washington faced such calls; the actual impeachment of a federal official is incredibly rare. In fact, only two Presidents have ever been successfully impeached, and both were acquitted by the Senate, where the trial is adjudicated. Impeachment is very serious action and should be reserved for the most grave of circumstances and with appropriate evidence of \u201cTreason, Bribery, or other High Crimes and Misdemeanors,\" as prescribed in the Constitution. If a Member of Congress proposed articles of impeachment every time he or she disagreed with the President, our country would not be able function. Just because we disagree on policies does not justify removing someone from office or overturning free and fair elections decided by the American people. The wonderful thing about the great experiment of American democracy is that we can disagree on many issues, and, despite those differences, still be able to come together to govern the country. I was pleased to see the vast majority of my colleagues\u2014both Republican and Democratic\u2014 agree that this was a distraction from the vital work that faces the House, especially with pressing issues such as tax reform, immigration, and our national security on our plate.\u00a0\n\u00a0\nHOUSE PASSES A BILL TO HELP SMALL BUSINESSES AND KEEP THE GOVERNMENT OPEN\nLast week, the House passed an important financial services bill \u2013 H.R. 477, the \u201cSmall Business Mergers, Acquisitions, Sales, and Brokerage Simplification Act of 2017,\u201d with overwhelming bipartisan support. This bill seeks to modify the current U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulatory structure that subjects merger and acquisition brokers who advise small privately held companies to the same SEC registration requirements as larger, publicly traded companies, and such registration requirements typically come with a hefty fee that is oftentimes passed on to small businesses. I know that we can do better for our nation\u2019s small, family-owned businesses, especially when it comes time to pass on a company that someone has invested their life\u2019s work and passion into, and by exempting certain merger and acquisition brokers who assist these companies when that time comes, I am confident that H.R. 477 will provide small business owners with the sound financial confidence they need to finalize a transfers or a sale, as well as the fair treatment they deserve.\u00a0\nIn addition to H.R. 477, Congress passed and sent to the President a Continuing Resolution (CR) to extend funding for the federal government through December 22, 2017. As many of you already know, the House passed earlier this year, on time and ahead of schedule, an entire Fiscal Year 2018 spending package to fund the priorities of the American people. As I pointed out on the House floor, Congress should not be in the business of funding the government by way of CR\u2019s, but unfortunately, we cannot continue to wait any longer for the Senate to take up and consider the House-passed FY18 spending package and let the federal government\u2019s funding lapse.\u00a0\nSimilarly, the Senate has not yet taken up a bill that passed the House weeks ago with my support and would provide a five year reauthorization for the Children\u2019s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Because many states and families can no longer wait for the Senate to get itself moving either, this CR includes a provision that allows the government to provide reserve CHIP funds to states most in need of it.\u00a0\nCLICK BELOW to watch me speak about the CR and H.R. 477.\n\u00a0\nROB\u00a0WOODALL PARTICIPATES IN TRANSPORTATION ROUNDTABLE\nOn Thursday, I joined many of my colleagues on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for a roundtable on emerging technologies in the trucking industry.\u00a0 We have seen advancements over the last several years in technology related to efficiency and safety that are poised to reinvent this industry for the 21st Century.\u00a0 Today there are more than 10 million commercial trucks on the road, and a growing economy with better trade deals will only result in more commerce.\u00a0 Commercial trucks on the road are a good sign\u2014that means there are more jobs available, Americans have more money to buy things, and businesses are succeeding.\u00a0That economic activity does bring its own set of challenges, however.\u00a0We have to make sure that our infrastructure is able to accommodate it, our roadways don\u2019t become hopelessly congested with new traffic, and that we all can drive on our public roads safely.\u00a0\u00a0\n\u00a0  Rep. Rob Woodall participates in a bipartisan roundtable discussion on emerging technologies in\u00a0the trucking industry\nOn the Committee, we are working with safety organizations, industry stakeholders, and folks back home to build consensus on the steps we can take to begin integrating semi-autonomous vehicles on the road and improve the safety technology that truck drivers have access to, such as automatic emergency braking systems, forward collision warning, lane keeping support, and more.\u00a0These conversations will intensify once the President announces his infrastructure proposal early next year, and I am excited to be in a position to influence such an important issue.\n\u00a0\nUPHOLDING STATES\u2019 RIGHTS WHILE PROMOTING THE SECOND AMENDMENT\nAs a gun owner and concealed carry permit holder myself, I value the opportunity to exercise my Second Amendment right while home in Georgia. But as many of you know, not all states will honor a Georgia concealed carry permit. Congress had attempted to address this problem back in 2011, but it failed to offer protections to uphold the rights of states to make their own laws in this area. Last week, however, the House passed a bill, H.R. 38, the \u201cConcealed Carry Reciprocity Act,\u201d that would address not only the reciprocity issue, but also many of the Tenth Amendment concerns regarding the protection of state sovereignty. With the additional endorsement of Georgia\u2019s chief law enforcement officer, Attorney General Chris Carr,\u00a0and twenty three other attorneys general across the United States, I am encouraged that this bill will uphold the Second and the Tenth Amendments equally. I am hopeful that as H.R. 38 continues to move through the legislative process, Members of this body remain mindful of the importance of each Amendment in the Constitution.\u00a0\n\u00a0\nTHANK YOU AGAIN FOR PARTICIPATING IN MY TOWN HALL\nI\u2019m so grateful to each one of you for taking the time to participate in my town hall meeting last week. We had a great discussion about Congress\u2019 effort to reform our nation\u2019s outdated tax code, and we were joined by my good friend Representative Tom Rice (R-SC) who sits on the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee in the House. Representative Rice shared with us his insight on Congress\u2019 reform effort as well as his tax policy expertise from his twenty-five plus years of practicing tax law before being sent to Congress. We also heard from a number of Seventh District residents who shared their thoughts about the \u201cTax Cuts and Jobs Act,\u201d and from those folks who simply wanted to get their facts straight, which seems harder and harder to do now-a-days with the news media\u2019s sensationalized coverage of the issues.\u00a0\nIf you weren\u2019t able to participate in this event, please know I\u2019ll be doing more, and I certainly hope you\u2019ll be able to participate at that time.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be sure to let you know when those are coming up, so please keep an eye on future newsletters and on my website.\u00a0 Thank you again for your continued partnership, and please don\u2019t hesitate to\u00a0contact me\u00a0with any questions or concerns you may have.\n\u00a0\nLOCAL LEADERSHIP IN THE SPOTLIGHT\nOf all the things that make me proud of our community, the way in which we take ownership of the big challenges with a sense of partnership and vision certainly rises to the top.\u00a0 One of those issues is how we partner to address our growing transportation needs not only in the Seventh District, but across the State of Georgia, and throughout the country.\u00a0 As a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, with your help, I\u2019ve been able to carry our message of local leadership and decision-making, the ways in which we invest with our own time and resources before asking others to do so, and the results we have to show for it to Washington.\u00a0 Not every community has that story to tell, but irrespective of the issue \u2013 whether education, taking care of those in need, transportation, and so much more, we work together to reach our goals.\u00a0 We\u2019ve accomplished a great deal together, and there\u2019s absolutely more to do.\u00a0 As the region continues to grow and change, so do our infrastructure needs.\u00a0 Arriving at the best solution requires the kind of discussion and leadership we\u2019re fortunate to have with so many of our local officials \u2013 Gwinnett County Commission Chairwoman Charlotte Nash being among them.\u00a0\u00a0\nIn recent years, we\u2019ve made great strides together at the local, state, and federal level.\u00a0 From the bipartisan enactment of the FAST Act, to Georgia\u2019s own billion dollar investment in transportation and infrastructure, to county and local projects in Gwinnett and Forsyth, we\u2019re making tangible progress, but we\u2019re also keenly aware of the work and hurdles that remain before us.\u00a0 Here at home, we don\u2019t always agree on every step forward, but I\u2019m grateful that where we do agree is that we all want to move towards those common goals, and we don\u2019t shy away from the dialogue that gets us there.\u00a0 Thank you all for your continued partnership in these conversations, whether just around the corner, down at the Gold Dome, or in Washington.\n\u00a0\nFORSYTH COUNTY COMMISSIONERS GO TO WASHINGTON\nIt was a productive week in Washington, and that included visiting with several of our fantastic Forsyth County Commissioners who were in town on behalf of the good people of Forsyth County.\u00a0 While our paths cross often here at home, it\u2019s not every day that I have the pleasure of hosting them in my office on Capitol Hill. Now mind you, they had important business to attend to that included meeting with Vice President Pence and White House staff, not to mention many others on Capitol Hill, but I like to think they didn\u2019t feel any more welcome there than when they were in the Seventh District\u2019s office in Washington.\u00a0 We discussed many things, but one of their biggest areas of concern and reasons for their trip was to advance a resolution that would establish a water intake pipe in Lake Lanier.\u00a0\u00a0\n\u00a0  Rep. Rob Woodall meets with members of the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners in Washington, D.C.\nHere again we have yet another example of the forward-thinking leadership of our local leaders, and I\u2019m so grateful to have the opportunity to partner with them on this issue and so many others.\u00a0 Water resources is a topic near and dear to all of us, especially as it relates to Lake Lanier and its responsible use, which is an on-going conversation we have on Capitol Hill as well.\u00a0 Most recently, in last year\u2019s Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA), you and I successfully partnered to preserve our local decision-making authority surrounding Lake Lanier.\u00a0 Without a doubt, it is one of our community\u2019s most valued resources, and it is because of that reality that I will always make the case for our superior stewardship of it.\u00a0 No one values its beautiful shores or precious drinking water more than we do here at home.\u00a0 It was my pleasure to visit with our Commissioners about their vision and goals for our shared community, and I\u2019m looking forward to continuing that partnership on this issue and many more.\n\u00a0\nTHE WEEK AHEAD\nI\u2019m especially excited to announce that this Tuesday, the House Judiciary Committee will approve a bipartisan bill that I introduced along with my colleague Representative Jackie Speier (D-CA). \u00a0H.R. 2595, the \u201cStrengthening the Department of Homeland Security Secure Mail Initiative Act,\u201d is a common-sense bill that directs DHS to allow someone to pay a small fee and have their important DHS documents held for them at the post office or delivered only with signature confirmation. While this is a simple bill, it\u2019s fixing a complex problem. Too many of our 7th District neighbors have seen their critically important immigration documents \u2013 work permits, visas, green cards \u2013 lost in the mail. This increases the chances of identity fraud for the unsuspecting immigrant, and it provides criminals an opportunity to engage in terrorism. By allowing folks to pay a nominal amount up front, we\u2019re helping save time and aggravation later by keeping these documents safe. I\u2019m so proud that the Judiciary Committee is moving the bill forward, and I hope that it will come to the House floor soon.\nThe House is also expected to move four bills through the Rules Committee and across the floor this week: H.R. 1628, the \u201cIranian Leadership Asset Transparency Act,\u201d H.R. 2396, the \u201cPrivacy Notification Technical Clarification Act,\u201d H.R. 4015, the \u201cCorporate Governance Reform and Transparency Act of 2017,\u201d and H.R. 4324, the \u201cStrengthening Oversight of Iran\u2019s Access to Finance Act.\u201d The Rules Committee will be holding its hearing on these measures Tuesday afternoon at 3:00PM, and I hope you\u2019ll take a moment to tune in online to watch the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee discuss these important pieces of legislation.\u00a0\nSincerely,    \n\tRob Woodall  \n\tMember of Congress", 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://woodall.house.gov/media-center/e-newsletter-archive/washington-watch-121117"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9461850859224796, "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"}