{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.roberts.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=2F9E57D2-03A3-4535-B654-B305C9FC517B", "Senator Roberts Votes for Historic Tax Relief; Bill Now Heads to Senate Floor", "2017-11-16", "2017", "2017-11", "Republican", "House", "KS", "Pat Roberts", "R000307", "www.roberts.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 U.S. Senator Pat Roberts, a senior member of the Senate Committee on Finance, today\u00a0voted in favor of significant and historical tax relief for all Americans, to repeal the individual mandate in Obamacare and to boost economic growth by modernizing the tax code. The Finance Committee favorably reported the bill, the\u00a0Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, with a vote of 14-12.\r\n\u201cAfter years of work, the Finance Committee has put together a good bill focused on providing tax relief to middle income Americans,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cSo many working families in Kansas need this meaningful relief. This bill, which includes many provisions supported by Democrats, will allow them to keep more of their hard-earned dollars and will help create new and better paying jobs.\u201d\r\nImportant provisions for Kansans in the bill:\r\n \r\nDoubles the child tax credit to $2,000, raises income caps allowing more middle-class families to claim it and indexes the credit to inflation.\r\nLowers rates for low- and middle-income households, allowing them to keep more of their hard-earned dollars.\r\nCreates an employer credit for paid family and medical leave, encouraging flexible work arrangements to help meet the needs of 21st century working men and women.\r\nProtects 401(k) and Individual Retirement Accounts to help Americans build their retirement nest eggs and save for retirement.\r\nMaintains home mortgage interest deduction up to $1 million, incentivizing homeownership and providing tax relief to current and aspiring homeowners.\r\n \r\nThe Tax Foundation estimates that under this bill, Kansans\u2019 income will increase by $2,500 and 9,019 new jobs will be created.\r\nA typical family of four earning the median family income of around $73,000 will get a tax cut of\u00a0nearly $1,500. A single parent with an income of $41,000 will see a 55 percent reduction in their tax bill.\u00a0\r\n\u201cI am also proud of the pro-growth provisions I secured in the bill for farmers and ranchers, especially during this tough economy,\u201d Roberts said.\u00a0\r\nSome of the provisions benefitting agriculture producers include:\r\n \r\nRobust individual and business income tax rate reductions;\r\nRepeal of the alternative minimum tax for individuals and businesses;\r\nMore robust depreciation for farmers and ranchers;\u00a0\r\nBetter cash accounting for ag producers;\r\nIncreased exemptions from the estate and gift tax;\r\nAnd retains the current the rules for stepped up basis.\r\n \r\nThe bill now heads to the full Senate for a debate and vote. The House of Representatives passed its version of tax reform\u00a0Thursday.\r\nIn June, Finance Committee Chairman Orin Hatch appointed Senator Roberts to lead the committee\u2019s examination of agriculture tax issues. Senator Roberts is also Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.", 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://www.roberts.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=2F9E57D2-03A3-4535-B654-B305C9FC517B"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8089221082627773, "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"}