{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://www.brown.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/senators-call-on-house-leadership-to-include-hctc-into-omnibus-package", "Senators Call on House Leadership to Include HCTC into Omnibus Package", "2014-12-05", "2014", "2014-12", "Democrat", "House", "OH", "Sherrod Brown", "B000944", "www.brown.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Without Inclusion, the Health Care Tax Credit \u2013 Which Helps Delphi Salaried Retirees Afford Critical Health Care Coverage \u2013 Will Expire\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tFriday, December 5, 2014\n            \n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Today, U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Bob Casey (D-PA), Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) called on House leadership to include the Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC) into omnibus legislation scheduled to be taken up during the remaining weeks of Congressional session. HCTC serves as a critical lifeline to help retired United Steelworkers and Delphi salaried retirees struggling to maintain affordable healthcare.\r\n\u201cAcross the country, the HCTC helps tens of thousands of struggling families pay their health bills,\u201d the Senators said in their letter.\u00a0\u201cThese families include thousands of Delphi retirees whose pensions were terminated during the GM rescue and subsequently turned over to the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation.\u00a0As you know well, the 20,000 Delphi salaried retirees lost up to 70 percent of their pensions. Without the HCTC, which expired on January 1, 2014, these salaried retirees face financial hardship with up to 50 percent of their remaining pension going to fund their health care premiums. We urge you to include a two year extension of the HCTC in the funding bill that clears the House before Congress adjourns.\u201d\r\nAs a result of House inaction, the HCTC expired at the end of 2013. The HCTC helps trade-affected workers; select groups of retirees who have lost their pensions through no fault of their own, like Delphi salaried retirees; and their families purchase private health coverage to replace the employer-sponsored coverage they lost. It makes health insurance more affordable by providing a 72.5 percent tax credit to eligible workers, allowing these workers to pay only a portion of their qualified health insurance. Often the HCTC serves as an important bridge for Americans until they become eligible for Medicare benefits.\r\nThe letter to Speaker John Boehner and Leader Nancy Pelosi can be seen below:\r\nThe Honorable John Boehner\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Honorable Nancy Pelosi\r\nSpeaker of the House\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Minority Leader\r\nU.S. House of Representatives\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 U.S. House of Representatives\r\nWashington, D.C. 20515\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Washington, D.C. 20515 \r\nDear Speaker Boehner, Leader Pelosi:\r\nWe wish to affirm our strong support for including an extension of the Health Coverage Tax Credit in the omnibus legislation the House is set to take up during this lame duck session of Congress.\u00a0 As you know, proposals to extend the HCTC have received bipartisan support in the Senate. \r\nAcross the country, the HCTC helps tens of thousands of struggling families pay their health bills.\u00a0 These families include thousands of Delphi retirees whose pensions were terminated during the GM rescue and subsequently turned over to the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation.\u00a0 As you know well, the 20,000 Delphi salaried retirees lost up to 70 percent of their pensions. Without the HCTC, which expired on January 1, 2014, these salaried retirees face financial hardship with up to 50 percent of their remaining pension going to fund their health care premiums. The Delphi salaried retirees have spent all of this year paying for health care out of their own modest income. If Congress fails to act, the pensions of these retirees will not be made whole when they file their 2014 returns. This is an issue that cannot wait. We urge you to include a two year extension of the HCTC in the funding bill that clears the House before Congress adjourns. \r\nThank you for your attention to this important issue.\r\n###\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPress Contact\n\t\t\t\t\tMeghan Dubyak/Ben Famous (Brown): (202) 224-3978", 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": ["http://www.brown.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/senators-call-on-house-leadership-to-include-hctc-into-omnibus-package"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.9665020518004894, "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"}