releases: https://www.menendez.senate.gov/news-and-events/press/menendez-booker-government-budget-bill-supports-nj-middle-class-working-families_-
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
This data as json
| url | title | date | year | month | party | chamber | state | member_name | bioguide_id | domain | scraper | source | date_source | text | has_text | collected_at | updated_at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| https://www.menendez.senate.gov/news-and-events/press/menendez-booker-government-budget-bill-supports-nj-middle-class-working-families_- | Menendez, Booker: Government Budget Bill Supports NJ Middle Class, Working Families | 2015-12-17 | 2015 | 2015-12 | Democrat | House | NJ | Robert Menendez | M000639 | www.menendez.senate.gov | legacy | Menendez, Booker: Government Budget Bill Supports NJ Middle Class, Working Families Menendez, Booker: Government Budget Bill Supports NJ Middle Class, Working Families Thursday, December 17, 2015 WASHINGTON, DC U.S. Senator Bob Menendez and Cory Booker today said the year-end federal budget bill which will be voted on by the full Senate tomorrow invests in several priorities that support New Jerseys middle class and working families. Specifically, the bill makes the increased tax benefit for transit commuters permanent, provides mortgage debt relief for underwater homeowners, makes expansions to the Earned Income and Child Tax Credits permanent, dedicates funds for Alzheimers research, protects and invests in womens health care, Head Start and student loans to help pay for college. Im incredibly pleased this funding bill includes several important provisions Ive long championed that invest and protect our middle class and working families, said Sen. Menendez. It will put real money back in the pockets of transit riders in the face of rising fares, give a lifeline to struggling homeowners, ensure women have access to quality health services, and help our young people afford to go to college. It also makes permanent the earned income and child tax credits, which together help pull families out of poverty and into the middle class. This is a balanced deal that will help both working families and New Jersey businesses. Ive been fighting for parity since negotiations began if we make business credits permanent, lets also make permanent important improvements to the EITC and Child Tax Credit in order to do whats right for working families in New Jersey and across the nation, said Sen. Booker. When I was Mayor of Newark, my Administration made access to these tax credits a priority through the creation of a free tax preparation center in city hall and the promotion of free VITA sites across the city. Now Im proud to help make these tax credits stronger." The omnibus legislation being voted on by Congress this week includes the following provisions: Transit Parity Increases the maximum monthly commuter tax benefit for transit riders to be equivalent to the current parking benefit, and makes this parity permanent. This amounts to an estimated annual savings of over $1,000 for New Jerseyans who rely on mass transit. Mortgage Debt Relief Excludes from taxation, the amount of a mortgage debt forgiven through loan modification, short sale, or other cancellation such as a government buyout, which would otherwise be treated as taxable income. Not only does this tax relief help Sandy victims struggling with mortgage debt, it also helps homeowners whose home values declined during the financial crisis and whose mortgages are still underwater because home prices havent sufficiently rebounded in their neighborhood. Earned Income Tax Credit The bill makes expansions to the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) permanent for low-income working families. In the 2013 tax year, over 27 million working families and individuals received the EITC with an average benefit of $3,074 for a family with children (boosting wages by about $256 a month). The EITC has been widely credited by economists as one of the most effective tools to combat poverty, particularly childhood poverty. Child Tax Credit The bill makes expansions to the Child Tax Credit (CTC) permanent . It is worth up to $1,000 per eligible child (under age 17 at the end of the tax year).When filing taxes for 2015 working families can receive a refund equal to 15 percent of their earnings above $3,000, up to the credits full $1,000-per-child value. For example, a single mother with two children who earns $14,000 in 2015 could receive 15 percent of $11,000, or $1,650, as a refund. Teachers The bill restores funding for Teacher Quality State Grants, which had been cut by $668.3 million in the House bill and $103.4 million in the Senate version. These grants provide funding for schools to increase academic achievement by improving teacher and principle quality. It also expands and makes the $250 Educator Expense Deduction for school supplies purchased permanent. Alzheimers Research The bill increases funding for the National Institutes of Health by $2 billion for a total of $32 billion, including $350 million dedicated to Alzheimers research. Womens Health The bill includes $286.5 million for the Title X program, which provides comprehensive family planning and preventive health services to more than 4 million men and women in 2014, including more than 780,000 Pap tests, 1.3 million breast exams, 3 million STD tests and 1 million confidential HIV tests. This appropriation is $29 million more than in the Senate Republican proposal and $286 million more than House version, which eliminated the program. Head Start/Education The bill provides over $68 billion in funding for education programs, including $14.9 billion for Title I funding ($350 million more than the Senate Republican bill, and $500 million more than FY15) and $9.17 billion for Head Start ($470 million more than the Senate Republican bill, and $570 million more than FY15). Title I grants support more than 80 percent of the 14,000 school districts across the nation and more than 23 million students. The Head Start funding total includes a cost-of-living increase for grantees that will restore enrollment to the 2014 level of 927,000 funded slots. The omnibus also restores $250 million of funding for Preschool Development Grants, which had been zeroed out in both the House and Senate bills, and increases funding for Child Care Development Block Grants by $326 million from FY15 levels. Pell Grants -- The bill provides $22.475 billion for the Pell Grant program to maintain the max discretionary award at $4,860 for the 2016-2017 school year. Combined with mandatory funding, the total max award is estimated to increase by $140 to $5,915. There will be about 8.4 million Pell Grant recipients during the 2016-2017 school year, an increase of more than 100,000 students compared to the current year. The funding level is $300 million more than both House and Senate Republican committee proposals. Substance Abuse/Opioids The bill includes $3.8 billion for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which is $319 million more than the Senate Republican committee proposal. The total includes $47 million directed to addressing the burgeoning epidemic of prescription drug and heroin overdose: $25 million - an increase of $13 million - for medication assisted treatment in high-risk states, $12 million for naloxone distribution in 10 states; and $10 million for prevention efforts in up to 20 states that will build awareness of prescription drugs. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |