HOUSE
Estate taxes: Voting 225 for and 200 against, the House on Dec. 3 passed a bill (HR 4154) to permanently extend the estate tax at a top rate of 45 percent and with provisions to limit it to individual estates above $3.5 million and joint estates above $7 million. Initially, the bill would exclude more than 99 percent of estates from taxation, including nearly all family-owned small businesses and farms. But that figure would gradually diminish because the exemption levels are not indexed for inflation. The bill's cost of nearly $237 billion over 10 years would be added to the national debt.
Without this bill, the estate tax would disappear next year then return in 2011 at pre-2001 levels that entail a top rate of 55 percent and a $1million exclusion. The bill sets current market prices, rather than the original purchase price, as the basis for computing capital gains on inherited assets.
A yes vote was to pass the bill.
Voting yes: G.K. Butterfield, D-1, Bob Etheridge, D-2, David Price, D-4, Mike McIntyre, D-7, Larry Kissell, D-8, Heath Shuler, D-11, Mel Watt, D-12, Brad Miller, D-13
Voting no: Walter Jones, R-3, Virginia Foxx, R-5, HowardCoble, R-6, Sue Myrick, R-9, Patrick McHenry, R-10
GOP estate-tax plan: Voting 187 for and 233 against, the House on Dec. 3 defeated a GOP motion to HR 4154 (above) that sought to eliminate the estate tax in 2010 and 2011 but allow it to return in 2012. Republicans settled for this approach after the Democrats' deficit rules blocked their bid for a permanent repeal of the estate tax.
A yes vote backed the GOP motion.
Voting yes: Jones, Foxx, Coble, McIntyre, Kissell, Myrick, McHenry
Voting no: Butterfield, Etheridge, Price, Shuler, Watt, Miller
SENATE
Medicare cost controls: Voting 42 for and 58 against, the Senate on Dec. 3 refused to strip a pending health care bill (HR 3590) of its nearly $500 billion slowdown in Medicare spending growth over 10 years. The proposed fiscal controls would help pay the $848 billion cost of the bill while imposing long-term structural changes and securing the Medicare trust fund. Although the cuts target waste rather than benefits, critics say they could lead to a rationing of care. By category, the two largest reductions would lower subsidies of private Medicare Advantage policies by $118 billion and reduce payments to hospitals by $105 billion.
A yes vote opposed the bill's Medicare cuts.
Voting yes: Richard Burr, R
Voting no: Kay Hagan, D
Medicare benefits: Voting 100 for and none against, the Senate on Dec. 3 stipulated that HR 3590 (above) would fully protect guaranteed Medicare benefits. The vote affirmed language already in the health care bill.
A yes vote backed the amendment.
Voting yes: Hagan, Burr
Women's health screening: The Senate on Dec. 3 voted, 61 for and 39 against, to make women's medical screenings more affordable under HR 3590 (above). The amendment sought to eliminate or reduce co-payments and deductibles that the bill's "essential benefits package" sets for screenings to detect breast, cervical, colorectal and ovarian cancer; diabetes; heart and vascular ailments and other diseases that take a high toll on women. The amendment's projected cost of $940 million over 10 years would be added to the national debt.
A yes vote backed the amendment.
Voting yes: Hagan
Voting no: Burr
Republican screening plan: Voting 41 for and 59 against, the Senate on Dec.3 defeated a Republican alternative to a Democratic measure (above) on insurance coverage of medical screening for women. The amendment to HR 3590 sought to weaken a federal advisory panel's influence on insurance rules for screenings, thus giving insurance firms and doctors more say in those decisions. It stopped short of eliminating or reducing co-pays and deductibles for women's preventive care.
A yes vote backed the GOP plan.
Voting yes: Burr
Voting no: Hagan
