Election Year Relief Votes:
Medicare, Alternative Minimum Tax

(July 7, 2008)

In late June in the U.S. House of Representatives, the following bills were voted on (selected from many):

The Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act [H.R. 6331] passed the House on June 24, 2008 by a vote of 355 Yes, 59 No, 20 not voting. Mike Thompson voted Yes. However, the bill has not yet been introduced in the Senate. If it becomes law it will extend some expiring programs and add others, including provisions for access for rural areas.

The Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act [H.R. 6346] on June 24 failed to get the 2/3 vote it needed to pass with the rules suspended, which would have cut off debate. If it became law it would have giving the FTC some authority to supervise prices at gas pumps. 276 Yes, 146 No, with Congressman Thompson voting Yes. The same bill passed the House last year, but was never considered by the Senate.

The Alternative Minimum Tax Relief Act of 2008 [H.R. 6275] passed the House on June 25, 2008 with the vote of 233 Yes, 189 No, 12 not voting. Mike Thompson voted Yes. The bill would provide temporary relief to high income Americans who avoid paying income taxes by claiming excessive amounts of deductions. It would have to be passed by the Senate and signed by the President to become law. Strangely the Republicans mainly voted against this tax cut for the upper-middle class, and the Democrats voted for it, which might have to do with its specific provisions.

The Saving Energy Through Public Transportation Act [H.R. 6052] passed the House on June 26, 2008. This bill would promote the increased use of public transportation and the use of alternative fuels in such transportation. The vote count was 322 Yes, 98 No, 14 not voting. Mike Thompson voted Yes.

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