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CCH® BENEFITS — 4/16/07

New Benefits Bills In Congress

from Spencer’s Benefits Reports: Between March 29 and April 6, the following benefits-related bills were introduced in Congress. Included are House bills to extend the health care tax exclusion to domestic partners (H.R. 1820), restore the tax exclusion for group legal benefits (H.R. 1840), and provide for comprehensive health care reform (H.R. 1841).

  1. H.R. 1802: To amend the Internal Revenue Code to provide a refundable tax credit to small businesses for the costs of qualified health insurance. Sponsor: Darlene Hooley (Ore.). Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.
  2. H.R. 1820: To amend the Internal Revenue Code to extend the exclusion from gross income for employer-provided health coverage for employees’ spouses and dependent children to coverage provided to other eligible designated beneficiaries of employees. Sponsor: Jim McDermott (Wash.). Cosponsors (None). Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.
  3. H.R. 1840: To restore and make permanent the exclusion from gross income for amounts received under qualified group legal services plans and to increase the maximum amount of the exclusion. Sponsor: Fortney Stark (Cal.). Cosponsors (13). Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.
  4. H.R. 1841: To amend the Social Security Act and the Internal Revenue Code to provide for an AmeriCare that assures the provision of health insurance coverage to all residents, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Fortney Stark (Cal.). Cosponsors (24). Referred to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Education and Labor.
  5. H.R. 1846: To amend Title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide improved access to physical medicine and rehabilitation services under Part B of the Medicare program, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Edolphus Towns (N.Y.). Cosponsors (None). Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means.
  6. H.R. 1848 : To amend Title 5 of the United States Code to exempt certain individuals under the Civil Service Retirement System from the requirement to pay interest on the payment of amounts received as refunds of retirement contributions as a condition of receiving credit under such system for the service covered by the refund. Sponsor: Chris Van Hollen (Md.). Cosponsors (None). Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the House Administration.
  1. S. 1022 : A bill to amend Title XXI of the Social Security Act to eliminate the remainder of funding shortfalls for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) for fiscal year 2007, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Saxby Chambliss (Ga.). Cosponsors (1). Referred to the Committee on Finance.
  2. S. 1038 : A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code to expand workplace health incentives by equalizing the tax consequences of employee athletic facility use. Sponsor: John Cornyn (Texas). Cosponsors (1). Referred to the Committee on Finance.
  3. S. 1050: A bill to amend the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Public Health Service Act to set standards for medical diagnostic equipment and to establish a program for promoting good health, disease prevention, and wellness and for the prevention of secondary conditions for individuals with disabilities, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Tom Harkin (Iowa). Cosponsors (None). Referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  4. S. 1063: A bill to amend Title 10 of the United States Code to improve certain death and survivor benefits with respect to members of the Armed Forces, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.). Cosponsors (None). Referred to the Committee on Armed Services.

For more information on this and related topics, consult the CCH Pension Plan Guide, CCH Employee Benefits Management, and Spencer's Benefits Reports.

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