Jack Kingston: “Reclaiming my time, let me jog the gentleman's memory. Here is what the situation was, and the gentleman is a…”

“Reclaiming my time, let me jog the gentleman's memory. Here is what the situation was, and the gentleman is a distinguished member of the Committee on Rules and has lots of bills that pass through his desk, so I will not hold you responsible for knowing everything. Prior to 2001, the child tax credit was $500 per child. It was passed under a Republican bill and, as the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Emanuel) pointed out, it was signed by President Clinton. So you can claim a little bipartisanship there, even though that was passed by Republican votes when it was in the House, but prior to 2001 the child tax credit was $500. The credit was not refundable for most families. However, for a family with three kids or more, the credit was refundable; and it was not offset by the earned income tax credit. That was prior to 2001. Now enter President Bush and the 2001 tax cut. Under that, the proposal was to increase the child tax credit from $500 to $1,000. The credit was $600 for the year 2003, and it was scheduled to reach $1,000 per child in 2010. That law made the child tax credit partially refundable for all families with children, not just those who had three kids or more. Now, we had the vote on that May 16, 2001, and I have got the Roll Call from that, and at that time every one of you all voted against it. As a matter of fact, 197 Democrats voted against this.”