Political Quotes

“this week we have an important piece of legislation which is coming to the floor, a product of the Committee on Ways and Means, legislation which is entitled H.R. 4626, Encouraging Work and Supporting Marriage Act of 2002. Essentially this legislation does two things: it expands and reforms the work opportunity tax credit, a hiring incentive to give those on welfare an opportunity to go to work. Yesterday, I stood with President Bush in Chicago at the United Parcel Service facility where he highlighted this very program which has provided opportunities for thousands and thousands of Chicago residents to go from welfare to work; and clearly the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, which was a creation of Ronald Reagan, is one of those provisions which is working as we see our Nation's welfare rolls cut in half and 9 million Americans move from welfare to work. The other key part of the Encouraging Work and Supporting Marriage Act of 2002 is legislation which much more quickly phases in the marriage tax relief provisions which are part of what we nicknamed the Bush tax cut signed into law last year. Over the last several years, I have had the opportunity to come to this floor and talk about the unfairness of our complicated Tax Code and how our current Tax Code historically has punished marriage, a very basic institution in our society. In fact, I believe the most important institution in our society is marriage.”