On the recordJuly 29, 2010
In December, and again in May, this House passed legislation to extend a set of expiring tax provisions providing billions of dollars in tax relief to millions of American families. That tax bill passed the House and has been stymied in the other body, where only two Republican Senators have stood up to their party's filibuster against these tax cuts. The $250 deduction for teachers is an important incentive for people who educate our children and buy classroom supplies out of their own pockets, but it has expired. Let me tell you who's suffering in the meantime: 124,000 teachers in Georgia cannot deduct $31 million in classroom supplies for our children; 26,000 teachers in Nevada cannot deduct $6.6 million in expenses; 113,000 teachers in North Carolina cannot deduct $28 million of classroom costs; and 314,000 teachers in Texas cannot deduct $81 million in expenses to educate our children. More than 3.5 million elementary and secondary teachers cannot deduct more than $908 million they will spend this year out of pocket. A better educated child means a better job down the road. This tax deduction benefiting our Nation's teachers has been forgotten and cast aside by the Senate Republicans. I urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to contact their Senators and tell them that the Tax Extenders bill means jobs.
