David Minge: “we have returned here in the year 2000 to begin our work as the U.S. House of Representatives. One of the first bills…”

“we have returned here in the year 2000 to begin our work as the U.S. House of Representatives. One of the first bills that we will take up will come on, I expect, February 14. The purpose of this is to address a problem which has been a festering issue in our Tax Code; namely, the so-called marriage tax penalty. There has been widespread recognition that it simply is unfair and is inconsistent with public policy to have a Tax Code which places a burden on folks that choose to get married. Now, as we analyze the Tax Code, there is both a marriage bonus and a marriage tax penalty. It is a fairly complex issue as we work through it. And trying to root it out of the Tax Code is not necessarily easy nor is it inexpensive. The Committee on Ways and Means, I understand, has marked up this bill today and will be sending it to the floor for consideration by Valentine's Day. That certainly is an appropriate or a fitting tribute to marriage as an institution in our Nation, but I submit that this is premature in terms of consideration on the floor of the House in the sense that there is a fairly high price tag to the bill that is coming from the Ways and Means, and we still have not had any opportunity to formulate a budget for operations here in the year 2000.”