Sheila Jackson Lee: “The point I want to make is, with what you are doing, even though there is a 4-year lapse, you are grandfathering this.…”

“The point I want to make is, with what you are doing, even though there is a 4-year lapse, you are grandfathering this. My own State of Texas will lose $358 million, Wisconsin $120 million, Ohio $65 million, and South Dakota will lose about $13 million. Are we going to replace those moneys from the Federal Government? What are we going to do to the retail industry that has bricks and mortar? My friends, I am going to support a CR, but I do believe we should work together to do things that impact us positively and not negatively. Get rid of the riders and help our States, which have a need to have this Internet tax provision lifted. Mr. Speaker, as a senior Member of the House Judiciary Committee; as the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations; and as the representative from Houston, I rise in opposition to the ``Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act'' being in this bill. When originally enacted in 1998, the Internet Tax Freedom Act established a temporary moratorium on multiple and discriminatory taxation of the Internet as well as new taxes on Internet access. This moratorium, however, is due to expire on October 1st of this year. Since 1998, Congress has extended the moratorium on a temporary basis. The bill before us will make that moratorium permanent. Unfortunately, in doing so, the bill also ends the Act's grandfather protections for states that imposed such taxes prior to the Act's enactment date. Mr.…”