Sen. Johanns Wants Repeal Of Health Care Paper-Work Provision By August Break

By Alexa Gitler- Talk Radio News Service

Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) told reporters Wednesday that he hopes to bring an amendment to the floor that would repeal a provision in the health care reform law requiring businesses to file a 1099 tax form if they spend more than $600 per year through an individual vendor.

“It could be for something as trivial as paying the phone bill,” he said. “Can you imagine how many 1099s Verizon will have to deal with?”

Johanns noted that he hopes the amendment will pass prior to the August recess.

With the new provision in effect, it is expected to impact over 40 million businesses all over the country including approximately 26 million sole proprietorships.

“In addition to the filing requirements and charges that businesses will pay, they will also have to pay for a tracking fee,” said Johanns.

Johanns explained that the health care bill went through congress so quickly and had so many components that little things like this provision were missed.

“I can’t imagine that a Senator could go back home in August and tell their constituents that he or she voted against this amendment when it is so critical for small businesses all over the country,” Johanns said.

Added Johanns, “This is the priority of Republican Senate leadership to try and get this passed.”
 

GOP Senators Prepare For Filibuster On Healthcare Bill

By Marianna Levyash - Talk Radio News Service

In a news conference on Wednesday, Senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) said that they are fully prepared to block any Democratic efforts to end debate on the Senate's healthcare reform bill.

"It looks like the next vote will be a vote to move to the bill and that will be the first vote for or against the bill that will, as presently constructed, raise premiums, raise taxes, cut medicare...and create a new government-run insurance program," said Alexander.

The Tennessee Republican stated his belief that each member of the Senate "will be looking at this vote in terms of having consistency...and whether they'll vote for the final bill."

"60 votes would end the debate...and that is an important thing to keep in mind," added Johanns.

Both Alexander and Johanns repeated the GOP's message that the Democratically-backed legislation is "fundamentally flawed."

Great Plains GOP Senators Say No To Cap And Trade

By Learned Foote- Talk Radio News Service

Three GOP senators from Great Plains states criticized the cap-and-trade bill that recently passed in the House of Representatives, and is currently being reviewed in the Senate.

According to Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Ky.), the bill is a "wet dog that is not welcome in the farmhouse or the ranch." Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) firmly said that "this bill is not going to work in the Senate," and claimed that it lacks "even a 5% chance of being successful."

Sen. Johanns, formerly the Secretary of Agriculture under President George W. Bush, said that the legislation would hurt the economy, especially in agricultural communities. "The average farmer will never buy into the idea that maybe, just maybe, if they pay higher production costs and go through this regimen that is going to be established, that they might do better," he said.

The Senators dismissed testimony given by the United States Department of Agriculture to the Agriculture Committee on Wednesday. "The USDA analysis...has holes enough to drive a grain truck through," said Sen. Roberts. He said it was based on assumptions of the EPA [Environmental Protection Agency], which he argued is "driven by their agenda. I don't think it is driven by accurate assessment...as to the effect on farmers and ranchers in rural, small-town America."

Sen. Johanns said he has worked with the economists of the USDA in the past, and that they produce "excellent work." He maintained, however, that this analysis is "tragically incomplete" and it is "remarkable how deficient it is in analysis."

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) questioned how effectively the legislation could protect the environment, arguing that other carbons will not act to cut carbon emissions, thus stripping the U.S. of competitive advantage in the marketplace. He said that the "costs are real and the savings are theoretical."

The GOP Senators suggested that another piece of legislation could gain bipartisan support. "We ought to be serious abut reducing CO2 emissions," said Thune. He emphasized "incentives for rural renewable energy production," which he said would avoid a "crushing economic burden on American business."