Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019

Floor Speech

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Mr. ESTES. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the SECURE Act. It is an overall good policy that will encourage Americans to save for retirement.

I am pleased that this bill makes it easier for small businesses to join together and offer retirement plans for more Americans. It allows graduate students and home healthcare workers to save more for retirement.

It includes a policy change to help Gold Star families. It also includes a fix to the taxation of children's unearned income that will support American Indian Tribal youth and encourage them to pursue a college education, similar to the legislation that I helped introduce with my colleague from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore).

Finally, this bill will allow 529 plans to be used to pay for student loans and apprenticeship programs.

As a former State treasurer of Kansas, I oversaw a 529 plan and understand the importance of expanding these plans for our families. That is why I am disappointed that the manager's amendment removed good policy from this legislation that would have allowed 529 plans to help be used for expenses for K-12 education and to help special needs children.

Earlier this year, my Republican colleagues and I on the Ways and Means Committee entered good faith negotiations with Chairman Neal and our Democratic colleagues to craft this bill. As a result, Republicans and Democrats on the committee unanimously voted for the SECURE Act in April.

However, since that time, the other side of the aisle played politics with this legislation when it was before the Rules Committee and removed those additional 529 provisions that were originally included to help special needs students. So, while I support today's bill and the policies that are still included, I sincerely hope that, moving forward, we can stop playing politics with good pieces of legislation and work in a bipartisan manner and negotiate in good faith to produce legislation that will help the American people.

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