Weekly Update for Monday, January 8, 2007

Weekly Update for Monday, January 8, 2007

Looking Ahead in the New Congress

In Washington D.C. last week, we opened the 110th session of Congress. On Thursday, I was sworn in for my second term as your representative in the United States Senate. It was an exciting day full of ceremony and celebration. It was also a day of great promise: We have many tremendous challenges ahead and a lot of work to do. In the year ahead, I pledge to continue fighting for you. I will work to change the course in Iraq, to cut the cost of health care, to protect the promise of Social Security, and to make us energy independent. To succeed as a national community, we must embrace a new direction, put partisan politics aside, and stand up for the big issues and the common ground that matter to us most: making college affordable for every child, securing our borders and ports, standing up for our veterans, and delivering tax fairness for our state. I'm looking forward to the year ahead. Together, we can make a real difference for the people of Washington state.

How to Take Advantage of the Sales Tax Deduction

In late December, the president signed into law a two-year extension of the state sales tax deduction passed by the House and Senate, ensuring that Washington state taxpayers who itemize can continue claiming a federal deduction for the state and local sales taxes they pay. To take advantage of the sales tax deduction, Washington tax filers should obtain IRS Publication 600, available at http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p600.pdf. Hard copies of Publication 600 will also soon be available at local IRS offices, libraries, post offices, and other locations that provide tax forms.

Making the Sales Tax Deduction Permanent

Extending the sales tax deduction is great news for our economy and for so many Washington families that will now be able to save hundreds of dollars each on their taxes this year. But we now need to make sure this deduction doesn't come down to the wire every single year. That's why, on the first day of the new 110th Congress, I introduced my bill to make this deduction permanent. As a member of the Senate Finance Committee, which oversees tax-related legislation, I will do all I can to guide this bill through Congress and into law. We need to make sure that families in our state get a permanent and predictable deduction that returns hard-earned cash to their wallets that they can use to cover everything from college tuition, to rising energy costs, to health care expenses.

Preventing War Profiteering in Iraq

Last week, I joined with Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) in backing a new bill creating criminal penalties for war profiteers who exploit our country's taxpayer-funded efforts in Iraq and around the world for dishonest financial gain. We've sent billions of taxpayer dollars to private contractors in Iraq without adequate controls or accountability, and far too often, instead of results from some private contractors, we're hearing about abuse and fraud. Since 2000, at least 10 companies, overseeing billions of dollars in contracts, have paid more than $300 million in fines for fraud, bid-rigging, failure to deliver on their contracts, or environmental damage. In addition, seven companies with Iraq reconstruction contracts have paid fines without admitting wrongdoing.

The War Profiteering Prevention Act of 2007, which I've cosponsored, would criminalize war profiteering, defined in the bill as overvaluing goods or services with the specific intent to excessively profit from the war or relief and reconstruction activities. The legislation would also strengthen the tools available to federal prosecutors to combat war profiteering, and would subject violators to stiff criminal and financial penalties. We need more accountability in Iraq, and reducing waste and fraud is an important part of the new way forward we need.

No Child Left Behind Five Years Later

The No Child Left Behind Act was signed into law five years ago this week. At that time, the legislation brought Republicans and Democrats together in common purpose to reform our schools and improve student achievement by increasing accountability and standards while boosting investment. But since then, No Child Left Behind has fallen short. There are not enough funds to follow through on the law's promises. Its implementation has been incomplete and inflexible. As we begin the 110th session of Congress and consider reauthorizing the No Child Left Behind Act, it's critical that we explore the concerns of students, teachers, and administrators. Every American ought to have the opportunity to get the best education in the world.

http://cantwell.senate.gov/news/weekly_update.cfm