The Lonestar Weekly - April 13, 2012

Statement

Tornados Won't Tarnish the Texas Spirit

Last week a string of powerful tornados swept through North Texas damaging homes, churches, schools, and businesses, affecting thousands of Texans in the process. Shortly after, I went to the Metroplex to tour one of the hardest hit areas with Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck and Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley to assess the damage, offer assistance, and lend a hand in the cleanup efforts. While remarkably nobody lost their life in the storms, property damage is high and many North Texans have been unable to return to their homes. I made it clear to the Mayor and emergency officials there that my office stands ready to help, and I will do all I can to ensure that any request from Gov. Perry for federal assistance will get approved as swiftly as possible so North Texans can return home and start rebuilding.

Rountable With Community Leaders in Southwest Texas

On Monday, I traveled to the Big Bend region of West Texas, where I held a roundtable discussion with local business leaders and officials from Brewster, Jeff Davis, Pecos, and Presido counties at Sul Ross State University in Alpine. We talked about economic development issues, and I heard concerns about how the proposed endangered listing of the sand dune lizard could harm oil and gas production in West Texas. Following the discussion, I joined U.S. Customs and Border Protection for a tour of the U.S-Mexico border in Big Bend National Park and then National Park Service officials for a tour of the park. The untouched beauty of Big Bend continues to amaze me, and it is truly a national treasure and source of great pride for Texas.

The Small Business Taxpayer Bill of Rights

With Tax Day just around the corner, in Houston this week I announced the introduction of legislation that will help small business owners and taxpayers cut through IRS red tape. The Small Business Taxpayer Bill of Rights Act of 2012 will lower compliance burdens for taxpayers and small businesses, strengthen taxpayer protections, compensate taxpayers for IRS abuses, and ease access to tax courts for everyone. I announced this legislation alongside members of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, National Federation of Independent Business, and the Texas Association of Business at Forge USA, a metal forging manufacturer that's been family-owned in Houston for more than 50 years. Small businesses like Forge have faced a crushing burden of paperwork from the IRS, and they lack the financial and legal resources of large corporations. With an economy struggling to recover and increased tax burdens from the 2010 health care law around the corner, we need to ensure taxpayers and small businesses are spending more time creating jobs and opportunity and less time dealing with the IRS and an archaic tax code.

Source