My Letter to Congress: H.R.1018 Restore Our American Mustangs Act

I am writing as your constituent in the 16th Congressional district of Florida. I am writing as your constituent in the 16th Congressional district of Florida. I support H.R.1018 - Restore Our American Mustangs Act, and am tracking it using OpenCongress.org, the free public resource website for government transparency and accountability.

This bill's most-recent vote occurred on July 17, 2009, with a roll call of 239 ayes, 185 nays, and 9 not voting.

Rep. Rooney, your most-recent roll call vote on this bill was 'Nay'.
Why??? This bill will save taxpayer money and keep the American Icon of freedom free.

As noted by MorganLvr, a user on OpenCongress.org, on December 31, 2009, "nodakrider - You have it exactly backwards. If this bill passes the horses WILL be left alone and save tax payers millions. What we're paying for is having the BLM round them up and put them in holding pens - forever. This has cost tax payers billions of dollars over the years with no end in sight unless we can get this legislation passed. There are hardly "too many" of them. The BLM has just about "managed" them into extinction - and spent our tax money to do it. Maybe you should READ the bills before you comment on them."

Sincerely,
Mara Stewart

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Dear Ms. Stewart,



Thank you for contacting me in regard to the job market, its effects on
our economy and the American taxpayer. One of the most significant
challenges we face as a nation is an overwhelming debt and a stagnant
economy. We must immediately address these issues in order to put more
people to work and achieve a fiscally secure future, including changes
to our tax code and regulatory structure through common sense reforms.



As of October 2011, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has put our
unemployment rate at 9 percent, up from 7.8 percent in January of 2009.
Jobs will only be created when job creators feel confident in the
economic climate. What America needs is more taxpayers, not more taxes
which can only be achieved when businesses are assured the economy is
stable and begin to hire again.



Our overwhelming debt and growing deficit are being exacerbated by a
complicated tax code. Our economy can only grow if we increase the
availability of jobs and attract investment to promote the growth of
business. In order to accomplish this, we must reform our tax code. Tax
reform must include a simpler code and lower taxes across the board.



Unfortunately, taxes have increased by almost $700 billion since
January 2009. Reliance on these anti-competitive tax increases will
cause more economic uncertainty, stifle job creation and keep America
on a path toward a diminished future, at a time when unemployment is
high.



In order to work toward steady job growth, we must take tax increases
out of the conversation in Washington. Unless Congress acts
expeditiously, every taxpayer will see unprecedented tax increases in
2013. We can encourage investment in the United States for both foreign
and domestic businesses and establishing an atmosphere where job
creation is easier than it is under our current economic climate by
taking tax hikes off the table.



As you know, President Obama addressed a joint session of Congress and
proposed the American Jobs Act. This plan fails to address the
fundamental challenges we face in regard to job creation. The
president's answer to our nation's unemployment rate is an additional
$447 billion in spending and $453 billion in tax increases. At a time
when spending is unsustainable, our focus should be on job creation in
the private sector.



I am also concerned about the unprecedented increase in federal
regulations imposed on Florida from Washington, D.C. For example, the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is moving forward with a variety
of new, top down mandates that will act as a energy tax and hurt the
economy in the process. In total, the Administration has added new
pages of regulations to the books this year alone, forcing employers to
focus on government paperwork - not on creating jobs at a time when
unemployment remains above nine percent. Instead of allowing agencies
to continue enacting policies without Congressional approval, I
strongly believe Congress should enact pro-growth regulatory reform
that ensures agencies take into account the economic costs of new
regulations on the economy. I have cosponsored a variety of bills that
would help overhaul our regulatory structure - notably, the Regulations
From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act, which requires
Congress approve regulations costing the economy $100 million or more
per year before they go into effect. Along with an overhaul of our
outdated tax system, regulatory reform is an essential part of growing
our economy and creating jobs.



I was elected on pro-growth economic policies that would reform our tax
code and regulatory structures to help create jobs. The American people
have every reason to be disappointed by Congress' unwillingness to fix
our complicated tax code and our burdensome regulatory structure. As
Florida's junior senator, I will keep your thoughts in mind as I work
to grow our economy and assist in the creation of jobs.

Dear Ms. Stewart,



Since my first day in office, I have been contacted by you and
thousands of other Floridians demanding action to improve our weak
economy and alleviate its effects on unemployment. I have repeatedly
said I will work with anyone, regardless of party affiliation, who is
willing to propose a serious and effective plan for job creation. This
is why I have introduced the American Growth, Recovery, Empowerment and
Entrepreneurship Act (AGREE Act) with Democratic Senator Chris Coons of
Delaware to address our nation's unemployment problem.



According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), our nation's
unemployment rate is at 9 percent, which means we have nearly 14
million unemployed people residing in the United States. Currently,
Florida's unemployment rate is just below 11 percent. Jobs will only be
created when job creators feel confident in the economic climate. We
must encourage America's small businesses to expand and incentivize
foreign investment in the private sector to get our economy back on its
feet.



The AGREE Act puts politics aside and proposes real job-creating
measures. The main provisions of the AGREE Act address tax policy for
small businesses, high-tech research and development, and help promote
opportunities for our veterans.



The AGREE Act is a bipartisan package that would help resolve some of
the more basic problems we are currently facing in regard to job
creation. Our state is home to hundreds of thousands of small
businesses, which account for almost 45 percent of Florida's
private-sector employment. Major sectors include construction, retail,
scientific research and development, and health care. In order for
these small businesses to expand, we must reduce burdens that impede
job creation, as well as include the extension of noncontroversial tax
relief. In particular, the AGREE Act includes the following tax relief
provisions:

-Extending bonus depreciation through 2014, allowing companies to write
off the full cost of new capital assets placed into service that year;

-Maintaining current expensing rules for small businesses; and

-Eliminating capital gains taxes for certain small business stock
through 2014.



In order to attract high-tech job growth in the state of Florida, we
must modernize the research and development (R&D) tax credit. Florida
is home to over 25,000 technology based companies including IBM,
Motorola, and Electronic Arts. As a state, Florida employs nearly
250,000 people in aerospace, financial services, medical technologies,
and microelectronics. The AGREE Act would implement measures that
encourage investment, specifically for Florida based businesses by:

-Extending the traditional R&D tax credit until 2013;

-Establishing a Domestic Manufacturing R&D tax credit for businesses
that create jobs in the United States; and

-Increasing the alternative simplified tax credit and making it
permanent.



Our state of Florida is home to the second highest population of
veterans in the United States at over 1.6 million. According to BLS,
unemployment among veterans who left the service after 2001 is over 12
percent, compared with 9 percent overall nationally. The unemployment
rate among veterans is unacceptable and we must do more for those who
have served our country. To help do this, the AGREE Act incorporates a
25 percent tax credit for veterans to go towards qualified fees to
offset the high cost of opening a franchise, up to $100,000.



When a business decides to sell stock of their company to the public
for the first time, it is called an initial public offering. Public
offerings are an important component to job creation and Florida is
home to many growing companies and small businesses that wish to go
public, including banks, airlines, and members of the cruise industry.
Currently, companies going public are required to complete an external
audit of internal reporting controls which has proven to be a lengthy
and burdensome process, and has stunted growth in the private sector.
The AGREE Act would help relieve some of this burden by:

-Providing an exemption from the required audit for companies with
total revenues below $250 million or the first five years of a company
going public; and

-Directing the Securities and Exchange Commission to conduct a study
and report to Congress on the compliance costs of conducting the audit,
and subsequently determine the ways the SEC could reduce such burdens.



In order to remain competitive in the global economic marketplace, the
United States must attract the most talented, highly skilled
individuals to contribute to our economic growth and help create
desperately needed jobs. Our broken immigration laws establish
arbitrary per-country caps limiting the number of family sponsored and
employment based visas for natives of any single country. Any country,
regardless of its size or visa demand, is limited to just 7 percent of
the total available visas in any given fiscal year. These backlogs do
not just gum up our nation's legal immigration system; they separate
family members from their loved ones and put our nation's employers at
a competitive disadvantage by preventing them from hiring the most
talented individuals, especially in high tech industries. The AGREE Act
would help address the problems posed by these backlogs by eliminating
the per-country caps for employment based visas and would raise the
per-country limits on family based visas from 7 percent to 15 percent.
This bill does not increase the total amount of visas available in a
given year, nor does it increase the amount of people who will be able
to immigrate to the United States. This bill does reallocate the visas
that the US currently makes available in a way that better serves our
national interest.



I encourage you to visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w82vPBxW4fw
where you can hear me personally explain the AGREE Act and what it aims
to do for Florida and for our nation.



The AGREE Act is a vital first step in resolving the high unemployment
rate of our nation and Florida, and addresses some of the burdens
placed on our nation's businesses. I am hopeful these initial solutions
will set the tone for a bipartisan atmosphere to help encourage job
creation, and I look forward to working with members of both parties to
continue moving toward economic prosperity. I thank you for your input,
and hope you will join me and Senator Coons in supporting the American
Growth, Recovery, Empowerment and Entrepreneurship Act.