News From Our Neighbors

WELCOME 113TH CONGRESS, THE MOST DIVERSE IN U.S. HISTORY 

The start of a new session in Congress is good news, especially after the 112th Congress earned a spot in history as the most unproductive session ever. But what’s even more exciting is that this session of Congress is the most diverse in American history. The diversity in the new, 113th Congress includes more minorities, women, religions, sexual orientations, and backgrounds than ever.  Included in the new members was the first Buddhist to be elected to the Senate, as well as the first Hindu member and openly bi-sexual woman to the House. With such a broad range of Congress members, the likelihood that a wider range of Americans will actually be heard and represented only increases. House Democrats became the first caucus in the history of either chamber not to have a majority of white men.

The new diverse congress includes:

101 women, including 20 in the Senate alone

43 African-Americans

31 Latinos

12 Asian-Americans

7 openly gay or bisexual members

FACT SHEET: THE TAX AGREEMENT

At the make or break moment, Congress achieved a bipartisan solution to the fiscal cliff. Some of the major provisions are:

Permanently extends the middle-class tax cuts and also extends credits for working families, with additional measures to protect families and promote economic growth. 

Permanent extension of the middle class tax cuts: an expanded Child Tax Credit, and marriage penalty relief. In addition, it includes a permanent Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) fix. Most progressive income tax code in decades: By raising income tax rates on the wealthiest and keeping taxes low for the middle class, the agreement will create the most progressive income tax code in decades. 

Extension of Emergency Unemployment Insurance benefits for 2 million people.

Extension of renewable energy incentives, the R&E tax credit and other business incentives. Fixes the SGR (“doc fix”) with no cuts to the Affordable Care Act or to beneficiaries. Postpones the sequester for two months, paid for with $1 of revenue for every $1 of spending.

Restores the 39.6 percent rate for high-income households, as in the 1990s: the top rate would return to 39.6 percent for singles with incomes above $400,000 and married couples with incomes above $450,000. 

Capital gains rates for high-income households return to Clinton-era levels: The capital gains rate would return to what it was under President Clinton, 20 percent.

Extends the farm bill through the end of the fiscal year, averting a sharp rise in milk prices at the beginning of 2013.