Titus Introduces Legislation to
Expand and Extend the Teacher Tax Deduction
Allows Teachers to Deduct
More Out-of-Pocket Expenses
Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada’s Third District introduced the Tax Relief
for Educators Act in the House of Representatives to expand and extend the
teacher tax deduction. The bill increases the amount teachers and educators can
deduct from their taxes for out-of-pocket expenses they incur when teaching our
nation’s students.
“Never
before have our nation’s teachers been asked to do so much with so little as
education budgets are stretched thin and schools are cutting back on supplies
and resources,” Congresswoman Titus said. “This legislation will provide our
educators with an important tax break at a time when they doing more with less
and show our support for their commitment and dedication to our students.
Extending the tax deduction for rising out-of-pocket expenses will reward our
educators who go the extra mile.”
Specifically,
the Tax Relief for Educators Act makes improvements to the teacher tax
deduction by making the deduction permanent and increasing the current amount
from $250 to $500 while indexing it for inflation. The teacher tax deduction
has not increased since it was introduced in 2002. The bill also extends the
deduction beyond K-12 classroom teachers to include other educators, such as
principals, aides, and early childhood teachers.
The bill
is supported by a number of organizations including the American Federation of
Teachers, the National Education Association, and the National Head Start
Association.
“We
applaud Congresswoman Titus’ ongoing commitment to Nevada’s educators,” said
Nevada State Education Association President Lynn Warne. “Our members
consistently dig deeper into their pockets to buy materials and supplies needed
to get the job done. Doubling the IRS deduction will be very helpful to our
teachers and support professionals who spend their day in the classrooms.”
Georgia L.
Taton, principal of Kenny C. Guinn Middle School and a member of the National
Association of Secondary School Principals’ Board of Directors, said: “As the
instructional leaders of schools, principals are called to contribute much to
the education of America’s students. In fact, research has shown that school
leadership is second only to classroom instruction in contributing to students’
success. Unfortunately, principals are often not reimbursed for the
out-of-pocket expenses they incur as they collaboratively work with teachers,
students, and community leaders to build and maintain a culture of learning and
excellence in their schools. I commend Congresswoman Dina Titus for introducing
the Tax Relief for Educators Act. This important legislation would help
to ease financial burdens for principals, teachers, and other school personnel
in a time of difficulty and uncertainty, and reward these educators for their
commitment to student achievement.”
Titus
Highlights Housing Funds Through Recovery Act to Reduce and
Prevent Homelessness
Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada’s Third District highlighted more than $4.6
million that are coming to Southern Nevada to help re-house families who have
fallen into homelessness or help prevent homelessness. The money, which comes
from the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Homeless Prevention and
Rapid Re-housing program, is part of $1.5 billion from the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act.
“At a time
when our state leads the nation in foreclosures, funds for homeless prevention
are critical to help families in our community who have lost their homes and are
struggling to put a roof over their heads,” Congresswoman Titus said. “This
money in conjunction with other recovery funds, such as Community Development
Block Grants and neighborhood stabilization funds, will help Nevada and our
efforts to get through this difficult foreclosure crisis.”
According
to HUD, the following areas in Southern Nevada will receive money under the
program:
· Clark County -
$2,595,173
· Las Vegas -
$2,105,118
The
Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-housing program will provide financial
assistance and services to prevent individuals and families from becoming
homeless and help those who are experiencing homelessness to be quickly
re-housed. The funds provide a variety of assistance, including short-term or
medium-term rental assistance, and housing relocation and stabilization
services, including activities such as mediation, credit counseling, security or
utility deposits, utility payments, moving cost assistance, and case management.
More information from HUD
on the program is available
here.
Titus Letter to
Geithner Seeks Information on Effectiveness of Making Home
Affordable Program
Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada’s Third District sent the following letter to
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on the Making Home Affordable Program. In
the letter, Titus commends the Administration for raising the Loan to Value
limit from 105 to 125 percent and discusses the need to accurately assess the
program to determine if additional changes should be made to help homeowners in
Nevada and across the country.
Below is the text of
the letter:
July 10, 2009
The Honorable Timothy
Geithner
Secretary
Department of the Treasury
1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20220
Dear Secretary Geithner,
I want to
thank you and your colleagues in the Obama Administration for raising the Loan
to Value (LTV) limit for the Making Home Affordable (MHA) Refinance program. As
Secretary Donovan noted last week in my district, Las Vegas is ground zero of
the foreclosure crisis and I am committed to seeing this crisis resolved as
quickly as possible. Increasing the LTV requirement to 125 percent will allow
more homeowners in areas that have been hardest hit by this crisis to
participate in the program and receive the assistance they need to stay in their
homes.
I was
pleased to meet with Secretary Donovan last week in Las Vegas. He made a
commitment on behalf of the Obama Administration to continue working to end this
crisis. I believe that we will not be able to recover from this recession
without stability in the housing sector; every new foreclosure is a step back
from recovery. Four states, Nevada, California, Florida, and Arizona, have been
facing the worst of this crisis, and the problems faced by these states will
continue to hamper our national recovery. I know that if we work together,
however, we can overcome the challenges that face homeowners in Las Vegas in a
timely and effective manner.
I am also
writing to request information regarding the use of Troubled Asset Relief
Program (TARP) funds for the Making Home Affordable program. My constituents
are in urgent need of assistance through this program, and I am concerned that
it may be moving too slowly. Accordingly, I respectfully request that you
provide answers to the following questions. I believe that we will not be able
to correctly alter and improve these programs to quickly end the housing crisis
without accurate data on their performance.
· How many
homeowners’ mortgages nationwide have been refinanced or modified under the MHA
program? How many homeowners’ mortgages in the Metropolitan Las Vegas area have
been refinanced or modified under the MHA program?
· What metrics are
being used at the Treasury Department to assess the success and effectiveness of
MHA? How would you currently rate the success?
· Of the $75 billion
of TARP funds that were allocated to this program, what percentage has been used
for MHA?
· Do you estimate
that $75 billion will be sufficient to bring a swift end to the crisis? If not,
are there plans to use additional TARP funds for these purposes?
· Do you believe that
the current structure of MHA will be effective in areas that have been most
affected by the crisis? Will a new program be needed to bring relief to areas
that have been disproportionally affected? I understand that President Obama
has asked that you conduct a comprehensive review of the Administration’s
housing programs and that this review specifically account for the areas that
have been hurt the most in this crisis, such as Las Vegas.
I thank
you in advance for your attention and timely response to my inquiry. I look
forward to continuing to work you in the future.
Sincerely,
Dina Titus
Member of Congress
Nevada Eligible
for $2.5 Million for Rebates on ENERGY STAR Appliances Through
Recovery Act
Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada’s Third District announced that Nevada is
eligible for nearly $2.5 million for a state-run rebate program for consumer
purchases of new ENERGY STAR qualified home appliances. The funds, which are
made available by the Department of Energy, are part of $300 million from the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
“These
rebates will help Nevada’s families invest in energy efficient appliances that
will lower their energy bill and put money back in their pocket every month,”
Congresswoman Titus said. “This latest funding, along with the millions of
dollars that have already been announced for energy efficiency in Nevada, will
help spur our economy as we reduce our dependence on foreign oil.”
The
funding for Nevada, totaling $2,494,779, will be awarded through the state
energy office using a formula set forth in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Each
state is required to submit a plan that specifies which ENERGY STAR appliance
categories will be included in the rebate program, the rebate level for each
product type, how the rebates will be processed, and a plan for recycling old
appliances. States and territories must file an initial application expressing
their intent to participate by August 15, 2009, followed by a full application
by October 15, 2009.
The
Department of Energy recommends that states and territories focus their program
efforts on heating and cooling equipment and water heaters as these products
offer the greatest energy saving potential. ENERGY STAR qualified appliance
categories eligible for rebates include: central air conditioners, heat pumps,
boilers, furnaces, room air conditioners, clothes washers, dishwashers,
freezers, refrigerators, and water heaters.
ENERGY
STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S.
Department of Energy that covers more than 60 product categories and is
supported by a network of almost 600 utility and state government partners
serving more than 74 million households, over 2,000 retail partners representing
more than 27,000 storefronts, and 2,645 manufacturers of ENERGY STAR qualified
products.
