By Congressman Joe Pitts

When the Democrats took control of Congress in January of 2007, I wrote a column about legislative initiatives on which I hoped to be able to work with Democrats.  It was not a comprehensive list of my priorities, but rather a list I hoped I would be able to work on with my colleagues across the aisle.  These were issues that I had worked on for some time, but for one reason or another had never been passed under Republican control.  The results, it seems, have been mixed.

Open Space – In an effort to help preserve the farmland and open space that is so valued in the 16th Congressional District, I have a bill that would exempt farmers, who sell the development rights to their land to conservancies, from having to pay capital gains.  Many farmers face pressure to sell their land, but often developers are the only people willing to pay top dollar.  This bill would create the incentive to sell the rights to the land to conservancies that will preserve it as open space.

Because the bill deals with taxes, it was assigned to the Committee on Ways and Means.  The Chairman of the Committee, Charlie Rangel (D-NY), has not scheduled a hearing or given it any attention.

Public Transportation – Under current law, transit authorities lose control over how their federal funds are spent if their service areas exceed a certain population. Both RRTA in Lancaster County and BARTA in Berks County went over that population level after the last census.
 
In August of last year, the House overwhelmingly passed a bill which included my provision to exempt these agencies, so they could continue using a portion of federal funds for operating expenses like fuel and maintenance.  I am pleased to say the Senate passed the same provision this week with bipartisan support from Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Ranking Member Richard Shelby (R-AL).  This is great news for our local transit agencies while we continue to work toward a long term fix that will keep the buses running.
   
Access to Quality Health Care – “Medical imaging” technology is essential to modern healthcare.  The Access to Medicare Imaging Act would restore equity to Medicare reimbursement for tests like ultrasounds and CT scans.  This is important to ensuring that sick people can get diagnosed properly.

In an effort to help move the legislation along this Congress, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) became the lead sponsor of the bill.  We have gained the support of a bipartisan group of 179 Representatives.  Rep. McCarthy and I will continue to work on getting this bill passed in order to properly fund these common sense preventative health tests.
    
Help For the Working Poor – The working poor in America have a hard time making ends meet.  My Savings for Working Families Act would provide tax incentives to financial institutions to match savings of up $500 a year so America’s working poor can plan to buy a first home, pay for college, or start (or expand) a small business.

On this bill as well, a Democrat, Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH), took the lead sponsorship this Congress to aid its success.  Together, Rep. Tubbs Jones and I have gained the support of 90 cosponsors made up of both Republicans and Democrats.  This bill also falls under the jurisdiction of the Ways and Means Committee and has so far taken a back seat to the Chairman’s other priorities.

College Savings – Since I last wrote about my legislative initiatives, I have introduced another piece of legislation that I believe Democrats ought to be willing to support.  The Help Kids Save for College Act would allow employers to make tax free contributions, up to $500 per year, to their employees 529 college savings accounts.  These accounts allow individuals to earn tax free interest on savings to be used for higher education expenses.  529 accounts help families address the high cost of college while increasing financial security.

I look forward to working with my colleagues across the aisle to help pass this college savings bill along with the other bills addressed here that have not yet become law.  Legislating is not always about ideology.  Often times, it is just about writing laws that help people with the issues that are most important to their everyday lives.  I hope to make these bills into law because I believe they each address an important priority for the people I represent.

Congressman Joe Pitts represents the 16^th Congressional District of Pennsylvania.

###