CONGRESS URGED TO PASS NEEDED TAX PROVISIONS

The Business Council of Alabama and more than 500 organizations representing millions of individuals and the entire U.S. economy urged Congress to pass needed tax extenders during the Lame Duck session currently under way.

"These tax provisions are critically important to U.S. jobs and the broader economy," state letters sent by the National Association of Manufacturers. The letters were signed by the BCA and more than 500 other businesses, community development organizations, and non-profit groups.

The groups include businesses large and small, railroads, transportation, manufacturers, and retailers - virtually the entire U.S. economy.

Letters were delivered to members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. The letters state the urgent need to extend or make permanent the expired or soon-to-expire tax provisions.

"Failure to extend these provisions is a tax increase," the letters state. "It will inject instability and uncertainty into the economy and weaken confidence in the employment marketplace."

More than four dozen of the tax extenders expired at the end of 2013 or will end this year. Businesses need action in order to provide tax, budget and operation planning.

"The expired provisions should be renewed as soon as possible this year to enable implementation in time for the normal tax filing season," the letters state. "A delay in the tax filing season will delay tax refund checks and spending decisions, resulting in an immediate negative impact on the economy."

Alabama's seven House members and two U.S. senators voted to finish the Keystone XL oil pipeline but the effort failed when Democrats in the Senate blocked the move 59-41, one vote short of passage.

House members including Democratic U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell of Birmingham last week voted 252-161 to approve the House version of the Keystone XL bill.

Alabama's two Republican senators, Richard Shelby of Tuscaloosa and Jeff Sessions of Mobile, this week voted with 57 other senators on the Senate bill. The vote fell one vote short of passage with 41 Democrats voting in a bloc to defeat it.

Shelby said the Senate's refusal to approve the pipeline will delay the creation of tens of thousands of new jobs. "For far too long, Senate Democrats have blocked legislation to approve construction of the Keystone XL pipeline - a commonsense measure that would decrease energy bills for American families and boost our nation's energy independence," Shelby told Yellowhammer.

The bill isn't dead because it's expected to come back up again when Republicans take control of the Senate in January.

"Unfortunately, Senate Democrats and President Obama chose to obstruct this important job-creating project once again," Shelby said. "Today's vote underscores the importance of a Senate Republican Majority that will listen to the American people."

The State Department estimates the economic benefits of the Keystone XL pipeline to be 42,100 new jobs, $2 billion in earnings, and $3.4 billion added to U.S. Gross Domestic Product.

Business Council of Alabama President and CEO William J. Canary wrote Alabama's senators expressing the urgent need to clarify health insurance coverage for Alabamians who work abroad. Canary asked U.S. Sens. Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions to support H.R. 4414, The Expatriate Health Coverage Clarification Act of 2014, which passed the U.S. House earlier this year.

"H.R. 4414 would protect the coverage and opportunities of Alabama workers, employers, and products in the global marketplace by explicitly exempting expatriate plans from the onerous requirements of the (Affordable Care Act)," Canary wrote.

Canary said applying the ACA's mandates to international plans would not only be unduly burdensome from an operations standpoint but also would be bad public policy. "ACA-compliant expatriate plans will likely not be cost-competitive; therefore, requiring Alabama companies with international operations and their foreign-based employees to purchase them would unfairly benefit foreign competitors and foreign employees," he wrote.

The BCA seeks repeal of the ACA and supports market-based health care reforms that improve access to affordable, quality coverage and not those that disadvantage Alabama businesses and workers.

Urge Congress to Act on Long-Term Reauthorization for Export-Import Bank!

National Association of Manufacturers (Airey 11-20) "The U.S. Export-Import Bank's authorization is set to expire on September 30, 2014, and a lapse in authorization would undermine the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers in a tough global economy to the detriment of American manufacturing and American jobs. Congress must swiftly pass a long-term reauthorization of the Ex-Im Bank - your lawmaker needs to hear directly from you!

"The U.S. Export-Import (Ex-Im) Bank is a vital tool to help grow U.S. exports and increase American jobs. As the official export credit agency of the United States, Ex-Im Bank assists in financing U.S. exports from thousands of American companies - big and small. In fact, nearly 90 percent of Export-Import Bank's transactions directly support U.S. small business. The Ex-Im Bank helps level the playing field when U.S. exporters face foreign competitors with government backing or when companies enter emerging markets.

"Your Immediate Action is Needed: Manufacturers need a stable, long-term reauthorization of Ex-Im Bank. Your company can have a real impact on securing Congressional reauthorization for the Ex-Im Bank. Here's what we need you to do today:

"1. Please call your Senator and Representative's Washington office now.

"2. Click here to send an email in support of moving Ex-Im reauthorization forward.

"3. Please forward this link to your fellow manufacturing executives, your employees and to your entire supply chain - we need to rally the manufacturing army!

"4. Send an email to jarnett@nam.org to describe how the Ex-Im Bank has helped your business. These testimonials prove invaluable when communicating with lawmakers on how their legislation can help your business."

Sessions may get nudged out of Budget chairmanship

Yellowhammer (Sims 11/20) "In the U.S. Senate where seniority is paramount, Alabama's delegation is incredibly well positioned. Sen. Richard Shelby will be the 7th most senior member of the body when it convenes in January of 2015, and he appears to be in line to chair the Senate Banking Committee.

"Sen. Jeff Sessions will be either the 18th or 19th most senior member of the body, depending on whether (Louisiana Senator Mary) Landrieu ends up pulling off a long shot victory in her runoff. As the current ranking member of the Budget Committee under Democratic control, Sessions seemed to be in line to chair the Budget Committee once Republicans assume the majority. But in a surprising development that has played out over the last several days, Republican Sen. Michael Enzi of Wyoming now appears poised to nudge Sen. Sessions out of the way and will likely take the Budget chairmanship for himself.

"The most common question was, 'If Sen. Sessions was the top Republican on the Budget Committee under Democratic control, why wouldn't he be the top Republican on the Budget Committee under Republican control? The simple answer is 'seniority'.

"Sen. Sessions and Sen. Enzi were both elected to the Senate in 1996. Sessions, however, is more senior than Enzi as a result of tie-breakers, like state population. However - and this is where it gets a little more complicated - when senators are elected in the same year, committee seniority is actually decided by drawing lots. And way back in 1996, the random process placed Sen. Enzi one spot ahead of Sen. Sessions when it comes to committee seniority.

"So even though Sessions has been the ranking member of the Budget Committee for the last several years while Enzi focused more on the Health Committee, most members of the Senate will see it as well within Enzi's right to take the Budget chairmanship if he wants it, which he says he does.

"That's unfortunate for Alabama, because having Sessions atop that powerful of a committee would have been a big deal for the state. And even more importantly, having the 'Conservative Conscience of the Senate' leading the charge when it comes to addressing the nation's $18 trillion debt would have been a great thing for the country.

"But with Sessions' seniority, he will undoubtedly be a major player in his other plum committee assignments. And with the blowback continuing to build, Republican leadership is probably savvy enough to see that even if Enzi gets the Budget, conservatives all over the country are going to demand Sessions' role be increased inside the caucus in a big way."