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Rep. Sánchez votes to advance Build Back Better Act

November 19, 2021

“I am proud to vote for the Build Back Better Act, once-in-a-generation legislation that will lower costs weighing heaviest on working American families and set our children up for a better future.” – Linda T. Sánchez

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Linda T. Sánchez (CA-38) announced she was proud to vote for the Build Back Better Act, legislation that will provide one of the biggest middle class tax cuts in history, guarantee four weeks of paid family and medical leave for all Americans, deliver free preschool for all 3- and 4-year-olds, make historic investments in our fight against climate change, and put California and the country on track to a more vibrant economic future. The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.

"Since President Joe Biden was sworn into office, I have been working with his Administration and my colleagues in Congress to recover from this pandemic and invest in working families so that they are finally given a fair shot," said Congresswoman Linda T. Sánchez. "Today, I am proud to vote for the Build Back Better Act, once-in-a-generation legislation that will lower costs weighing heaviest on working American families and set our children up for a better future."

"California established the first paid family and medical leave program in the country and paved the way for the Build Back Better Act to finally deliver that critical assistance to all Americans. This legislation will strengthen our state's paid family and medical leave law by establishing a direct federal reimbursement, allowing us to provide an even stronger benefit to Californians. It will also help working families by lowering the cost of child care and prescription drugs and delivering free preschool for all 3- and 4-year-olds."

"This package will create millions of jobs, enable more people to remain in the workforce, and rebuild our economy with a focus on the middle class. In California, these investments will help us create good-paying jobs right at home, expand access to college and job training programs, and help more Californians stay in their homes or become first time homeowners."

"The Build Back Better Act will help protect our state from the impacts of climate change with historic investments in our shift to a clean energy economy, costal restoration and forest management, and environmental justice. The legislation will also leverage our tax code to ensure that all families, regardless of their zip code, benefit from investments in clean, renewable energy and electrification."

Congresswoman Sánchez continued: "As a senior member of the Ways and Means Committee, I was proud to help craft many of the tax-related provisions in this package and deliver a tax system that works for the middle class, not just the wealthy few. This legislation puts the middle class back to work, invests in supply chain resiliency, and ensures no one making under $400,000 sees an increase in their taxes. Specifically, I was proud to have successfully fought for a provision that eliminates the Social Security Number requirement for the Expanded Child Tax Credit so that it is available for all families, regardless of immigration status."

"I am also proud to have worked with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to advance long overdue immigration reform in this legislation. We secured historic protections for our undocumented community members, including Dreamers and TPS holders, and relief for families stuck in visa backlogs. With these measures, millions of immigrant families will finally be able to fully participate in our economy and contribute to the country we all call home."

Four other pieces of legislation championed and authored by Congresswoman Sánchez were included in the Build Back Better Act:

  • Helping Independent Tracks Succeed (HITS) Act, a bipartisan bill introduced by Congresswoman Sánchez and supported by a broad coalition of independent music creators whose festivals were canceled, tours postponed, and studio sessions put on hold indefinitely during the pandemic. The HITS Act would help struggling independent artists get back on their feet by allowing them to deduct 100 percent of recording production expenses in the year they are incurred, rather than in later years.
  • Mechanical Insulation Installation Incentive Act, legislation that incentivizes the skilled-labor installation of mechanical insulation in buildings to make them more energy-efficient.
  • Addressing Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults (SILO) Act, which will provide dedicated funding for area agencies on aging (AAAs) and other community-based organizations to address social isolation and help connect older adults to resources in their communities.
  • Low-Income Housing Renewable Energy Credit Act, legislation that brings the economic and environmental benefits of renewable energy to low-income individuals and communities.

The Build Back Better Act now heads to the Senate for consideration.

Here are some other key elements to the Build Back Better Act:

Makes historic investments in childcare and elder care – The legislation will save most American families more than half of their spending on child care and deliver two years of free preschool for every 3- and 4-year-old in America. It will give more than 35 million families a major tax cut by extending the expanded Child Tax Credit through 2022, and expand access to high-quality home care for older Americans and people with disabilities. Finally, the Build Back Better Act will permanently improve Medicaid coverage for home care services for seniors and people with disabilities, making the most transformative investment in access to home care in 40 years.

Expands access to affordable health care – The legislation will strengthen the Affordable Care Act and reduce premiums for more than 9 million Americans by extending the expanded Premium Tax Credit. It will deliver health care coverage to up to 4 million uninsured people in states that have locked them out of Medicaid. The bill will expand Medicare to cover hearing services, so that older Americans can afford the care they need.

Helps build a greener, more sustainable future – The legislationwill cut greenhouse gas pollution by well over one gigaton in 2030, reduce consumer energy costs, give our kids cleaner air and water, create hundreds of thousands of high-quality jobs, and advance environmental justice by investing in a 21st century clean energy economy – from buildings, transportation, industry, electricity, and agriculture to climate smart practices across our lands and waters.

Ensures corporations and the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share – The legislation includes a new surtax on the income of multi-millionaires and billionaires – the wealthiest 0.02 percent of Americans. It will stop large, profitable corporations from paying zero in tax and tax corporations that buyback stock rather than invest in the company. It will stop rewarding corporations for shipping jobs and profits overseas by imposing a 15% country-by-country minimum tax on foreign profits of U.S. corporations.

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