SSWAA ACTION ALERT
Urge Your Senators to Vote NO on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
Background
On November 16, the House of Representatives passed its version of tax reform. Now the Senate is finalizing its bill, with a vote expected on the floor the week after Thanksgiving. Both bills are extremely damaging because they increase the deficit significantly, which ultimately may lead to sharp cuts in spending on education and other human services to pay for that increase.
The House bill expanded the use of 529 college tuition plans, allowing those plans to be used to pay for K-12 private school tuition. Two tuition tax credit amendments were introduced but not adopted in the Senate Finance Committee consideration of the Senate tax bill. However, we remain concerned that some form of private school voucher could emerge in the final Senate bill.
Of very deep concern, also, was the inclusion in the Senate Finance Committee bill of the repeal of the "individual mandate" for purchase of health insurance, the foundation of the Affordable Care Act. This repeal would equate to approximately 14 million people losing health coverage, including children and families school social workers serve daily.
SSWAA URGES YOU TO CONTACT YOUR SENATORS TO OPPOSE THE TAX CUTS AND JOBS ACT!
TAKE ACTION
- Call your Senators TODAY! You can reach them through the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 (Cell phones; NO school phones!). Ask to be connected to your Senators' offices.*
- Deliver this message: "As your constituent and a school social worker (student/professor/administrator, etc.) in (School District, university, etc.), I urge you to VOTE NO on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. This bill will hurt middle- and low-income children and their families and ultimately may result in decreased federal investment in education. Thank you for standing up for children and families!"
* If you don't know your senators, go to www.senate.gov and put in your zip code.
Michigan Association of School Social Workers
11050 Edgewood Rd, Bellevue, MI 49021
269-420-8842
Website: masswmi.org
Facebook: facebook.com/masswmi
Twitter: @masswmi