Vote Explanation

Floor Speech

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Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President. I am in strong support of Senator Levin's effort to repeal the enhanced tax form 1099 reporting requirements enacted in the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act. Since passage of the bill, I have heard from hundreds of Rhode Island small business owners about the paperwork and record-keeping costs of complying with the new 1099 standards. The provision, which was intended to cut down on fraud and generate revenue, has simply proven too burdensome on small businesses. I support the repeal of the new 1099 provision and am pleased to have voted in favor of the Levin amendment which would do so.

While I support the Levin approach to repealing the 1099 provision, I cannot lend my support to Senator Stabenow's amendment which would pay for the repeal by rescinding $44 billion in appropriated funds. The rescission could endanger priorities for Rhode Island like funds appropriated for water infrastructure, housing assistance, and to help Rhode Island recover from the historic floods of March 2010. Senator Reed and I fought hard to bring Federal help to Rhode Islanders struggling to rebuild after the worst flood in 200 years, and I simply am not willing jeopardize that relief.

Once again, I fully support the repeal of the enhanced 1099 reporting requirements, and I hope we can pass a measure to do that without endangering funding for critical programs like flood recovery.

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