Graves touts bills
Measures addressing outof-state income taxes and technical training are working their way through Congress.
Measures addressing out-of-state income taxes and technical training are in the works.
Two bills dealing with workers’ issues passed the U.S. House this week with the support of Rep. Tom Graves, R-Ranger, and now move to the U.S. Senate.
Graves said H.R. 1393 — the Mobile Workforce State Income Tax Simplification Act — will make filing easier for people who take temporary jobs outside their home state.
“If you live in Northwest Georgia but occasionally work in Tennessee, Alabama or any other state, this bill is for you,” Graves said.
“It simplifies the tax code so you don’t have to pay income taxes in other states unless you work there for more than 30 days a year. In today’s highly mobile economy, no one should face extra taxes for the location of a few days of work.”
Graves also supported H.R. 2353, the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act.
The bipartisan legislation reauthorizes the 1984 Perkins Act, which funds career and technical educa- tion programs, and it gives states more flexibility in how the grants are used.
Graves said the programs are especially helpful in preparing local workers for good-paying jobs in the region’s textile mills, flooring plants, chemical facilities and auto-parts factories.
“As new technology continues to change the manufacturing industry and other skilled jobs, career and technical training are more important than ever,” he said.
H.R. 2353 strengthens the Perkins Act by streamlining the state application process, empowering state leaders to target funds to industries with numerous job openings, and permitting states to use a portion of the funds to help students in rural areas where there are a substantial number of career and technical students, Graves said.
The bill is similar to one that passed last year but was not taken up by the Senate.