Horsford veterans amendments fail; committee sustains point of order on unrelated veteran-layoff proposal
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Summary
Rep. Horsford proposed two veterans-focused amendments — a veterans housing fund paid by a surtax on corporate buybacks and an inclusion of laid-off federal veterans in the Work Opportunity Tax Credit — both of which did not become law in committee after recorded votes and a sustained point of order.
Representative Horsford offered an amendment to create a veterans housing fund financed by a 1 percent surtax on excessive corporate stock buybacks by large firms (sponsor’s threshold: firms with over $10 billion in assets). Horsford said proceeds would finance housing and mental-health services for homeless and at-risk veterans and urged colleagues to support the measure, citing that roughly 30,000 veterans experienced homelessness and noting large recent buyback totals.
The committee called the roll on Horsford’s housing amendment. The clerk reported 19 yeses and 24 noes; the amendment did not pass.
Horsford also proposed an amendment to add recently laid-off federal veterans to the Work Opportunity Tax Credit. Committee debate on that measure produced a point of order from Representative Buchanan that the amendment was not germane to the committee’s jurisdiction. The chair sustained the point of order. Horsford moved to appeal the chair’s ruling; the committee tabled the appeal by roll call (the clerk reported 26 yeses and 18 noes), which sustained the point of order and prevented further consideration of the amendment in this markup.
During debate Representative Plaskett asked clarifying questions about which firms would be assessed and how the surtax would be collected; Horsford said the surtax would apply to large S&P 500 firms with assets above $10 billion and would fund housing, job training, and mental-health programs for veterans.