Modifies such credit by: (1) repealing the requirement that a "qualified ex-felon" be a member of a low-income (as specified) family; (2) increasing the maximum age for eligibility of food stamp recipients to 40 years; (3) redefining the term "vocational rehabilitation referral"; (4) adding "long-term family assistance recipients" (as defined) to the definition of "targeted groups"; and (5) increasing the maximum allowable credit for employment of long-term family assistance recipients.
Repeals the separate welfare-to-work credit.
[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2047 Introduced in House (IH)]
1st Session
H. R. 2047
To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify the work
opportunity credit and the welfare-to-work credit.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 9, 2003
Mr. Houghton (for himself and Mr. Rangel) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify the work
opportunity credit and the welfare-to-work credit.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Encouraging Work Act of 2003''.
SEC. 2. MODIFICATIONS TO WORK OPPORTUNITY CREDIT AND WELFARE-TO-WORK
CREDIT.
(a) Credit Made Permanent.--
(1) Subsection (c) of section 51 of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986 is amended by striking paragraph (4) (relating to
termination).
(2) Section 51A of such Code is amended by striking
subsection (f).
(b) Eligibility of Ex-Felons Determined Without Regard to Family
Income.--Paragraph (4) of section 51(d) of such Code is amended by
adding ``and'' at the end of subparagraph (A), by striking ``, and'' at
the end of subparagraph (B) and inserting a period, and by striking all
that follows subparagraph (B).
(c) Increase in Maximum Age for Eligibility of Food Stamp
Recipients.--Clause (i) of section 51(d)(8)(A) of such Code is amended
by striking ``25'' and inserting ``40''.
(d) Increase in Maximum Age for Designated Community Residents.--
(1) In general.--Paragraph (5) of section 51(d) of such
Code is amended to read as follows:
``(5) Designated community residents.--
``(A) In general.--The term `designated community
resident' means any individual who is certified by the
designated local agency--
``(i) as having attained age 18 but not age
40 on the hiring date, and
``(ii) as having his principal place of
abode within an empowerment zone, enterprise
community, or renewal community.
``(B) Individual must continue to reside in zone or
community.--In the case of a designated community
resident, the term `qualified wages' shall not include
wages paid or incurred for services performed while the
individual's principal place of abode is outside an
empowerment zone, enterprise community, or renewal
community.''
(2) Conforming amendment.--Subparagraph (D) of section
51(d)(1) is amended to read as follows:
``(D) a designated community resident,''.
(e) Clarification of Treatment of Individuals Under Individual Work
Plans.--Subparagraph (B) of section 51(d)(6) of such Code (relating to
vocational rehabilitation referral) is amended by striking ``or'' at
the end of clause (i), by striking the period at the end of clause (ii)
and inserting ``, or'', and by adding at the end the following new
clause:
``(iii) an individual work plan developed
and implemented by an employment network
pursuant to subsection (g) of section 1148 of
the Social Security Act with respect to which
the requirements of such subsection are met.''
(f) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall
apply to individuals who begin work for the employer after December 31,
2003.
SEC. 3. CONSOLIDATION OF WORK OPPORTUNITY CREDIT WITH WELFARE-TO-WORK
CREDIT.
(a) In General.--Paragraph (1) of section 51(d) of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by striking ``or'' at the end of
subparagraph (G), by striking the period at the end of subparagraph (H)
and inserting ``, or'', and by adding at the end the following new
subparagraph:
``(I) a long-term family assistance recipient.''
(b) Long-Term Family Assistance Recipient.--Subsection (d) of
section 51 of such Code is amended by redesignating paragraphs (10)
through (12) as paragraphs (11) through (13), respectively, and by
inserting after paragraph (9) the following new paragraph:
``(10) Long-term family assistance recipient.--The term
`long-term family assistance recipient' means any individual
who is certified by the designated local agency--
``(A) as being a member of a family receiving
assistance under a IV-A program (as defined in
paragraph (2)(B)) for at least the 18-month period
ending on the hiring date,
``(B)(i) as being a member of a family receiving
such assistance for 18 months beginning after August 5,
1997, and
``(ii) as having a hiring date which is not more
than 2 years after the end of the earliest such 18-
month period, or
``(C)(i) as being a member of a family which ceased
to be eligible for such assistance by reason of any
limitation imposed by Federal or State law on the
maximum period such assistance is payable to a family,
and
``(ii) as having a hiring date which is not more
than 2 years after the date of such cessation.''
(c) Increased Credit for Employment of Long-Term Family Assistance
Recipients.--Section 51 of such Code is amended by inserting after
subsection (d) the following new subsection:
``(e) Credit for Second-Year Wages for Employment of Long-Term
Family Assistance Recipients.--
``(1) In general.--With respect to the employment of a
long-term family assistance recipient--
``(A) the amount of the work opportunity credit
determined under this section for the taxable year
shall include 50 percent of the qualified second-year
wages for such year, and
``(B) in lieu of applying subsection (b)(3), the
amount of the qualified first-year wages, and the
amount of qualified second-year wages, which may be
taken into account with respect to such a recipient
shall not exceed $10,000 per year.
``(2) Qualified second-year wages.--For purposes of this
subsection, the term `qualified second-year wages' means
qualified wages--
``(A) which are paid to a long-term family
assistance recipient, and
``(B) which are attributable to service rendered
during the 1-year period beginning on the day after the
last day of the 1-year period with respect to such
recipient determined under subsection (b)(2).
``(3) Special rules for agricultural and railway labor.--If
such recipient is an employee to whom subparagraph (A) or (B)
of subsection (h)(1) applies, rules similar to the rules of
such subparagraphs shall apply except that--
``(A) such subparagraph (A) shall be applied by
substituting `$10,000' for `$6,000', and
``(B) such subparagraph (B) shall be applied by
substituting `$833.33' for `$500'.''.
(d) Repeal of Separate Welfare-to-Work Credit.--
(1) In general.--Section 51A of such Code is hereby
repealed.
(2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections for subpart
F of part IV of subchapter A of chapter 1 of such Code is
amended by striking the item relating to section 51A.
(e) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall
apply to individuals who begin work for the employer after December 31,
2003.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E921-922)
Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
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