Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Thompson Votes to Halt 1099 Small Business Reporting Requirement

March 3, 2011



Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson, R-Howard an original cosponsor of H.R. 4, a measure repealing the authority of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to require that businesses report every expense they incur over $600, voted in favor of the bill earlier today. Passage of H.R. 4, which gained unanimous support from House Republicans and 76 Democrats, comes as federal courts continue to challenge the new law, with most recently a U.S. District Court ruling the health care law unconstitutional. Thompson issued the following statement after final passage:

“Many of my initial concerns are now becoming a reality as this law has caused great uncertainty for businesses. The 1099 requirement would be death by a 1000 paper cuts for Pennsylvania’s small businesses. Any typical small business in a given year may have hundreds of vendors and be faced with thousands of transactions, and these burdensome regulations hamper job growth and undermine our path to economic recovery. I’ve championed repeal of the 1099 requirement since its enactment, and passage of H.R. 4 is a critical step in providing relief to small businesses in the 5th District and boosting economic recovery, job retention, and creation in Pennsylvania and across the country.”

An outspoken Member of Congress regarding the importance of the 1099 repeal, Thompson during the 111th Congress co-sponsored H.R. 5141, to repeal the 1099 portion of the health care bill, and also joined with colleagues on the House Small Business Committee in sending a letter to Douglas Shulman, Commissioner of the IRS, expressing opposition to the mandate. As a member of House Education & Workforce Committee, a key committee of jurisdiction regarding federal health care policy, and Co-Chairman of the Congressional Health Care Caucus, Thompson continues to work in the House to advance commonsense health care reforms that reduce cost, promote choice, and improve the quality of health care delivery to more Americans.

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Thursday, March 3, 2011

A Visit from Congressman Thompson

February 22, 2011
reprinted with permission
Ridgway School District

Today a group of students from the high school met with Congressman Thompson and discussed agriculture policy with him. The idea of meeting with the Congressman started in December when a group of students watched the movie Food Inc.

The movie is an expose about how the food that Americans consumes is produced and the companies that control the production. The goal of this project is to get students involved in the democratic process and learn how to attempt to change the world in which they live. Immediately after the movie, students were debriefed in small groups and given a chance to discuss what they had just watched. Following the movie, a second meeting was arranged for the students to meet with local farmers and discuss how farmers on a “small scale” produce their commodities. Last week the students met with four local farmers and asked them questions about small-scale food production. Since the students have raised many questions about how the Federal government can impact food production, Congressman Thompson was invited to talk to the group. The Congressman graciously accepted.


The Congressman began by giving the students an overview of his work on the Agricultural Committee in the House of Representatives. He discussed the process involved in learning about farm policy and some of the bigger issues facing the government as it relates to farm policy. The Congressman then took questions from the students. The “Q&A” was a great opportunity for the students to interact with someone that will help shape agricultural policy. Finally, the Congressman encouraged the students to become involved in our great democracy. He offered specific suggestions on how students can (and should) become involved in letting their politicians know their view on different subjects.


Today’s event is part of the “RASD Celebration” that is occurring over the next two weeks. The school district thanks the Congressman for coming to the school to talk with the students. I would also like to thank the adults in the school that have been instrumental in providing this opportunity for our students. Rena Urmann, Mrs. Vargas, Ms. Schaut and Amy Goode have spearheaded this project and have done a wonderful job. Great job!