Despite pressure from Senate leadership and the White House to move a bill prior to recessing on August 7th, Finance Committee leaders, Chairman Max Baucus and Ranking Minority Member Charles Grassley, continued to work methodically with a bipartisan group of four other Senate Finance Committee members on efforts to create a compromise bill that could successfully make it's way through the Senate. Unless unforeseen developments occur, the group of six and committee staff will continue to work through the August recess with a committee markup planned for September.
NAR continues to meet with House and Senate offices and committee staff on the various components of the reform proposals. Staff continue to analyze the mammoth bills and consult with the members of NAR's Business Issues Committee and Federal Tax Policy Committee for specific policy input. NAR has not taken a position on any of the health reform bills at this time.
Concerned with the cost of the bill and provisions that would create an optional public insurance program, the committee's moderate Blue Dog members had earlier indicated their plans to oppose the bill unless amended to address their concerns. Changes sought included cutting the cost of the bill by $100 billion by restructuring the bill's tax credits for individuals, increasing the threshold for small businesses that would be exempted from the bill's employer mandate requirements and postponing any floor consideration of the bill until after the August recess.
Visit www.realtor.org/healthreform
