Bill Text: NJ AR48 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges Congress and President to reallocate certain funds from "Inflation Reduction Act of 2022" to increase active military basic pay.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-09 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee [AR48 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-AR48-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman ALEX SAUICKIE
District 12 (Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Urges Congress and President to reallocate certain funds from "Inflation Reduction Act of 2022" to increase active military basic pay.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Assembly Resolution respectfully urging Congress and the President of the United States to reallocate funds from the Internal Revenue Service to the Department of Defense to increase the pay of certain members of the Armed Forces serving on active duty.
Whereas, The United States depends upon the members of its Armed Forces to ensure the safety and security of the nation; and
Whereas, Members of the United States Armed Forces dedicate years of their lives to the service of this country, often being separated from their families for extended periods, forgoing more lucrative employment, and facing life-threatening dangers; and
Whereas, Basic pay for many active duty military members falls below $15 an hour; and
Whereas, Approximately 23,000 active duty military members rely on food stamps, and some rely on other forms of public assistance; and
Whereas, The United States Armed Forces face declining retention and recruitment rates that make it difficult for the Armed Forces to fulfill their core mission of protecting the nation; and
Whereas, The federal "Inflation Reduction Act of 2022," Pub.L.117-169, allocated a total of approximately $79.6 billion to the Internal Revenue Service in addition to its existing budget; and
Whereas, The Internal Revenue Service plans to use much, if not all, of this funding to increase its number of full-time employees by nearly 87,000 within the next 10 years; and
Whereas, A study by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University determined that in fiscal year 2021, the Internal Revenue Service audited taxpayers earning under $25,000 annually at five times the rate of other taxpayers; and
Whereas, The House of Representatives approved the "Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act," H.B.23 of the 2023-2024 session, which rescinds funds allocated by the "Inflation Reduction Act of 2022" to the Internal Revenue Service; and
Whereas, The federal "Prioritizing Troops Over Tax Collectors Act of 2023," H.B.161 of the 2023-2024 session, reallocates the additional $79.6 billion from the Internal Revenue Service to the Department of Defense to increase the pay of certain members of the Armed Forces serving on active duty; and
Whereas, The primary purpose of the "Prioritizing Troops Over Tax Collectors Act of 2023" is to increase basic pay for active duty military service members to a minimum of $31,200 annual compensation, equivalent to a $15 hourly wage; and
Whereas, Increasing military basic pay will benefit more Americans and New Jersey residents than increasing funding for the Internal Revenue Service; and
Whereas, New Jersey is home to several military bases and many active duty service members and their families; and
Whereas, Increasing financial stability of active duty service members is in the interest of the State; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House respectfully urges Congress and the President of the United States to enact the "Prioritizing Troops Over Tax Collectors Act of 2023," H.R.161 of the 2023-2024 session, in order to reallocate funds from the Internal Revenue Service to the Department of Defense to increase the pay for certain members of the Armed Forces serving on active duty.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the President of the United States, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate, the Speaker and the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, and each member of Congress elected from this State.
STATEMENT
This resolution urges Congress and the President of the United States to enact the "Prioritizing Troops Over Tax Collectors Act of 2023," H.R.161 of the 2023-2024 session, to reallocate funds from the Internal Revenue Service to the Department of Defense to increase the pay of certain members of the Armed Forces serving on active duty.
The Internal Revenue Service audits taxpayers earning under $25,000 annually at a rate five times taxpayers who earn a higher salary. The House of Representatives passed the "Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act," H.B.23 of the 2023-2024 session, which rescinds funds allocated by the "Inflation Reduction Act of 2022," Pub.L.117-169, to the Internal Revenue Service. Instead, the "Prioritizing Troops Over Tax Collectors Act of 2023" reallocates these funds to the Department of Defense for the primary purpose of increasing basic pay for all active military service members to at least $31,200 annually, equivalent to a $15 hourly wage.
Currently, approximately 23,000 active duty service members rely on food stamps in the United States, and some rely on other forms of public assistance. New Jersey is home to several military bases, as well as many active duty military members and their families.
This resolution urges Congress
and the President to move forward with the enactment of the "Prioritizing
Troops Over Tax
Collectors Act of 2023" to alleviate financial difficulty for active duty service members receiving basic pay and encourage continued service in the United States military.
