The Serrano Report, Volume XI, #4

On Capitol Hill

Serrano Discusses Reforms, Funding Concerns with the Internal Revenue Service 

On Wednesday, as the leading Democrat on the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee, Congressman Serrano questioned the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) about the reforms put in place after several controversies, and discussed the impact of underfunding the agency.  Appearing before the subcommittee were new IRS Commissioner John Koskinen, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration J. Russell George, and National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson. Much of the hearing focused on last year's revelation that parts of the IRS were engaging in unnecessary scrutiny of liberal and conservative groups claiming 501(c)(4) status.

"Although the IRS has implemented numerous reforms, including those suggested by the Inspector General, the IRS is still being funded at its lowest level since fiscal year 2008," said Congressman Serrano. "If we care about the fair implementation of our tax laws, then this is simply unacceptable. We all know that at this level of funding, every additional dollar given to the IRS allows them to bring in at least 6 dollars from tax cheats. We cannot keep asking more and more of the IRS while providing them with less and less. That is not a good recipe for tax compliance or for this nation.

"The fiscal year 2015 appropriations process is upon us, and the focus of this committee needs to be on ensuring the proper reforms are in place, and that the IRS has the resources to complete its mission of serving the American taxpayer, and making sure that everyone follows the law. We all know the importance the IRS has in ensuring that we have the funding to pay for everything from national defense to Head Start. Using the various controversies from the past year to cut further resources from the agency will not just harm the IRS, but the American people as well." 

The IRS has seen its funding cut over the past several years, resulting in an inability to go after tax cheats and to help all those who need assistance in filing their taxes.

Serrano Signs Discharge Petition for Minimum Wage Bill 

On Wednesday, Congressman Serrano joined many of his Democratic colleagues in filing a discharge petition that would force the House to consider H.R. 1010, the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013. The bill would increase the minimum wage over three years from $7.25 to $10.10 per hour, gradually increase the tipped minimum wage to 70 percent of the minimum wage, and account for inflation. Because Republicans have refused to allow a vote on this important piece of legislation, the discharge petition would force the House of Representatives to vote on H.R. 1010. The discharge petition must have a full majority of the House, 218 members, sign in order to force a vote.  At this time, there are 191 signees.  

“I’m proud to join with House Democrats today to sign a discharge petition that would force a vote on increasing the minimum wage to $10.10. By voting for H.R. 1010, we can help 25 million people. It is time to for Republicans to schedule a vote on this vital piece of legislation, which would significantly help hardworking American families.”

Serrano Joins Colleagues in Urging the Social Security Administration to Reconsider Office Consolidation

On February 26th, Serrano joined colleagues in sending a letter to Acting Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, Carolyn W. Colvin, urging the reconsideration of the closure of 4 field offices in New York State. The Social Security Administration plans to close 4 offices around the state, in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Amherst, and Kingston by the end of March 2014. To mitigate the possibility of the Bronx Hub's consolidation into the South Bronx office, Serrano recently hosted a community discussion on the alternative service options that will be made available.

Full text of the letter is below.

February 26, 2014

Ms. Carolyn W. Colvin

Acting Commissioner of Social Security

Social Security Administration

6401 Security Boulevard

Baltimore, MD 21235-0001

Dear Commissioner Colvin:

For more than seventy years, Social Security has ensured that older citizens can retire without fear of significant financial hardship, that surviving spouses and children are taken care of after the death of a loved one, and that the disabled Americans receive support to live full and productive lives.

The proposed closing of four Social Security field offices in -- Amherst, Bronx Hub, Kingston, and Williamsburg, New York -- threatens the promise Congress made to provide personal assistance to seniors and Americans with disabilities in these communities.

These districts represent over 680,000 Social Security beneficiaries, 22 percent of all recipients in New York State. Fifteen percent of these recipients are seniors over the age of 65 receiving Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). This population is struggling to make ends meet and generally does not have the financial resources to travel longer distances or access to computers.

Last month, Congress provided an additional $11.7 billion dollars to the Social Security Administration (SSA) in the FY 2014 Omnibus Appropriations bill. We believe this additional funding obviates the need to make these previously scheduled closures.

As the economy continues to grow slowly, seniors, the disabled and low-income individuals continue to struggle to make ends meet. We implore you to hold public meetings with community leaders and the public, now and in the future, before proceeding with the closure of Social Security offices, and to listen to the burden and hardship these choices place on seniors and disabled residents. We also would like you to detail the process SSA uses to identify and recommend offices to consider for closure.

Closing and consolidating field offices is a bureaucratic solution that places administrative needs over providing quality customer service to the American public that has paid into Social Security and deserves continued access to the services they have relied on for years.

Sincerely,

Brian Higgins                                      

Dan Maffei                                         

José E. Serrano

cc: Beatrice Disman

      NY Regional Director

      Social Security Administration

      Office of the Regional Commissioner

      26 Federal Plaza

      Room 40-120

      New York, NY 10278

Serrano Cosponsors Community Gardens Bill 

Today, Congressman José E. Serrano announced that he had joined with several Congressional Democratic colleagues in their effort to bring dedicated federal funding and programming to community gardens across the nation using the AmeriCorps Program. Serrano became a original cosponsor of H.R. 4084, the “Community Gardening and Nutrition Act of 2014,” which would develop a new program to support community gardens. The bill, introduced by Rep. Alcee Hastings, is a bold federal effort to support community gardens and locally-based nutrition.

“Community gardens are an important educational and nutritional resource in the Bronx and other urban centers across the nation. They are also hugely popular among neighborhood residents,” said Congressman Serrano. “Across the country, they give communities a place to grow food, to get access to healthy fruits and vegetables, to learn, to connect with nature and with one another, and to get away from urban life. Our community has embraced them for years, and now I will be working to have the federal government get further involved in funding and supporting programs that benefit these great community resources.”

The Community Gardens and Nutrition Act of 2014 would establish a Community Gardens Pilot Program within AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), and would required VISTA volunteers to develop  at least 40 initiatives in both urban and rural areas suffering from high rates of poverty.  These initiatives would create new community gardens, as well as support and expand existing ones. The Community Gardens Pilot Program would emphasize community involvement, create new sources of healthy food, and teach basic nutrition. 

“I believe this is the sort of community building that the federal government should be in the business of supporting,” added Serrano. “The benefits are so many, and the cost is so little. More importantly, our communities want help with their community garden resources, and what better partner in that effort could there be than AmeriCorps VISTA volunteers. I look forward to recruiting many more allies to support this bill and hope to see it passed in the near future."

In The Bronx

Serranos Hosts Black History Month Event  

On Wednesday, February 19th, Congressman Serrano and NYS Senator José M. Serrano jointly held an event to celebrate Black History Month and paid tribute to three accomplished and deeply valued community leaders - O'Cynthia Williams, Kellie Terry and Bernel Arthur Richardson. “Each February we honor the contributions of our African-American brothers and sisters, and the Senator and I are always proud of the opportunity. But we all know that one month is hardly enough time to reflect upon the many contributions African-Americans have made to this nation. This is an event that the Senator and I always look forward to very much, and we both believe that taking time to pay tribute to the history of African-Americans in this country moves us one step closer to fulfilling the promise of a free and equal society."

Serranos with NYC Councilmember Vanessa Gibson, Bernel Arthur Richardson, Kellie Terry, and O'Cynthia Williams