"The right of American citizens to cast a ballot must be protected and strengthened. Today the Supreme Court ruled in favor of voters across the nation, confirming that states cannot weaken our rights with burdensome registration requirements. I applaud the Supreme Court for this decision, which will help eliminate voter suppression across the country."

Today's ruling stems from a challenge to a 2004 Arizona law that required, in addition to federal safeguards already in place, further proof of citizenship for those registering to vote. In their decision the Supreme Court also cited that the Arizona Law conflicts with, and is preempted by, the National Voter Registration Act, passed by Congress in 1993. Congress has authority over when, where and how elections are held under the Elections Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

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"Every day our first responders put their lives on the line for the safety of our communities, in some cases giving the ultimate sacrifice to help others," said Congressman Larson. "The heroism these brave men and women have shown in just the last six months clearly shows the need to amend our flag code to allow states to fly the flag at half-staff for first responders killed in the line of duty. I am pleased to introduce this legislation in honor of all the first responders we have lost, and thank Representatives Courtney, Himes, King, Grijalva, Johnson and Andrews for joining me in this effort."

"The jobs and responsibilities of our first responders and law enforcement officers are more challenging and complex today than ever before," said Congressman Courtney. "When the unthinkable happens, and a first responder is killed in the line of duty, he or she deserves the honor this legislation would afford them. On Flag Day, I am pleased to join Congressman Larson in his effort to provide our police, firefighters and EMTs an honor equal to the risks they take, day in and day out, to keep our towns safe."

"As a former first responder, I have met countless men and women willing to put their own comfort and safety on the line to ensure the well-being of others. All too often, we never get the chance to thank them for this sacrifice," said Congressman Himes. "This bill will recognize first responders for the difficult, dangerous, and often thankless job they perform and ensure we are honoring the memory of those who have fallen in the line of duty."

While today Governors are allowed to order the flag to be flown at half-staff for members of the Armed Forces and present or former government officials, there is no language specific to first responders in the current flag code. Larson originally introduced the 'Honoring Hometown Heroes Act' in the 112th Congress after Windsor resident and Hartford firefighter Jim McLoughlin petitioned Congressman Larson to make a change to the U.S. Code, Title 4 which regulates the use of the American Flag. McLoughlin is the Founder of the National Honor Guard Commanders Association.

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"The withdrawal of all our service members from Afghanistan is long overdue. With the War in Iraq closed and over twelve years since the beginning of the war in Afghanistan, our troops deserve to come home. While it is my hope that we are able to bring all our brave men and women home from Afghanistan faster than 2014, Congress should be given its constitutional role in authorizing any continued or further operations. I applaud Representatives McGovern, Jones and Smith for offering this amendment and remain committed to ending the war in Afghanistan."

The amendment also calls for a faster withdrawal if possible as well as Congressional approval if the President determines continued deployment is necessary for training and special operations.

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"Our military families have waited too long for a permanent solution to the problems accessing behavioral health treatment under TRICARE. It's hard enough being on the battlefield away from home to have the extra burden of worrying about your kids care," said Larson. "The sacrifices of these families, like Rachel and Command Sergeant Major William Kenyon, deserve our support to ensure their children are able to access care and treatment proven to help in their development. Today, with the passage of this amendment, we are one step to closer to providing that access to appropriate levels of treatment."

"I commend Congressman Rooney for joining me in offering this amendment and will continue to fight for families like the Kenyons so that all military children have the opportunity to reach their highest potential by receiving the right treatments, at the right time," Larson continued. "I also want to thank Chairman McKeon, Ranking Member Smith and Representatives Joe Courtney, Walter Jones and Mike Doyle for their support moving this issue forward."

"Families across the country – including those of my two nephews – face incredible challenges in raising children with autism. For our military families, those challenges can be particularly daunting," Rooney said. "Our common sense amendment helps ensure that the children of our troops and military retirees have access to the health care services they need."

Larson has repeatedly called on Congress to institute a permanent fix to TRICARE for military children. Previously, Larson introduced the Caring for Military Kids with Autism Act (H.R. 2288) in the 112th Congress. That bipartisan bill, which would have required permanent coverage under TRICARE basic of ABA treatments, passed both the House and Senate as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization ACT (NDAA) of 2013. In a limited victory for military families, the conference report for the NDAA created a one-year-pilot program allowing military children with autism to receive greater access to ABA under TRICARE. Today's amendment would institute a permanent solution for military children with developmental disabilities.

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is proven to greatly help children with developmental disabilities, particularly those who have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis. Today, access to ABA is limited by an annual dollar cap on coverage and is not adequately available to children of military retirees with TRICARE coverage.

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---WATCH VIDEO HERE---

Excerpted Remarks:

"No matter who they targeted, it was wrong, it's egregious. I was happy that we moved swiftly to make sure that there was a public hearing on this. I commend both David Camp and Sandy Levin for joining in a nonpartisan way and saying, no matter who is controlling the IRS, it is totally inappropriate and egregious that you would target people for their political beliefs. Whether they're progressives or whether they're Tea Party, it is flat out wrong.

"So I think that this can be constructive, there's already been movement that's taken place. Mr. Miller has stepped down, Ms. Lerner is going to be stepping down. That was a good move, I thought, again – Sandy Levin taking the lead on that in the Ways and Means Committee. Yet, like all issues, I believe that this deserves the thorough oversight of the United States Congress. If nothing less, the public right now – which holds Congress in not the highest of esteem – needs to be assured that we're going to continue to focus on the public trust. And then, above all else, what we hope, what I hope we do is we're able to pivot to something that the public is truly yearning for and that's to get back to work...

"...What we fear is that we don't want this to turn into some kind of partisan witch hunt. And, we should say at the outset, while Congress is not popular, neither is the IRS for that matter, and yet there are so many incredible civil servants who work on behalf of the IRS and other federal agencies. And this shouldn't be about demeaning everybody, but where there is inappropriate action, and clearly this was, we ought to take swift action and correct the problem, and I think that that's a process that's already underway.

"It's heartening to see that Congress is doing this in a nonpartisan basis. Could we now shift to job creation and dealing with our healthcare crisis, both of which can offer other opportunities for us to work together in a nonpartisan fashion? When I go home, that's what people keep on saying to me: 'When are you guys going to get together and put us back to work?', that's what they say at Augie and Ray's anyway."

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Currently, the federal excise tax on LNG and diesel is set at 24.3 cents per gallon. Because it takes 1.7 gallons of LNG to produce the same amount of energy as a gallon of diesel fuel, LNG is taxed 70 percent higher than diesel. The bill would level the playing field by applying the excise tax to LNG and diesel based on the amount of energy each produces, which is how it is applied to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and gasoline.

"Natural gas is an affordable and American energy source that is an essential part of ending our dependency on foreign oil," said Congressman Larson. "Companies are already beginning to make the switch towards natural gas vehicles and this bill will knock down a significant barrier preventing companies from further harnessing this domestic energy source. By leveling the playing field for LNG trucks, we are taking an easy step towards utilizing clean, affordable and American energy."

"This bill provides a fair, market centered solution to fix the tax disparity between diesel and LNG," said Thornberry. "I think this change will encourage more private sector investment in LNG infrastructure and production, and that will be a real positive effect on our economy."

To better understand the problem with the current excise tax, consider a diesel truck traveling 100,000 miles per year at 5 miles per gallon consumes 20,000 gallons of diesel fuel. An identical LNG truck would require 34,000 gallons of LNG to travel the same distance. While the LNG truck uses a cleaner, domestic form of fuel, it would pay an additional $3,402 per year in taxes for using LNG.

A Senate companion bill is expected to soon be introduced by Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Richard Burr (R-NC). The bills have received public support from Natural Gas Vehicles for America, American Gas Association, America's Natural Gas Alliance, AGL Resources, Clean Energy Fuels, UPS, and others.

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WASHINGTON – In order to provide additional assistance to families and businesses struggling to rebuild in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) lead a bipartisan coalition including Reps. Joseph Crowley (D-NY), Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ), Michael Grimm (R-NY), John Larson (D-CT), Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ), Charles Rangel (D-NY), Tom Reed (R-NY) and Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) in introducing legislation to provide tax relief to the victims of the devastating storm that caused widespread destruction throughout the Northeast. The Hurricane Sandy Tax Relief Act of 2013, modeled after a similar bill passed into law in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, is aimed at providing tax relief for victims of Hurricane Sandy in areas designated as Federal Disaster Areas by the President.

"While the Sandy aid we fought so hard for is finally getting to the communities that desperately need it, we know it's not going to be enough to help families and businesses fully recover," said Rep. Pascrell, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee. "This legislation will go a long way towards filling this gap by providing immediate tax relief to those impacted by Sandy's devastation. Similar tax relief has been passed following some of our country's worst natural disasters, and Sandy victims deserve nothing less than the same treatment. Despite stepping up to the plate when other regions of the country have been hit by natural disasters, the Northeast was left waiting more than three months for federal aid following Sandy. We simply can't allow this double standard to continue to hamper recovery efforts."

"Seven months after Hurricane Sandy, New Jersey residents and business are continuing the hard work of recovery," Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen said. "This legislation gives families the ability to help themselves by targeting tax relief where it's most needed."

"While the physical signs of Sandy's destruction are being repaired and communities are put back together, there remains a significant need to address the unseen negative impact on families and businesses. This bipartisan legislation will ensure equity of treatment to our constituents suffering from a major storm and a vital opportunity to finally put Sandy behind them," said Rep. Frank LoBiondo.

"We fought hard for aid following Hurricane Sandy so that victims would get the help needed to rebuild their communities," said Rep. Tom Reed, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee. "Today's bill is a way to follow through on our commitment to make sure that aid isn't delayed. As one of the costliest natural disasters in the history of our country, Hurricane Sandy left a path of destruction millions of Americans are still trying to recover from. With this bill, we can continue and enhance those rebuilding efforts."

"The reality is hundreds of thousands of families and businesses affected by Hurricane Sandy are exactly that – still affected. This legislation will help provide assistance and relief as the daunting challenge of rebuilding, restarting and re-establishing lives and livelihoods continues," said Rep. Joe Crowley, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee. "The fundamental goal of government is to protect and help our citizens in need. Just as Congress has done in the wake of other natural disasters, it is critical that we provide this much-needed tax relief as soon as possible."

"One of the greatest attributes of our nation is the resiliency of the people in devastated communities and the shared understanding that the whole country is there to lift them up in their time of need," said Rep. Charles B. Rangel, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee. "The damage and suffering caused by Hurricane Sandy is not merely felt by those affected in the East Coast, but by all of America. I'm proud to have worked on the Hurricane Sandy Tax Relief Act of 2013 with my Colleagues because it is an American solution to an American problem. This bipartisan bill is based on tax relief that has been provided in the aftermath all major disasters across the country. We cannot wait. It should be enacted as soon as possible."

"From hurricanes and tornadoes to wildfires and floods, Americans come together in the face of disaster," said Rep. Carolyn McCarthy. "We're asking our colleagues in Congress to help the millions of people affected by Sandy through this commonsense and fair tax relief, because it's the right thing to do and helping each other is who we are as Americans."

"The damage caused by Hurricane Sandy will leave a lasting impact on communities in Connecticut and across the East Coast," said Congressman Larson, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee. "Congress has an obligation to help these Americans, who have been forced to deal with the economic strain of a devastating natural disaster. I am proud of the bipartisan efforts of my colleagues who understand that providing relief is not about politics or ideology, rather it is our responsibility to respond to Americans in need. I urge Congress to take up this legislation and help our cities, towns and businesses recover."

"As federal aid begins to flow into the hands of those struggling to recover from Sandy, it will never fully cover the cost of the storm," said Rep. Grimm. "By pairing aid with tax relief, we can maximize assistance to our struggling families and businesses, and further ease the burden of recovery. Congress has a long history of providing tax relief in the aftermath of natural disasters, and the people of New York and New Jersey deserve the same opportunity."

The legislation will complement the federal government's relief and recovery efforts by providing additional tax relief to businesses, individuals and municipalities affected by Hurricane Sandy, including:

Individual Assistance:

• Waiver of Adjusted Gross Income limitation for theft/loss deduction, so individuals can deduct the cost of uninsured losses.

• Increased Charitable Contribution Limits: The legislation increases charitable deduction limits of taxpayers with respect to cash contributions to certain tax exempt organizations made for the purpose of relief efforts related to Hurricane Sandy.

• Look-back Provision for Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit, to allow a family in the affected region to opt to use their previous year's earnings to calculate their Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit.

• Allow taxpayers whose principal place of residence is in the Hurricane Sandy Disaster Area and who suffered a loss from Hurricane Sandy, to take distributions from retirement savings accounts with no tax penalty, provided such amount is repaid within three years.

Business Assistance:

• Allowing businesses to expense the cost of disaster recovery.

• Allowing businesses to use Net Operating Loss to recover past tax payments or reduce future tax payments, if they are operating with no tax liability during the prescribed period.

• Increase in new markets tax credit for investments in community development entities serving Hurricane Sandy disaster areas.

• Allowing public utilities to reduce their tax liability when rebuilding or replacing assets damaged in the storm.

• Work Opportunity Tax Credits for displaced workers.

Public and Municipal Assistance:

• A new state-by-state private activity bond allocation for Sandy-affected areas to rebuild docks and wharfs, commuting facilities, certain housing, water, sewage, and solid waste infrastructure, and facilities used to provide electric energy or gas.

Housing Assistance:

• Increased allocation of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit for declared disaster areas.

• Waiver of certain mortgage revenue bond requirements, easing access to capital.

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"As a member from Connecticut, a state that recently endured the destruction of a hurricane, the tragedy of the slaughter of innocents in Newtown and, most recently, a train wreck this past weekend, we know that tragedy and natural disaster can befall any part of the country at any time.

"Our hearts go out to Oklahoma and to Representative Tom Cole, whose district has been devastated by this latest catastrophe. I recall how Tom Cole stood tall and voted for providing direct relief for Hurricane Sandy when it was not popular within his own Conference. He did what Americans do – rise to the aid of their fellow citizens.

"As the search and rescue efforts valiantly continue, let us not just offer our prayers, as needed and as welcome as they are; let us act as united citizens and send with all due speed the relief that the people of Oklahoma so desperately need.

"Disasters and tragedy should never be about ideology, politics or geographic locale; when Americans are in need of help, the Congress needs to respond. That is who we are as a people; that's what makes us a more perfect union. Any American befallen by tragedy or natural disaster needs the assistance of its nation and fellow Americans.

"Let us act now before we leave this week on a long recess. Oklahoma citizens struck by this disaster do not have the luxury to wait. Let us put politics and ideology aside and act on behalf of the American people."

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"Far too many voters dealt with inexcusable issues and delays when trying to cast a ballot in our most recent elections," said Congressman Larson. "This act empowers all Americans to exercise their right to vote, reduces costs and increases transparency in our electoral system. I applaud Ranking Member Brady and other Democratic members of the Committee on House Administration for introducing this legislation and look forward to continuing my work to improve our electoral process."

The Election Assistance Commission Improvements Act of 2013 allows the EAC to continue their work protecting every American's right to vote and improves the ability of commissioners to track electoral issues. In addition, the act also aims to improve access to polling places for disabled voters and increases transparency by preventing manufacturers from paying for the audits of their own machines.

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Flooding from the Pequabuck River during Hurricane Irene severely damaged homes and businesses in Bristol, Plainville and Plymouth. Many businesses located along the river were forced to close, including some that were unable to reopen and were forced to lay off employees. With the constant threat of recurring flooding, businesses have been fearful about rebuilding along the river.

The Bristol-Plainville-Plymouth Pequabuck River Flooding Study will provide a road map for reducing damage to homes and businesses from river flooding while saving future federal disaster relief dollars.

"With the constant threat of flooding from the Pequabuck River, Bristol, Plainville and Plymouth businesses have been rightfully fearful about rebuilding and investing along the water. This study is an important first step toward identifying necessary flood mitigation measures to ensure this beautiful river can once again serve as a job creation and economic development driver for the area. As severe weather events such as Irene become more and more common, I will continue to advocate for additional funding for flood mitigation measures throughout the state to ensure Connecticut business and communities are prepared for this new normal," Blumenthal said.

"Families and businesses in Plainville, Bristol, and Plymouth have seen more than their share of natural disasters in recent years," said Murphy. "This funding will help those communities develop flood mitigation programs to help prevent future disruptions of people's daily lives and business, and ensure more economic stability in the area. I'm proud to support it."

"The studies made possible by this grant will help Bristol and surrounding towns develop effective flood mitigation projects within the flood plain," said Larson. "Following Hurricane Irene I joined Mayor Ward to witness first-hand the devastation caused by flooding to sites surrounding the Pequabuck River. In the wake of unprecedented severe weather in New England, it is crucial that we continue to work towards reducing the damaging effects of future natural disasters that hurt our local and state economies."

"This is an important investment for long-term economic development in Plainville, Plymouth, and Bristol. For residents who have been rightfully fearful about rebuilding along the river and small business owners who are struggling to create jobs in the face of repeated disaster, we must take this critical first step and identify the best measures to alleviate the risks of flooding. I will continue to work with my colleagues in our delegation and local officials to ensure our communities receive the support they need to move forward and to minimize the costs of future disasters," said Esty.

"This regional effort is the first step in addressing the issue of flooding on the Pequabuck River. The study will identify the potential solution to the increase flooding events that are impacting our businesses and residents as well. We thank the delegation for working with Plainville, Plymouth and Bristol and securing the funds for the study," said Plainville Town Manager Robert Lee.

"This award is monumental in addressing the regional flooding problems of Bristol, Plymouth and Plainville as a result of the devastating issues associated with the Pequabuck River. This first step in recognizing the disastrous economic impact upon our communities will provide for an invaluable means of correcting and preventing future flooding disasters," said Bristol Mayor Art Ward.

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