Alaskan Congressman Don Young signed on as a cosponsor today to H.R. 953, the Veterans Travel Tax Relief Act of 2009. This piece of legislation will allow veterans to receive up to $400 in tax deductions for travel expenses when traveling to a VA health facility for treatment. “This is a very important bill for Alaska,” said Rep. Young. “As it currently stands, veterans can be reimbursed only for... Read more »
Alaskan Congressman Don Young has signed on to a letter to Mr. Stephen Ayers, the Architect of the Capitol, urging him to allow full access to the new Capitol Visitor Center (CVC) for staff-led tours. Due to the current rules staff led tours do not have full access to the CVC. As the rules stand now, all staff wishing to take any visitors through the CVC would have to attend a two day training wo... Read more »
Alaskan Congressman Don Young has introduced H.R. 1381, which will amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to permanently extend existing elective tax treatment for Alaska Native Settlement Trusts. Rep. Young’s remarks as submitted for the record: “Madame Speaker, recently I introduced H.R. 1381, which would make permanent the provisions of Section 646 of the Internal Revenue Code. Currently, the... Read more »
Alaskan Congressman Don Young has been selected to represent Region One on the Republican Policy Committee, representing Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Colorado. The Committee serves as the principal forum for the consideration of forward-looking legislative initiatives and an important means for every member of the Republican Conferenc... Read more »
Alaskan Congressman Don Young voted no today on a bill that punishes responsible Americans for the poor choices of a few. H.R. 1106, the Helping Families Save their Homes Act contains a controversial provision which allows bankruptcy judges to “cram down” the principal of a debtor's mortgage. This bill, which was drafted only by senior Democratic Members, will encourage debtors to file for bankru... Read more »
Alaskan Congressman Don Young attended this morning’s full committee mark-up of both H.R. 915, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2009 and H.R. 1262, the Water Quality Investment Act of 2009, of which Rep. Young is an original cosponsor. Both bills were reported favorably to the House today to be scheduled for a vote. Rep. Young on the Federal Aviation Administration... Read more »
Alaskan Congressman Don Young released the following statement this afternoon on the passing of Mat-Su Borough Mayor Curt Menard: “Lu and I send our prayers and our most heartfelt condolences to Linda and the Menard family during this difficult time,” said Rep. Young. “I’ve known Curt for a long time, first when he was a state legislator, then when he became mayor. I’ve always been impressed by h... Read more »
Washington, D.C. – Alaska’s Congressional Delegation sent the attached letter to Postmaster General Potter yesterday to express their concern with the pending rate increases and their effect on the Alaska bypass mail system. “Rural Alaskans are being hit very hard by the economic downturn we have faced this past year,” said Rep. Young. “Receiving basic goods is not the same in the villages of Alas... Read more »
Alaskan Congressman Don Young released the following statement this afternoon on the appointment of Alaska State Senator Kim Elton to the position of Director of Alaska Affairs at the U.S. Department of the Interior: “Congratulations to Senator Elton on being appointed to such an esteemed position,” said Rep. Young. “Alaska is incredibly rich in natural resources and has an abundance to offer the... Read more »
Washington, D.C. – The U.S. House passed Rep. Young’s H.R. 844, the Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Amendments of 2009, today which builds upon the original legislation passed in 1972, the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Act of 2000 amended the MMPA by establishing the John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Program, or the Prescott Grant Pro... Read more »
