Sen Olympia Snowe (R-Me) has cosponsored the Hearing Aid Tax Credit (S 1019), and will cosign a “Dear Colleague” letter with Sen Harkin (D-Iowa) urging support from other Senators, says a statement from the Hearing Industries Association (HIA), Washington. As an influential member of the Senate Finance Committee, which reviews all tax legislation, Snowe’s cosponsorship and active support of the bill is significant, says HIA. A cosponsor in the previous Congress, Snowe had declined to take a leading role on the tax credit while the Minnesota election outcome was still undetermined. Norm Coleman (R-Minn) was the original Republican champion of the Senate bill.
HIA is sponsoring local events in support of the hearing aid tax credit during the August Congressional recess in Henderson, Nev, for Rep Dina Titus and in La Crosse, Wis, for Rep Ron Kind. Titus, a freshman member, has been an ardent supporter of hearing health issues such as the hearing aid tax credit, and Kind is a member of the key House Ways and Means Committee, which considers tax legislation, says HIA.
The events are hosted by local members of the AG Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and the Hearing Loss Association of America, with active support by local members of the International Hearing Society and several audiologists, says HIA. The Nevada event is an August 22 brunch, and the Wisconsin event is an August 28 luncheon. HIA members are invited to attend each event—especially members located near either town.
[Source: HIA]
