Arkansas 2025 Regular Session

Arkansas House Bill HCR1002 Latest Draft

Bill / Draft Version Filed 11/20/2024

                              
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State of Arkansas     1 
95th General Assembly      2 
Regular Session, 2025  	HCR 1002 3 
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By: Representative Ray 5 
By: Senator J. Dotson 6 
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HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 8 
TO URGE THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO PERMANENTLY 9 
EXTEND THE TAX CUTS AND JOBS ACT OF 2017. 10 
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Subtitle 13 
TO URGE THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO 14 
PERMANENTLY EXTEND THE TAX CUTS AND JOBS 15 
ACT OF 2017. 16 
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 WHEREAS, prior to government -mandated economic shutdowns during the 18 
coronavirus 2019 (COVID -19) pandemic, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 19 
spurred steady economic expansion and allowed the spirit of entrepreneurship 20 
to flourish, while creating new jobs and opportunities for millions of 21 
Americans; and 22 
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 WHEREAS, the tax cuts of 2017 resulted in a one trillion five hundred 24 
billion dollar ($1,500,000,000,000) net tax cut, and were followed by 25 
historically low unemployment rates, an increase in business investment, and 26 
a six thousand dollar ($6,000) increase in real median household income over 27 
two years, including scores of raises and bonuses for workers immediately 28 
after the 2017 tax cuts were adopted; and 29 
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 WHEREAS, more than one hundred million (100,000,000) American taxpayers 31 
from all income groups, but especially middle and working class American 32 
taxpayers, have enjoyed real tax relief due to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 33 
2017; and 34 
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 WHEREAS, twenty-three (23) provisions of the 2017 tax cuts directly 36    	HCR1002 
 
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relating to individual income taxes, such as the reductions in personal 1 
income tax rates, the near doubling of the standard deduction, and the 2 
substantial reduction of the hated Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT), will expire 3 
after December 31, 2025; and 4 
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 WHEREAS, the 2017 tax cuts reduced federal tax rates for households 6 
across every income level, and this relief resulted in a tax cut of more than 7 
one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500) for the average middle -income 8 
earner; and 9 
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 WHEREAS, prior to the 2017 tax cuts, the top corporate income tax rate 11 
in the United States was thirty -five percent (35%), the highest among all 12 
nations in the Organization for Economic Co -operation and Development (OECD); 13 
and 14 
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 WHEREAS, the 2017 tax cuts reduced the business tax rate from thirty	-16 
five percent (35%) to twenty -one percent (21%), bringing the United States 17 
back to average among OECD member nations, and dramatically enhancing 18 
American competitiveness; and 19 
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 WHEREAS, the 2017 tax cuts set an annual cap of ten thousand dollars 21 
($10,000) on the state and local tax (SALT) deduction, thereby broadening the 22 
tax base at the federal level and in many states, which caused state level 23 
budget surpluses and resulted in many states offering substantial tax relief; 24 
and 25 
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 WHEREAS, if the current ten thousand dollars ($10,000) cap on the SALT 27 
deduction is allowed to expire after December 31, 2025, the federal tax base 28 
will be narrowed; and 29 
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 WHEREAS, returning to an unlimited SALT deduction would be an incentive 31 
for many states to once again implement higher taxes and spend at higher 32 
levels; and 33 
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 WHEREAS, a majority of Americans support making the 2017 tax cuts 35 
permanent; and 36    	HCR1002 
 
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 WHEREAS, allowing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 to expire would 2 
result in a massive tax increase on hardworking American taxpayers, a 3 
significant decline in American competitiveness, fewer jobs, reduced wage 4 
income for workers, and higher prices, 5 
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NOW THEREFORE,  7 
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY -FIFTH GENERAL 8 
ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN: 9 
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 THAT the General Assembly of the State of Arkansas urges the United 11 
States Congress to permanently extend the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 with 12 
commensurate spending cuts to avoid increasing the federal debt burden. 13 
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