Press Releases

WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman Vern Buchanan announced that he has introduced eight bills to open the 119^th Congress, laying out his priorities to provide tax relief for families and small businesses, combat illegal immigration, Make America Healthy Again and deliver conservative leadership for the country.

“It’s time to move past the chaos of the current administration and focus on getting our country and economy back on track,” said Buchanan. “The American people spoke clearly that they want conservative leadership that will revive our economy and protect our communities. I look forward to a productive year working with the Republican House majority and President Trump to deliver results for the American people.”

The eight bills Buchanan introduced are:

1. An amendment to the Constitution of the United States (H.J.Res. 3) that requires Congress to balance the federal budget. Balancing the budget is an urgent priority as the U.S. national debt has reached a staggering $36 trillion and continues to grow.
2. The TCJA Permanency Act (H.R. 137), which makes permanent the tax cuts for individuals and small businesses originally enacted as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017. 104 of Buchanan’s House Republican colleagues joined this bill as cosponsors during the 118^th Congress.
3. The Hurricane Milton and Helene Tax Relief Act (H.R. 140), which provides much-needed tax relief for those in his district and across the country impacted by recent hurricanes and future natural disasters. This legislation incentivizes donations to relief efforts by raising the charitable donation cap for those who want to financially contribute to recovery efforts and expands benefits for people struggling financially in the aftermath of recent storms. Additionally, this bill raises the amount of retirement savings disaster victims can withdraw to cover disaster-related expenses.
4. The Protecting Our Communities from Sexual Predators Act (H.R. 134), which ensures illegal immigrants convicted of sexual assault are detained, deported and permanently banned from the United States.
5. The Sunshine Protection Act (H.R. 139), which makes daylight saving time permanent and ends the twice-a-year clock change that takes place every November and March. Congressman Buchanan introduced this legislation alongside Senator Marco Rubio during the 118^th Congress and hopes to work with the incoming Trump administration, who has demonstrated a desire to end the biannual clock change, to get this over the finish line.
6. The Veteran Overmedication and Suicide Prevention Act (H.R. 136), which requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to review the deaths of all veterans it treated who died by suicide or from a drug overdose in the last five years. The new data generated by the bill will be used to better treat veterans suffering from both mental and physical injuries. Veteran suicides account for nearly 15 percent of all suicides in the United States.
7. The Lowering Costs for Caregivers Act (H.R. 138), which lowers costs for caregivers by allowing individuals to use tax-free health savings accounts (HSAs) and flexible spending accounts (FSAs) on medical expenses for their parents and loved ones. Currently, caregivers are unable to take advantage of these tax-free accounts unless their parents are classified as dependents for tax purposes.
8. The Manatee Protection Act (H.R. 135), which officially upgrades the West Indian manatee from “threatened” to “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Upgrading their designation under the ESA will not only require the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to refocus their attention on manatee population rehabilitation, but also allow for increased federal resources including more funding and personnel.

Buchanan ended the 118^th Congress with eight of his legislative initiatives signed into law, bringing the total number of legislative proposals he has passed since taking office in 2007 to 42. He had four initiatives signed by President Bush, six by President Obama, 13 by President Trump and 19 by President Biden.

Buchanan will continue to serve as Vice Chairman of the powerful U.S. House Ways and Means Committee in the 119^th Congress, as well as Chairman of the Health Subcommittee, which has broad jurisdiction over traditional Medicare, the Medicare prescription drug benefit program and Medicare Advantage.