TAX CREDITS: Hispanic Business Leader Urges GOP Support
A top Hispanic business leader is expected to send a memo today to all GOP congressional members, urging them to back legislation providing tax credits for purchasing health insurance, CongressDaily/A.M. reports. Sen. Rick Santorum (R- Pa.) and House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas) have both introduced such legislation, which would offer tax credits for buying health insurance for workers not covered by federal plans or their employers; Republican presidential hopeful Texas Gov. George W. Bush has proposed a similar plan to give credits to low-income earners. Hoping to "capitalize on the growing importance of the Hispanic vote," memo author Roberto Garcia de Posada, executive director of the Hispanic Business Roundtable, implied that support for the measure could help legislators "gain an edge" among that population. He wrote in the memo that the proposal "has been a significant factor in [Bush's] gains with Hispanics," adding, "This is a historic opportunity for the Republican Party to grab the lead on health care while reaching out to a vital political constituency this election." The Hispanic Business Roundtable reported that 35% of the nation's 44 million uninsured are Hispanics, and de Posada noted that polls show Hispanics "overwhelmingly" support tax credits for health care. "Members of Congress who are vulnerable this fall should take advantage of the popularity of this legislation during their outreach to minority communities," de Posada said (Koffler, 7/13).
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