4/28/10

4/27/10

State Representative Debbie Riddle (R – District 150) will again file a bill that allows state and local law enforcement officers to arrest those who are in the country illegally.

Last session, Riddle filed House Bill 49, which would have created a new criminal violation: Criminal Trespass by Illegal Aliens. She says she will introduce the same measure during the pre-filing period in November that precedes the new Texas legislative session in January.

“Despite all the national controversy, this is a common sense bill, pure and simple,” Riddle said. “It does nothing but allow law enforcement to do their job: arrest those who are breaking the law.”

Unlike a similar act passed recently in Arizona, Riddle’s bill requires law enforcement to confirm the immigration status of a suspect with US Customs and Immigration Enforcement before making an arrest and does not require the suspect to produce identification. Under the language of HB 49, an officer would have to have reasonable suspicion that the person was present in the country illegally before making the inquiry.

Riddle said she believes the legislature will pass the bill in the upcoming session.

2010:   Physician Medicare payments decrease 21% effective March 1, 2010

2011:   “Annual Fee” tax on health insurance, allocated according to share of total premiums. Begins at $2 billion in 2011, then increases to $4 billion in 2012, $7 billion in 2013, $9 billion in the years 2014, 2015, and 2016, and eventually $10 billion for 2017 and every year thereafter. Two insurers in Nebraska and one in Michigan are exempt from this tax.

2012: Medicare payment penalties for hospitals with the highest readmission rates for selected conditions.

2013: Medicare tax increased from 2.9% to 3.8% for incomes over $250,000 (joint filers) or $200,000 (all others). (This is stated as an increase of 0.9 percentage points, to only the employee’s share of the FICA tax.)

2014: Individual mandate begins: Tax penalties for not having insurance begin at $95 or 0.5% of income, whichever is higher, rising to $495 or 1% of income in 2015 and $750 or 2% of income thereafter (indexed for inflation after 2016). These penalties are per adult, half that amount per child, to a maximum of three times the per-adult amount per family. The penalty is capped at the national average premium for the “bronze” plan.

2015: Establishment of Independent Medicare Advisory Board (IMAB) to recommend cuts in Medicare benefits; these cuts will go into effect automatically unless Congress passes, and the President signs, an override bill.

2016: Individual mandate penalty rises to $750 per adult ($375 per child), maximum $2,250 per family, or 2% of family income, whichever is higher (capped at the national average premium for the “bronze” plan). After 2016, the penalty will be increased each year to adjust for inflation.

2017: Itemized deduction for out-of-pocket medical expenses is limited to expenses over 10% of AGI for those over age 65.

If this clock accurately reflects the U.S. Debt, we need to be very concerned.