The Hearing Aid Assistance Tax Credit Act has been reintroduced in the House (H.R. 414) and will be reintroduced in the Senate soon. Its passage is the key action item for HIA, and it will not happen without your active support. As discussed at the HIA Annual Meeting, Senators and Representatives decide whether to support legislation based on what they hear from constituents -that's you- back home. This is critically important for an issue such as the hearing aid tax credit which will have an impact on hundreds of thousands of taxpayers who need hearing aids. If Congressional offices do not hear from you, they will assume this issue does not have serious support.
As a result, we urgently need every HIA member to do four things:
- Visit Your Senators and Representative in their District Offices
- Plan to visit the Washington office of your Senators and Representatives when you attend Hearing on the Hill on May 18, 2005. HIA staff will set up these meetings for you, but they will be much more productive if you are following up on an earlier meeting back in the district.
- Write Letters
- Submit Petitions
Contact and visit the district office of your Representative and both Senators in March or April to urge them to support the hearing aid tax credit. Meetings with Congressional staff are important, as Senators and Representatives depend on these people to review legislation for them. You can identify your Congressmen and locate their district offices by posting your zip code at www.congress.org The HIA website lists current H.R. 414 co-sponsors, so you should check this site before contacting your own legislators. You can access a copy of the bill and fact sheets to use for your meeting from the HIA website.
You do not need to be a tax or health policy expert to discuss the bill with district staff. It is primarily important that you identify the tax credit as important to you and express your support and the support of your associates while also describing the benefits of the bill. You can also emphasize the importance of your company as a local employer.
If you need more information, please contact Andy Bopp, 703-684-5744 or abopp@clarionmanagement.com. Please let HIA know when you have a meeting in the district, and what follow-up is needed.
In order to assist with your Congressional visits, we have prepared some basic guidelines, available through the HIA website, which will help make your meeting a success!
We also ask every HIA member to encourage your employees, associates, friends, family and others to write to their Senators and Representative to urge them to support the Hearing Aid Assistance Tax Credit. There are sample letters posted at the HIA website, and you can post these on your own site for employees to use.
Please ask them to also send a copy to the HIA office, either through email at bvickers@clarionmanagement.com, fax (703) 684-6048, or mail at HIA Headquarters - 515 King Street, Suite 420, Alexandria, VA 22314, so we may follow up with Congressional staff in Washington.
A letter is the preferred method of contact; however, we also urge you to post a Hearing Aid Tax Credit petition in your company lunchroom or other location where employees and others can indicate their support with minimal effort. Once a petition is full, please either deliver the original to the district office when you meet with your Representative or Senators, or mail the original to the HIA office, and we will deliver it. You can use the same petition format for both Senators and your Representative. Please ask your employees sign each petition that is posted. You may contact Andy Bopp at, andyb@clarionmanagement.com if you have any questions.
Thank you for your help!
