Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Dean Heller (R-NV) reintroduced the Hearing Aid Tax Credit on November 13, and they plan to work to insure that the legislation is considered when Congress addresses tax reform. The bi-partisan bill is nearly identical to legislation introduced in the past, and it is similar to H.R.1317 that was introduced in the House of Representatives in February by Reps. Tom Latham (R-IA) and Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY). Both bills would provide a tax credit of $500 per device to people of all ages who need a hearing aid.
Senator Harkin has been a long-time champion of hearing health issues since joining the Senate in 1985, and Senator Heller has emerged as the new Republican champion in the Senate after Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) retired in December. The reintroduction effort was supported by joint teams from HIA and HLAA during Hearing on the Hill (HOTH) earlier this year, as well as by HOTH teams from ADA, ASHA and IHS. For details on the legislation, and to contact your Senator to urge him/her to support the bill, visit https://www.hearingaidtaxcredit.org/.
