GOP blocks tax extenders bill

The Senate has adjourned until Tuesday when it will go on to other business, but Majority Leader Harry Reid has left the door open to bringing the tax extenders back to the floor if agreement can be reached on amendments.

We will continue to lobby the Republican members of the House and Senate to repeat the message on behalf of our clients that the WOTC is a fraud free tax incentive that employers need and deserve as they continue to create jobs.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement regarding Thursday's floor action on the EXPIRE Act.

“Today the Senate voted to punish innovators, punish small businesses, punish homeowners who are underwater with their mortgages, punish returning veterans looking for jobs, and punish students already struggling to pay for college tuition.

Despite today’s actions, the EXPIRE Act continues to be critical and timely legislation that we have to get done. And as I have said before, I continue to be open to narrowly related amendments similar to those added in Committee that strengthen the bill.

In terms of next steps, I am pushing ahead today -- working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle -- to find a path forward.”

WOTC moves forward

"Yesterday the U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly (96 for, 3 against) to take up S 2260, the Senate’s Expiring Provisions Improvement Reform and Efficiency (EXPIRE) Act of 2014.

This procedural vote of cloture means that a final vote on the bill will be coming soon. In the mean time, amendments will be considered and negotiations concluded. We anticipate a vote on the floor of the Senate as early as this week.

The language of the tax extenders bill will renew the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) and Empowerment Zone tax incentives (and numerous other programs) through 2015. It also includes an expansion of WOTC by adding a new target group — the Long-term Unemployment Recipient. "wotcplanet.com

The latest on the EXPIRE act that includes the Work Opportunity Tax Credit

"Senators as early as this week are expected to start working over the tax extenders package cleared by the Finance Committee in April. The so-called EXPIRE Act includes a two-year extension of the renewable energy production tax credit at a cost of $13.35 billion, as well as credits for cellulosic biofuels, biodiesel and renewable diesels, home energy efficiency upgrades, new energy efficient homes and commercial buildings, alternative fuel refueling property, electric motorcycles, and fuel cell motor vehicles. The bill comes shortly after the House approved a bill making permanent an R&D tax credit." www.politico.com

If you have any specific questions regarding the WOTC application back-log in your state, please don't hesitate to contact us. More to come on the law's status as we know it.