The House and Senate have approved different versions of tax reform and now the conference committee is preparing to release the final compromise version, which both houses must then pass before the measure goes to the President for signature. There has been a strong effort to move these bills through the legislative process in order to put a bill on the President's desk by December 25.
The American Counseling Association has been concerned about provisions that would allow the taxing of graduate student tuition waivers, the elimination of the individual mandates for health care, and a number of additional provisions that have the possibility of impacting ACA as a not-for-profit business.
The result of this week’s special election in Alabama for a Senate seat set off furious deal-making in the tax reform conference committee. Details are being released today. So far, we know that the House-passed provisions that would eliminate the student loan interest deduction and would tax tuition waivers will NOT be included in the final bill. We consider this a win for ACA and for its graduate student members.
The ACA Government Affairs team offers more detailed information on the tax bill on the American Counseling Association Government Affairs blog.