‘Build Back Better Act’ passes House, EV tax credit faces US Senate next

Published

2 years ago

November 19, 2021

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The US House of Representatives passed the $1.9 trillion “Build Back Better” legislation early this morning, following a lengthy session that included a record-setting speech from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. The Build Back Better bill, which includes robust changes to federal tax credits for EVs, will now face the Senate, where two vital Democrats have already shared that they are undecided on their vote.

The whirlwind ride that is the Build Back Better Act rolls on, following its passage through the House this morning. Dems cheered House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi as the vote surpassed 218, enough to ensure passage from the initial half of Congress.

The final vote narrowly landed at 220-213. Its passage represents a prudent victory for the Biden administration, as it looks to get the second and larger portion of its long-touted climate change legislation into law.

A couple of weeks ago, following Congress’ passage of the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, we reported that the Build Back Better Act has been folded into the larger legislation and faced concern from Moderates in the House demanding an analysis from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

Today’s vote came off the heels of the released CBO score, estimating the bill would increase the national deficit by $367 billion between 2022-2031. Meanwhile, the White House anticipated this sort of score, and tried to get an early jump on it by speaking with Moderate House Dems.

According to CNN, The Biden administration is pointing out that the US Treasury estimates that tighter IRS enforcement would increase national revenues by up to $400 billion, and the Build Back Better bill could essentially pay for itself.

Time will tell how much deficit (if any) the $1.9 trillion bill brings, but it will first need to face a Senate that is already speaking about changes.

Build Back Better Act and EV tax credit proceeds to US Senate

Nice work by the House, but now it’s the Senate’s turn, and it will take some convincing (and some inevitable changes) to get the Build Back Better Act into law.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he wants to achieve passage before Christmas. The Senate better get moving as the bill will surely require negotiations, even amongst Democratic Senators.

Santa’s #1 coal supplier, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, has yet to give his support, and is joined by Senator Kyrsten Sinema who is also undecided. Vermont Independent and Elon Musk fixation Senator Bernie Sanders has also expressed that he’d like to see changes to the bill before passage, focusing particularly on fair share taxes for the ultra-wealthy.

Dems still hold a narrow majority with the Independent Senator caucuses, but if just one Democratic Senator defects, it could derail the Build Back Better bill’s passage, at least before the new year.

Any changes proposed and passed by the Senate will send the legislation back to the House for a final vote, before the President signs it into law.

A lot rides on this bill pertaining to health care, tax credits for children, and revamped tax credits for EV automakers. Here are the current terms of the Build Back Better Act that pertain to the EV market.

There has been much debate about the additional $4,500 for local manufacturing and union labor, so expect that to be a topic thoroughly discussed in the Senate.

Note, these terms have not been passed into law and most certainly could change.

Federal tax credit for EVs jumps from $7,500 to $12,500
- Keep the $7,500 incentive for new electric cars for five years
- Add an additional $4,500 for EVs assembled in the US using union labor
- Another $500 for EVs using battery packs with 50% of components (including cells) made in the US
Zero-emission vans, SUVs, and trucks with MSRPs up to $80,000 qualify (increased from previous policy)
Electric sedans priced up to $55,000 MSRP qualify (stays the same)
The full EV tax credit will be available to individuals reporting adjusted gross incomes of $250,000 or less, $500,000 for joint filers (decreased from $400,000 for individuals/$800,000 for joint filers currently in place)
EVs must be made in the US starting in 2027 to qualify for any of the $12,500 credit
Eliminates tax credit cap after automakers hit 200,000 EVs sold, making GM and Tesla once again eligible

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Entertainment

‘Taylor Swift bill’ signed into Minnesota law

Published

2 hours ago

May 8, 2024

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'Taylor Swift bill' signed into Minnesota law

Legislation dubbed the “Taylor Swift bill” has passed in Minnesota in an effort to help people buy concert tickets.

The bill, officially called House File 1989 in reference to Taylor Swift’s hit album and the year she was born, was signed into Minnesota law on Tuesday.

It will require sellers offering tickets to people in the state or tickets for concerts being held there to disclose all fees up front and prohibit resellers from selling more than one copy of a ticket, among other measures.

Minnesota State Representative Kelly Moller, chief author of the bill, pushed for the legislation after she tried to get tickets to one of Swift’s concerts in 2022.

Ms Moller said she was among thousands of people who became stuck in ticket sales company Ticketmaster’s system after it crashed amid the huge demand for Swift concert tickets and attacks from bots, which tried to buy tickets for resale at inflated prices.

The situation led to congressional hearings but no federal legislation.

Governor Tim Walz, who signed the bill into law at First Avenue, a popular concert venue in downtown Minneapolis, said it was “protection so you don’t get a bad ticket, a fraudulent ticket, and resellers can’t snatch them all up before you get an opportunity”.

Two young girls – one wearing a shirt that said “A LOT going on at the moment” in a nod to Swift, and another wearing a shirt that said “Iowa 22” in reference to basketball star Caitlin Clark – attended the bill signing with their dad, Mike Dean, who testified in support of it.

Mr Dean said his daughter came to him in December and said she wanted to see Clark play. He said the website initially showed the tickets would cost $300 total, but they ended up costing over $500 because of hidden fees.

The timer had begun in the online checkout process, so he had just minutes to decide whether to buy the tickets for the higher price or lose them.

He ultimately bought them, but he told the Associated Press these practices mean customers can’t make informed decisions. The new law, he said, will bring transparency to the process.

Sky News contacted Ticketmaster for comment.

A spokesperson for fellow ticket sales giants StubHub said: “StubHub has long advocated for legislation that protects fans from anti-competitive and anti-consumer practices in the ticket buying process.

“We share the goals of HF1989 and look forward to continuing discussions with policymakers to advance policies that provide more transparency, more control, and more choice for ticket buyers.”

The law takes effect from 1 January 2025 and applies to tickets sold on or after that date.

Entertainment

Reality star Georgia Harrison says leaked sex video filmed without consent spread like ‘house fire’

Published

2 hours ago

May 8, 2024

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Reality star Georgia Harrison says leaked sex video filmed without consent spread like 'house fire'

Reality star Georgia Harrison has told MPs how the leaking of a video of herself having sex with Stephen Bear – filmed without her consent – spread like a “house fire”.

Former Celebrity Big Brother winner Bear left prison in January, having served 10-and-a-half months of his 21-month sentence for sharing a film of him having sex with Harrison on his OnlyFans site.

Harrison told MPs on the Women And Equalities Committee the video – recorded without her knowledge – “went viral to a point I can’t explain” as it spread round multiple sites and was circulated on WhatsApp.

She added: “It absolutely horrified me that an individual had done this to me but what most horrified me was that these platforms were hosting these videos that were unconsented.

“For many that I tried to reach out to I got an automated response saying we will get back to you within four to six days.

“When something like this is happening it really is like a house fire and the quicker you can put it out, the quicker you can stop it.

“Unfortunately, in four to six days your house has burnt down, everyone knows about this video – your family, your workplace, your peers, it’s too late.”

Discussing her ordeal, Harrison added: “I feel like one of the biggest challenges in general is these big social media companies who are hosting pornographic images and videos, they don’t have any way of us getting through to them to report it when there is something unconsented there.

“It shouldn’t be robots that you get through to when it’s this important a situation, it shouldn’t be that hard to get through to someone.

“I’m not saying delete it, I’m not saying take this person’s account down, I’m just saying can we pause it and then review it in a few weeks and I think that is the biggest issue we are dealing with at the moment.”

Harrison added: “But I think if something gets to the level where you say this is me in a sexually explicit act and I have not given permission, it should be paused that day, not in four to six days.”

‘I ended up being physically ill’

On discovering the video was online, she said: “For the first few days, I was really just going through waves of complete sorrow and shock.

“It got to the point where I was so emotionally affected by what happened to me that I ended up being physically ill as well to the point where I was in hospital for five days over Christmas a little bit after the incident because the stress took such an effect on my body.

“I ended up having a cyst burst and I got an infection and literally it was just like my body deteriorated with my emotions.”

Harrison said the footage should be made illegal – and admitted it had given her “a lot of fear” over starting a family.

She said: “I know whenever I’m dating, meeting new people going into any sort of a new work opportunity, I am known as the person who has this sex tape which I never ever filmed and never consented to be out there.

“So it changed a lot for me and it definitely gives me a lot of fear for one day, if I do have a family, which is something that was always my intention, are my children going to be able to stumble across this footage?”

Entertainment

Eurovision facing controversy over contestants and political statements – as protests around event expected

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2 hours ago

May 8, 2024

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Eurovision facing controversy over contestants and political statements - as protests around event expected

The Eurovision Song Contest is already facing controversy over performers making political statements ahead of the big event in Sweden at the weekend.

Bambie Thug, who will represent Ireland, has criticised organisers for asking the performer to alter a pro-Palestinian message before their performance in the first semi-final last night.

Meanwhile, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has put out a statement expressing “regret” that former Swedish contestant Eric Saade, who is reportedly of Palestinian origin, was wearing a keffiyeh – a traditional scarf that has become a symbol of support – tied around his wrist as he sang.

He is not competing this year, but opened the first Eurovision semi-final show in his home country ahead of the finalists being chosen.

Eurovision bills itself as a non-political event and organisers have resisted calls to boycott Israel, sparking protests.

Israel’s Eden Golan will perform her song Hurricane in the second semi-final on Thursday, with bookmakers placing her among the top 10 most likely to win the competition.

Security is being ramped up in the Swedish host city of Malmo, which expects to welcome some 100,000 Eurovision fans – along with thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters, with demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war planned on Thursday and Saturday.

After making it through to the final with their song Doomsday Blue, Ireland’s Bambie Thug told reporters at a news conference that they had been forced to change writing painted on their body ahead of the semi-final performance.

The 31-year-old singer said the painted script in Ogham – an early Medieval alphabet – had translated to ‘ceasefire and freedom’.

“It was very important for me because I’m pro justice and pro peace,” they said. “Unfortunately, I had to change those messages today to ‘crown the witch’ only (which was an) order from the EBU.”

A spokesperson for the EBU said: “The writing seen on Bambie Thug’s body during dress rehearsals contravened contest rules that are designed to protect the non-political nature of the event.

“After discussions with the Irish delegation, they agreed to change the text for the live show.”

In a separate statement about Saade’s opening performance, an EBU spokesperson said the organisation “regrets” that he chose to wear the keffiyeh pattern material and “chose to compromise the non-political nature of the event”.

Elsewhere, UK entrant Olly Alexander also performed at the event to showcase his song, Dizzy, although he is already through to the final as the UK is one of the “big five” Eurovision donors.

The Years & Years singer has found himself facing criticism from some who called for him to withdraw over Israel’s inclusion amid the ongoing war.

He addressed the controversy in a documentary following him as he prepares for the show, describing some comments he and other contestants have received as “very extreme”.

In April, Eurovision organisers condemned the abuse and harassment of contestants over Israel’s inclusion in the competition as “unacceptable and totally unfair”.

Speaking on Sky’s Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, EBU deputy director general Jean Philip De Tender defended Israel’s inclusion.

“We do understand the concerns and deeply held views around the war in the Middle East,” he said.

“The song contest is a music event organised and co-produced by 37 public broadcasters, it’s not a competition between nations or governments.

“Our governing bodies reviewed the participation of Kan [Israel’s public broadcasting corporation] and found that they met all of the competing rules.”