HR 4287 · 114th Congress 2015–2017, ended

Wireless Tax Fairness Act of 2015

Introduced Dec 17, 2015 Originated House Sponsor Zoe Lofgren D-CA

Fact sheet Spreadsheet

Latest action · Jan 15, 2016 Referred to the Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial And Antitrust Law.

Progress

Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

  1. IntroducedDec 17, 2015
  2. Passed HouseNot reached
  3. Passed SenateNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. Became lawNot reached

Summary

Wireless Tax Fairness Act of 2015

This bill prohibits states or local governments from imposing any new discriminatory tax on or with respect to mobile services, mobile service providers, or mobile service property for five years after the enactment of this Act. A "new discriminatory tax" is a tax imposed on mobile services, providers, or property that is not generally imposed on other types of services or property, or that is generally imposed at a lower rate, unless such tax was imposed and actually enforced prior to the enactment date of this Act.

The bill grants jurisdiction to federal district courts to provide injunctive and other appropriate relief to prevent, restrain, or terminate any acts in violation of this Act.

The bill requires the Government Accountability Office to study and report on the impact of: (1) state and local taxes on mobile services, providers, or property on the costs consumers pay for mobile services; and (2) the prohibition in this Act against discriminatory mobile services taxes on such costs.

Cosponsors 50

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Dec 17, 2015 to Jul 14, 2016; 49 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
D-TXAl GreenOriginalDec 17, 2015
R-FLAnder CrenshawOriginalDec 17, 2015
D-CAAnna G. EshooOriginalDec 17, 2015
R-TXBill FloresOriginalDec 17, 2015
D-ILBill FosterOriginalDec 17, 2015
R-MIBill HuizengaOriginalDec 17, 2015
R-TXBlake FarentholdOriginalDec 17, 2015
R-FLDaniel WebsterOriginalDec 17, 2015
R-CADarrell IssaOriginalDec 17, 2015
D-WADerek KilmerOriginalDec 17, 2015
R-GADoug CollinsOriginalDec 17, 2015
R-KYEd WhitfieldOriginalDec 17, 2015
D-CAEric SwalwellOriginalDec 17, 2015
D-TXGene GreenOriginalDec 17, 2015
R-PAGlenn ThompsonOriginalDec 17, 2015
D-NYHakeem S. JeffriesOriginalDec 17, 2015
R-VAJ. Randy ForbesOriginalDec 17, 2015
D-MAJames P. McGovernOriginalDec 17, 2015
D-COJared PolisOriginalDec 17, 2015
R-CAJeff DenhamOriginalDec 17, 2015
R-FLJeff MillerOriginalDec 17, 2015
R-OHJim JordanOriginalDec 17, 2015
R-TXJoe BartonOriginalDec 17, 2015
R-PAJoseph R. PittsOriginalDec 17, 2015
D-MAKatherine M. ClarkOriginalDec 17, 2015
R-CAKen CalvertOriginalDec 17, 2015
D-ORKurt SchraderOriginalDec 17, 2015
R-TXLamar SmithOriginalDec 17, 2015
R-NJLeonard LanceOriginalDec 17, 2015
R-FLMario Diaz-BalartOriginalDec 17, 2015
D-CAMark TakanoOriginalDec 17, 2015
D-CAMichael M. HondaOriginalDec 17, 2015
R-AZPaul A. GosarOriginalDec 17, 2015
D-NYPaul TonkoOriginalDec 17, 2015
R-TXPete OlsonOriginalDec 17, 2015
R-TXPete SessionsOriginalDec 17, 2015
R-NYPeter T. KingOriginalDec 17, 2015
R-TXRandy K. Weber, Sr.OriginalDec 17, 2015
R-TXRoger WilliamsOriginalDec 17, 2015
D-TXSheila Jackson LeeOriginalDec 17, 2015
R-OHSteve ChabotOriginalDec 17, 2015
D-TNSteve CohenOriginalDec 17, 2015
D-NYSteve IsraelOriginalDec 17, 2015
D-ALTerri A. SewellOriginalDec 17, 2015
R-KYThomas MassieOriginalDec 17, 2015
R-INTodd RokitaOriginalDec 17, 2015
R-PATom MarinoOriginalDec 17, 2015
D-CATony CárdenasOriginalDec 17, 2015
R-AZTrent FranksOriginalDec 17, 2015
I-AZKyrsten SinemaJul 14, 2016

Committees 1

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

ChamberCommitteeWhat it did
HouseJudiciary Committee
Referred Dec 17, 2015
Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust Subcommittee
Referred Jan 15, 2016

Actions 3

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Jan 15, 2016Referred to the Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial And Antitrust Law.
  2. Dec 17, 2015Introduced in House
  3. Dec 17, 2015Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Research

What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.

Constitutional authority

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution, which gives Congress the power ``to regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes.''

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 161, no. 184, December 17, 2015, page H9691.

Titles 2

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced
To restrict any State or local jurisdiction from imposing a new discriminatory tax on cell phone services, providers, or property.
Short Titles as Introduced
Wireless Tax Fairness Act of 2015

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Taxation.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. Dec 17, 2015Introduced in House

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Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.