Baucus Hails Committee Passage of Child Welfare Legislation, Treasury, Tax Court Nominations

Finance Chair Says Child Welfare Bill Will Help Improve Lives of At-Risk Children, Nominees Will Uphold Tax Law Fairly, Provide Crucial Economic Analysis to Spark Job Creation

Washington, DC – Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) today led the Finance Committee’s unanimous approval of The Child and Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act, legislation that would provide crucial assistance to at-risk families, youth and foster children by improving and extending key child welfare programs.  Baucus also led the Committee’s unanimous approval of the nominations of Juan Vasquez, Maurice Foley and Joseph Gale to serve second terms as Judges of the United States Tax Court and Janice Eberly to be Assistant Secretary of Treasury.  Baucus voiced strong support for Vasquez, Foley and Eberly at a hearing on July 28 and for Gale at a hearing on September 12.

 “This legislation will help change the lives of children who have suffered or who are at risk of child abuse and neglect.  This bill lets states find new ways to improve foster care, helping find permanent, safe and stable homes for children,” Baucus said.  “In their second terms on the U.S. Tax Court, Juan Vasquez, Maurice Foley and Joseph Gale will continue giving taxpayers a voice and applying tax law fairly.  Janice Eberly will provide the sound analysis needed to help move our economy forward and create jobs.”

 Chairman Baucus, along with Finance Committee Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources Chairman Geoff Davis (R-Ky.) and Ranking Member Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), unveiled The Child and Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act earlier this month.  The bill would extend the Promoting Safe and Stable Families and Child Welfare Services programs and reauthorize the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to allow states to use federal foster care funds to test innovative, new child welfare programs.

Janice Eberly joined the faculty of Northwestern University in 1997 and is currently the John L. and Helen Kellogg Distinguished Professor of Finance at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.  She previously served on advisory panels of the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Congressional Budget Office and on the staff of the White House Council of Economic Advisors.  As Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy, Eberly would direct the Office of Economic Policy, which analyzes and reports on a broad swath of economic issues and assists in the preparation of the Administration’s annual budget.

Juan F. Vasquez has served as a U.S. Tax Court Judge since he was appointed to that position by President Clinton in 1995.  The United States Tax Court hears a variety of tax law-related cases and gives taxpayers a dedicated venue in which to dispute IRS claims.  Vasquez is also an adjunct professor at the University of Houston Law Center.

Maurice B. Foley has also served as a U.S. Tax Court Judge since President Clinton appointed him to that position in 1995.  Foley previously served as Deputy Tax Legislative Counsel in the Treasury’s Office of Tax Policy and as an attorney-advisor for the IRS.

Joseph Gale served as Staff Director and Chief Tax Counsel on the Senate Finance Committee immediately prior to his initial appointment to the Tax Court and advised Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan on tax issues between 1985 and 1992.  Gale is a graduate of Princeton University and holds a law degree from the University of Virginia.

###

• Print
• Email
• Tweet