Q&A with U.S. Representative Kevin Brady

By Sally Schaeffer

Q: Chairman Brady, Many people from different walks of life from large businesses to small nonprofits celebrated the passage of the year-end tax deal. What was its significance in your eyes?

The PATH Act was a very important achievement that impacted the lives of so many people across our country. Before we passed this bill, American families, job creators, and community leaders had to worry each and every December if Congress was going to act and pass certain tax extenders. We ended this ridiculous cycle and finally delivered permanent tax relief to millions of Americans. This bill also sets the stage for us to move forward with replacing our broken tax code with a simpler, fairer, flatter tax code. We need a tax code that’s built for growth – growth for families’ paychecks, growth for local businesses, and growth for America’s economy.

Q: How will America be a better place thanks to its passage?

By delivering permanent tax relief, the PATH Act makes it easier for Americans to keep more of their own money, find new jobs, and increase their wages. Businesses will be able to invest with confidence in new equipment, research, and jobs to grow the local economy.

Q: Looking to the future, what role do you see for tax policy in regards to exempt organizations?

Our Committee is very supportive of charities and the PATH Act is a perfect example of our work. By making a number of temporary charitable provisions permanent, this bill finally delivers some real certainty to people in the nonprofit sector. For example, the bill made permanent the provision that allows individuals to contribute money from their IRAs to charitable organizations. This provides individuals with an important tool for supporting critical charitable activities in their communities. This bill was an important achievement, but it’s just the start of our efforts to improve tax policies and make it easier for charities to continue serve people and communities across our country.

Q: Nonprofits play a big role in your state of Texas as the sector employs over 433,000 people and pays nearly $16.8 billion in wages annually. Do you have a personal connection to the work of nonprofits or any specific organizations whose work you have found particularly inspiring?

My district is blessed to have many nonprofits that have helped lift up and support the people in our communities. There are so many I could name, but a few that come to mind include:

Montgomery County United Way and Interfaith of The Woodlands

Both of these organizations are led by phenomenal women and have made a tremendous impact not only in building our community but in supporting the work of other nonprofits. I have for many years watched and worked with these two organizations as they’ve improved lives, helped engage strong community partners in our businesses, and have helped to make our community flourish.

Holidays for Heroes

This community project was started by our local Women’s Council of Realtors to support our men and women serving around the world who can’t be home with their families during the holidays. The whole community comes together – our senior citizens make and decorate the stockings, area businesses provide the goodies to stuff them and the realtors package them all to ship – to show our troops how much we appreciate the sacrifices they make for us.

The HEARTS Veterans Museum

This museum has played a leading role in recognizing and supporting our men and women who have served our nation. Our community has been so fortunate to have HEARTS, which not only tells the story of our nation’s military history through the stories of local men and women who have served, but also has dedicated staff and volunteers who work every day to support our veterans, whether by raising money for wounded warriors, providing support groups, or working to bring more veterans resources to the community.