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Reps. Johnson and Bishop Re-Introduce Bipartisan Mobile Workforce Bill in 115th Congress

March 7, 2017

WASHINGTON – Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) joins his colleague Mike Bishop (MI-8) in re-introducing the bipartisan Mobile Workforce State Income Tax Simplification Act of 2017.

The bicameral legislation, once again led by Senators John Thune and Sherrod Brown, simplifies state income tax requirements for employees who work multiple days per year outside the state of their residence.

"This important bipartisan effort streamlines the tax code, while reflecting the needs of a various industries throughout the country," said Rep. Johnson. "Simplifying our tax system in this manner will help Americans who work across multiple jurisdictions from paying local or state taxes in places other than where they live or work for an extended period of time."

When the "Mobile Workforce bill" passed the House in September 2016, more than 230 members of the House and Senate were co-sponsors. More than 300 organizations across America also publicly endorsed the legislation.

"Our state income tax structure is too complicated and costly for today's workforce," said Rep. Bishop. "Right now, workers who must travel out of state and their respective employers face dozens of erroneous reporting requirements, many of which depend on varying length of travel and income levels. The goal of our bipartisan legislation is to create one simplified system for Americans to do their state income taxes, eliminating the burdensome paperwork and reducing compliance costs for everyone involved. Our Mobile Workforce bill passed unanimously in the House last Congress, and I am optimistic we can get even more done in today's tax reform climate."

Like its Senate counterpart, the Mobile Workforce bill provides that an employee's earnings remain subject to full tax in the state of his or her residence. An employee would only be subject to another state's income taxes if he or she works there more than 30 days per calendar year.

Many employees today are legally required to file an income tax return in every state they travel for work, even if just for a single day. Businesses must also comply with the states' varying withholding requirements for their employees' travel.

Original co-sponsors of the Mobile Workforce bill in the 115th Congress include: Reps. Jason Smith (MO-8), Mark Walker (NC-6), Jeff Duncan (SC-3), Luke Messer (IN-6), Will Hurd (TX-23), Tom Rice (SC-7), David Cicilline (RI-1), Larry Buschon (IN-8), John Culberson (TX-7), Mike McCaul (TX-10), Barbara Comstock (VA-10), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Jim Cooper (TN-5), Ted Deutch (FL-22), Phil Roe (TN-1), Alcee Hastings (FL-20), Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18), Eric Swawell (CA-15), Tom Rooney (FL-17), Tom Marino (PA-10), Jackie Walorski (IN-2) and Charlie Christ (FL-13).

Text of the bill can be found here.