The House Ways and Means Committee on September 14, 2016, approved by voice vote miscellaneous tax and trade enforcement bills that were described as priorities for members, including H.R. 5946, addressing the tax treatment of medals or other prizes awarded to Team USA athletes during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) said his intent is to have a second markup, in response to Ranking Member Sander Levin's (D-MI) comment that there has been no commitment for consideration of bills Democrats would like to see brought up. Levin said the Committee's inability to proceed on small items on a bipartisan basis does not bode well for tax reform. He also raised concerns that none of the bills are paid for. While most incur only a small cost, the stock options legislation (H.R. 5719) would cost $1 billion over 10 years, he said.

The Empowering Employees through Stock Ownership Act (H.R. 5719), sponsored by Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-MN), would allow employees of non-public firms to defer taxes on their stock options. The bill was approved by voice vote. Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY) offered an amendment to raise the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund per-barrel excise tax by 2 cents starting in 2017 in order to pay for the bill, which was rule non-germane. "We can't keep passing tax cuts that add to the deficit," Crowley said.

Other bills approved by voice vote were:

— The Emergency Citrus Disease Response Act (H.R. 3957), sponsored by Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL), to temporarily allow expensing of certain costs of replanting citrus plants lost by reason of casualty;

— The United States Appreciation for Olympians and Paralympians Act (H.R. 5946), sponsored by Rep. Bob Dold (R-IL), to exempt from tax cash prizes and medals won in the Olympic and Paralympic Games; and

— The Prevent Trafficking in Cultural Property Act (H.R. 2285), sponsored by Rep. Bill Keating (D-MA), to improve enforcement against trafficking in cultural property to prevent stolen or illicit cultural property from financing terrorist and criminal networks.

The Committee adjourned as House floor votes began. Additional bills were on the markup schedule, and it is unclear when they may be considered.