On December 18, 2015, the President signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (CAA), which, among other changes to the Internal Revenue Code, permanently and retroactively restores parity by equalizing the limits for pre-tax parking and commuter benefits.

“I’m just a bill, yes I’m only a bill, and I’m sitting here on Capitol Hill…”

A generation of Americans first learned of the legislative process from the 1976 “Schoolhouse Rock” cartoon segment called “I’m Just a Bill.” In the song, “Bill”—a fictitious bill proposed in Congress—starts as an idea by “some folks back home.” A Congressman hears the call and brings Bill to Washington, where he first sits in committee and then is passed by the House of Representatives and then by the Senate. If Bill is lucky enough to get signed by the President, he becomes law. Bill reminds us near the end of the song that “it’s not easy to become law.” That’s true. But the sequel to “I’m Just a Bill” might focus on the desire of some federal regulators to rewrite the laws after the process described in “I’m Just a Bill” is completed.

On Monday, December 28th the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced it was delaying the 2016 Affordable Care Act reporting requirements. In Notice 2016-4 the IRS announced that the deadline for providing to individuals the 2015 Form 1095-B and Form 1095-C is delayed from February 1, 2016 to March 31, 2016

On Friday, December 18, the Senate voted to approve the Protecting Americans From Tax Hikes Act of 2015, which delays for two years the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) excise tax on high cost employer-sponsored health coverage (the “Cadillac tax”). The bill also places a two-year moratorium on the ACA’s medical device tax and a one-year moratorium on the ACA’s annual fee on health insurers.