The House scheduled a Monday vote to move forward with a conference committee (aimed at reconciling the differences between both houses of Congress) with the U.S. Senate on the final version of the Republican-sponsored federal tax reform plan. Democratic lawmakers are anticipating an opportunity to partially revive the possible elimination of the state and local tax deductions which were completely eliminated in the Senate bill and capped at $10,000 in the House bill. House Republicans from high-tax states were promised a proposal to ease the financial burden that current forms of the tax bill would impose on their constituents.
On the Senate side, Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) established herself as a champion for state and local tax deductions. Her vote, as possibly the most moderate member of the Senate Republican caucus, will carry considerable weight in the closing days of the tax reform negotiations.