By Tim Walberg, Mike Bishop, Bill Huizenga, Fred Upton, Dave Trott, Paul Mitchell, Jack Bergman, and John Moolenaar Next week, our country honors the men and women who work hard every day to provide for their families and get the job done. Also, across the state, families are sending students back to school to pursue another year of education that will help them develop the knowledge and skills needed to secure a job following graduation. That's why we have supported legislation that lets hardworking Michiganders keep more of their own money and empowered new learning opportunities for students. Right now, unemployment is near historic lows; the economy is strong and providing opportunities for all. Here in Michigan, we know a good comeback and we also know that a booming economy doesn't just happen on its own - it comes as a result of implementing sound policies that benefit families. With the overhaul of our outdated tax code, employers have announced raises, made new investments, and expanded employee benefits. Employees have kept more of their own money, benefiting from the lower tax rates that were implemented in February. All of this means more money in the pockets of hardworking Michigan residents and that is always a good thing. The new tax law also established Opportunity Zones, to spur redevelopment and bring jobs into underserved areas. It has been more than 10 years since the start of the Great Recession, but many communities are still on the road to recovery. This new community development program will encourage long-term investment in low-income and rural communities by providing a tax incentive for investors. The IRS designated 288 qualifying Opportunity Zones in Michigan, and they have a unique and exciting potential to attract investment and grow existing industry sectors across our state. For parents, there will be even more benefits from tax reform, when they claim the new, doubled Child Tax Credit. This $2,000 per child credit will help families save more on their taxes and the extra money will go a long way. When we hear from families they tell us the extra money will help them pay for clothing, bills, and diapers. We also know a lot of families are living paycheck-to-paycheck and this extra money will help them with unexpected expenses like an emergency car repair. Despite all of these positive outcomes and optimism, our work is not done. We now have a situation in our country where there are more open jobs than there are job seekers. While this may seem like a good problem to have, it's critical to close the skills gap and ensure students are connected with the training they need to enter our workforce. That's why we joined to pass bipartisan legislation, the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act that invests over $7.5 billion in career and technical education. President Trump signed this legislation into law last month, marking a strong step in the right direction to help individuals achieve the American dream and find fulfilling work. We believe that tomorrow's good-paying jobs will come from the freedom to innovate from the ground up -- from our local communities and small businesses, not Washington. And we are committed to building on our progress to make sure families across our nation have confidence in the future and every opportunity to succeed. Mike Bishop, Bill Huizenga, Fred Upton, Tim Walberg, Dave Trott, Paul Mitchell, Jack Bergman, and John Moolenaar are Republican U.S. congressmen from Michigan.

By Fred Upton, Tim Walberg, Bill Huizenga, John Moolenaar, Dave Trott, Mike Bishop, Jack Bergman, and Paul Mitchell The last time our tax code was updated was 1986. Since then, it has become a complicated mess with too many special-interest loopholes. We have all heard countless stories from constituents impacted by a tax code that is outdated, unwieldy, and too often rewards special interests at the cost of regular folks. It has become abundantly clear that our outdated tax code is a major drag on our economy and on Michigan families struggling to get by. That is why we all support efforts in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate to advance pro-growth, pro-American tax reform and relief. Last month we laid out a basic framework for our vision of what this tax reform and relief looks like; we need to make our tax code simpler, fairer, and easier to understand, we should free up more money for workers here in Michigan and across the country by allowing them to keep more of their paychecks, we must level the playing field for businesses and workers to make America a worldwide jobs magnet, and we have to bring back trillions of dollars that are currently kept overseas so we can reinvest and reinvigorate our economy right here at home. More specifically, we are aiming to help Michigan families keep more of their hard earned money by doubling standard deductions and increasing the Child Tax Credit. Under current law, the standard deduction is $6,350 for individuals and $12,700 for families. Under our plan we propose raising the standard deduction to $12,000 for individuals and to at least $24,000 for families. Importantly, by doubling the standard deduction many more low-income families will pay 0 percent in federal income taxes. Yes, you read that right. On top of the increased standard deduction, our plan will also increase the Child Tax Credit -- providing even more relief for middle-class families. We also want to provide relief for families and businesses who spend too much time and money filing their taxes. Independent estimates show that taxpayers spend a combined $99 billion each year complying with their taxes -- money they could otherwise use on what is important to them and their families. Imagine the simplicity of a "postcard" tax filing for the vast majority of Americans. That's our goal. Building out from this framework, we will deliver a 21st Century tax code that is built specifically for economic growth, Michigan middle-class families, and putting America's interests first. In Michigan we're known for our blue-collar work ethic. We all strongly believe that our tax code should be a fair system that rewards hard work and playing by the rules. Our framework is not a final product and there is much work to be done to make tax reform a reality. We encourage you to make your voice heard and let us know what you want out of tax reform here: fairandsimple.gop. Working together, we can and we will provide tax reform and relief for all Americans. The authors, all Republicans, represent Michigan in the U.S. House of Representatives.