On April 29, on a party-line vote, the Senate Finance Committee approved the nomination of Ken Kies to be Treasury Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy. Kies will play a key role in the development of all tax legislation, but especially now in the crafting of the tax portion of the massive reconciliation bill.

Kies is a force to be reckoned with. A former head of the Joint Committee on Tax from 1995 to 1998, he also served, from 1982 until 1987, as chief tax counsel to the Ways & Means Committee. He also spent more than 30 years representing the private sector, including multiple insurance clients, on various insurance tax issues.

Prospects: Confirmation by the full Senate is likely, although the vote has not yet been scheduled.

 NAIFA Staff Contact: Jayne Fitzgerald – Director – Government Relations, at jfitzgerald@naifa.org.