Congresswoman Elaine Luria (VA-02) this week led a bipartisan letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, urging him to immediately bring up the House-passed SECURE Act for a vote on the Senate floor.
The SECURE Act contains an important provision that Congresswoman Luria introduced to provide urgent relief to Gold Star Families that experienced drastic tax increases due to the 2017 tax law. Following the passage of the tax law, many Gold Star Families saw their tax rates jump from 12 to 15 percent to as high as 37 percent.
Gold Star Families are the immediate relatives of servicemembers who died while serving their country.
“It is wrong that the 2017 tax law caused Gold Star Families to see a tax hike,” Congresswoman Luria said. “The House did its job when it passed the SECURE Act with overwhelming support. Senator McConnell must stop stalling America’s most heroic families and immediately schedule a vote for the SECURE Act.”
Last May, Congresswoman Luria introduced the Gold Star Family Tax Relief Act to fix a mistake in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Her bill, which has 168 cosponsors, would fix that mistake by classifying survivor benefits as earned income, significantly reducing the tax burden. This fix for Gold Star Families was incorporated as a provision within the House-passed SECURE Act.
“These families have already made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation. Congress must act to prevent this unintended outcome before Gold Star families are again burdened unfairly,” the letter states. “Passing the SECURE Act could deliver tax relief and certainty to Gold Star families in a matter of days.”
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