[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 123 (Tuesday, September 9, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H8019]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   MILITARY DEATH GRATUITY TAX REPEAL

  Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I came to the floor today 
because let me first explain the posters on my left and right are the 
faces of young men and women who have died fighting for freedom in Iraq 
and Afghanistan, and also, Mr. Speaker, I hold up a photograph of a 
young man from Connecticut whose name is Tyler Jordan, 6 years old. He 
has the American flag folded under his arm, and he is looking at the 
casket of his father who died for freedom. Gunny Sergeant Phillip 
Jordan from Connecticut died for freedom.
  Mr. Speaker, the reason I am on the floor today is that last year I 
introduced a bill that would repeal the tax on the death gratuity. The 
American military family receives when a loved one dies a small amount 
of money. It is $6,000, and there is a tax on $3,000 of the $6,000. And 
last year we passed in a larger bill a repeal, and it was sent to the 
other body and they did nothing with it. This year again the House has 
passed the same language which was in H.R. 693, the Military Death 
Gratuity Tax Repeal, the bill I put in. It was put into a larger bill 
that went to the Senate, and they still have taken no action. Let me 
tell the Members what that means.
  From September 11, 2001, to December 31, 2001, over 292 military were 
killed and their families paid a tax on the gift of their son or loved 
one fighting for freedom. That is absolutely horrible in my opinion, 
Mr. Speaker. And in the year 2002, 1,007 families had to pay a tax on 
the death of a loved one. Again, Mr. Speaker, I want to say that we, 
the House, have done our part and we have sent to the other body 
legislation to repeal this tax. It is unacceptable that any family in 
this country who has a loved one who has died for freedom would get a 
bill tax due from Uncle Sam. And, Mr. Speaker, I am calling on the 
House leadership to bring up H.R. 693, bring it to the floor as a 
stand-alone bill, let us pass it and send it over to the other body, 
because if we will do that, Mr. Speaker, I will go on every radio show 
I can get on, every TV show I can get on, and ask that we not leave 
this October/November without passing this bill to eliminate the tax on 
the death gratuity. $6,000 is not enough. We need to raise that, but 
there is one thing we can do, take off the tax.
  Again I hold up the photograph of this young man, Tyler Jordan, who 
gave his father to this country, and why in the world should his 
family, in the year 2004, get a tax due bill from Uncle Sam? Is not 
giving the life of a loved one fighting for freedom enough?
  So, again, Mr. Speaker, I ask the House leadership, both Republican 
and Democrat, to join me and bring to the floor H.R. 693. Let us repeal 
this death tax and send it over to the other body, and let us put 
pressure on them to get it to the President so that the other Phillip 
Jordans throughout this country will not have a mother or father saying 
I owe Uncle Sam tax on the gift of my loved one.
  Mr. Speaker, with that, I want to close by asking God to please bless 
our men and women in uniform. I ask God to please bless the families of 
our men and women in uniform, and I ask God in His loving way to hold 
in his arms those who have lost ones fighting for freedom, and I ask 
God to bless the American people, the House and Senate that we will do 
what is right. I ask God to give strength and wisdom to the President 
of the United States. And I ask God three times, please, God; please, 
God; please, God, continue to bless America.

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