[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 17]
[House]
[Pages 23211-23212]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   MILITARY DEATH GRATUITY TAX REPEAL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, tonight I am on the floor 
again. I am asking the House leadership and also the Democratic 
leadership to please bring to the floor H.R. 693, the Military Death 
Gratuity Tax Repeal.
  Mr. Speaker, let me explain to my colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle that in the early 1990s, the Congress increased from $3,000 to 
$6,000 a death gratuity that is given to the family of a loved one who 
has died in uniform for this country. The Committee on Ways and Means, 
and it was not their fault, but the bill, the increase, was not sent to 
their committee so they could eliminate the tax. So since the early 
1990s, anyone who has died in uniform for this country, their families 
have received a death gratuity of $6,000 and also the next year receive 
a tax bill from Uncle Sam.
  Mr. Speaker, now that we are fighting for freedom for the Iraqi 
people, our troops in Afghanistan and also in Iraq have been killed, 
and God bless and rest their souls and bless their families, but, Mr. 
Speaker, the reason I am on the floor tonight is I am asking the House 
leadership, both Democrat and Republican, to please, before we leave 
here in early November, to bring this bill to the floor and let us pass 
it in a bipartisan way and send it to the other body.
  In fairness to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel), ranking 
member, and the gentleman from California (Chairman Thomas), they have 
included this language for 2 years in a larger bill to help our 
families in the military. But the other body, Mr. Speaker, has not 
passed the legislation.
  So I hope that the Congress, the House, will join me in asking the 
leadership, both majority and minority, to bring this bill to the floor 
and let us send it to the other body and ask them to please pass this 
as a stand-alone bill.
  Mr. Speaker, behind me are the photographs of those who have died for 
freedom. There are a lot more than these photographs, quite frankly. I 
have these photographs outside of my office in 422 Cannon because I do 
not want anybody to ever walk by my office and not understand the cost 
of freedom. We can see that it says, ``Let us never forget,'' faces of 
fallen heroes. These are young men and one woman from across this 
Nation who have given their lives for freedom, and yet Uncle Sam next 
year will send a tax bill to those families.
  We are talking about, Mr. Speaker, that in the year of September 11, 
2001, there were over 292 families that had to pay this tax. In 2002, 
there were 1,007 families that had to pay this tax. It is important 
that we pass this legislation this year. It should have passed 2 years 
ago, but that is not the House's fault. It is the other body's.
  Mr. Speaker, let me also read part of an e-mail I received recently. 
It happens to be from a constituent of the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. 
Hastert), Speaker of the House. It says: ``Dear Representative Jones, 
thank you for your support of H.R. 693. Our son, Sergeant Jacob 
Frazier, was killed in action on March 29, 2003, in Afghanistan. Upon 
being told we would be taxed on a portion of the $6,000 benefit, I was

[[Page 23212]]

shocked and insulted. My son was not married, but I am sure that there 
are numerous young widows that do not need another complication in 
their lives. Our country should not add to their burden with additional 
taxation.''
  Mr. Speaker, that is why I will continue to come to the floor of the 
House until the House leadership, both Republican and Democrat, bring 
this bill to the floor. Yes, we are doing a lot of important things on 
the floor of the House, but yet there is time to bring this bill to the 
floor. And let us in a bipartisan way, as we have done before, pass 
this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I would also like to share with the Members on the floor 
of the House, this is a young man whose name is Tyler Jordan. He is 6 
years old. He has under his arm the flag that was draped upon his 
daddy's casket. His father was a gunnery sergeant in the United States 
Marine Corps named Phillip Jordan, who was killed in Iraq. We are 
looking at this photograph of this young man who is hurting very badly 
because his father has died for this country. But should we not in 
Congress, who are not being fired at with bullets, say to those who are 
dying for freedom not only for the Iraqi people, but for the American 
citizens that to this young man Tyler Jordan we are not going to send a 
bill from Uncle Sam asking him to pay a tax on the measly $6,000?
  That is not enough, Mr. Speaker, but that is not the issue tonight. 
The issue tonight is we need to remove this tax.
  I ask God to please bless our men and women in uniform. I ask God to 
please bless America. Let us pass this legislation.

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