[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 18]
[House]
[Pages 25356-25357]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1600
                    HOUSE SHOULD ELIMINATE DEATH TAX

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Culberson). 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, I am back on the floor 
again. This is my fourth or fifth week of coming down at least one time 
a week to remind the leadership of the House, both Republican and 
Democrat, that each and every time a man or woman dies for this 
country, whether it be in training or in Iraq or Afghanistan, when the 
family not only buries that loved one, the next year they will receive 
a tax from Uncle Sam on a small amount of money called a death 
gratuity. It is $6,000.
  I have a bill in, and it is my second year of introducing legislation 
to eliminate that tax. It was put on by mistake in the early 1990s; but 
since that time, everyone in uniform that has died for this country, 
whether peacetime or wartime, the families have paid the gift of that 
child who died for freedom, particularly now in the war in Iraq and 
Afghanistan. Behind me are the faces of those, just a few, who have 
given their lives for America. Outside of my office, 422 Cannon, we 
update each and every week the faces of those who have given their 
lives.
  It touches one's heart to see people walking down the hall stop to 
take a moment to look into the faces of those who have died for 
freedom. That is the purpose of honoring those who have given their 
lives and families, by having people never forget there is an expensive 
cost for freedom, and that is the lives of those who have given their 
lives for this great Nation. I am hopeful that the leadership will be 
bringing legislation to the floor that will reduce and eliminate that 
tax on the death gratuity.
  Mr. Speaker, I show this photograph of a young man whose name is 
Tyler Jordan. Tyler is from Connecticut. His father was Marine Gunnery 
Sergeant Philip Jordan. This was one of the shots I saw in the 
newspaper that touched my heart so much that I contacted the 
photographer and asked him to buy this photograph. This young man is 6 
years old. He has the American flag under his arm which draped his 
father's coffin, and he is looking at the coffin holding his father.
  The reason I keep bringing this to the floor along with these other 
photographs is because this Congress cannot leave this year without 
passing legislation to eliminate the tax on the death gratuity. For 
this young man and his family to receive a bill from Uncle Sam in 2004 
to pay the tax on the gift of his father, and the husband and son, it 
just does not make any sense.
  Mr. Speaker, I am encouraged. The gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Renzi) 
and I have been working on this issue, and I have been told that the 
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Renzi) will be bringing legislation to the 
floor that will increase the death gratuity and also eliminate the tax. 
I am pleased to say that I know that every Member of Congress on both 
sides of the aisle will join us in passing the legislation and send it 
to the other body, and plead

[[Page 25357]]

with the other body to please pass the same legislation and send it to 
the President before we end this year. It is wrong and unacceptable 
that any family that gives a loved one to this Nation for freedom would 
be sent a bill from Uncle Sam. I am pleased that I have been told that 
there will be legislation coming to the floor that will eliminate the 
tax and also will raise the death gratuity.
  Mr. Speaker, we must remember that these men and women who have given 
their lives for this country, that the families have given enough and 
they need not give any more to Uncle Sam.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, I close by asking God to please bless our men 
and women in uniform, please bless their families, for God to please 
hold in his loving arms those who have given a loved one for freedom. I 
ask God to please bless the young men and women in uniform. I ask God 
to please bless the House and Senate that we will do what is right in 
the eyes of the Lord. I ask God to please give the President of the 
United States wisdom, courage, and strength to do what is right.
  Mr. Speaker, I close by asking three times, please God, please God, 
please God, please God continue to bless America.

                          ____________________