Walter B. Jones: “to my left are photographs of just a few of the men and women that were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan in the last year…”

“to my left are photographs of just a few of the men and women that were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan in the last year and a half. And the reason I came to the floor is because we passed the House in a very bipartisan way legislation to bring some tax relief to our men and women in uniform, and I came to the floor because the other body has not taken this legislation up. I happen to have a bill, H.R. 693, it is called the Military Death Gratuity Improvement Act of 2003. A lot of people do not know this throughout this country, but every time a man or woman in uniform, whether it is wartime or non-wartime, is killed, the family gets what is called a death gratuity. Quite frankly it is not enough, but it is $6,000 that is given to the family. In 1991 they raised the death gratuity from $3,000 to $6,000, but they failed to take the tax off $3,000. So therefore at the end of the year the family who has lost a loved one fighting for freedom to protect us and this great Nation will probably get a tax bill from the IRS. And I must say, Mr. Speaker, I think it is absolutely unacceptable that this Congress would allow the family of a deceased man or woman in uniform who has died fighting for this country to get a bill from Uncle Sam saying they owe a tax on a small amount of money, $6,000.”