Skip to main content

Rep. Elissa Slotkin Votes to Pass Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen Retirement Savings, Repeal Tax on Gold Star Families

May 23, 2019

SECURE Act passed the House, 417-3

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (MI-08) today voted in favor of H.R. 1994, the bipartisan Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act, which expands opportunities for Americans to increase their retirement savings and broadens the ability for small employers, small businesses, and part-time employees to participate in 401(k) plans.

Importantly, the bill includes a provision repealing a consequence of the sweeping 2017 tax law which instituted major changes in the tax code, and caused Gold Star families to see drastic tax increases. Gold Star Families, families who have lost a loved one in military service, receive a survivor benefit. Under the 2017 tax law, those families saw a precipitous increase in taxes on their survivor benefit, jumping from 12-to-15 percent to as much as 37 percent. The SECURE Act corrects the problem by repealing this provision, thereby significantly reducing Gold Star family's tax burden. Rep. Slotkin was a co-sponsor of this bipartisan legislation.

The legislation passed the House by a 417-3 vote.

"Today I was proud to vote for a bill that puts real money back in families' pockets by expanding opportunities to save for a secure retirement, and by repealing a tax hike that has been hurting our Gold Star families," Slotkin said. "This is exactly the type of practical, meaningful legislation that Congress can pass when we focus on the mission of helping people, and I'm thrilled to see it pass with such broad bipartisan support."

Issues: