Dear Representative Norman,
I am writing on behalf of the members of the Fraternal Order of Police to advise you of our support for H.R. 3060, the “Putting Our First Responders First Act.”
The men and women of law enforcement face the daunting challenge of protecting and serving not only their country but their local communities. We honor and care for the families of our fallen officers and work to make sure that their service, memory, and sacrifice are not forgotten. Too often, however, law enforcement officers who suffer terrible injuries in the line of duty are ignored. These officers risked just as much as anyone else and have paid dearly for it. We need to do more to help those who are permanently disabled in the line of duty.
Your bill will codify the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Ruling 85-105, which makes service-connected disability compensation tax-exempt. There are too many IRS auditors and disabled law enforcement officers who are unaware of this Revenue Ruling. Amending Federal law will ensure that there will be no confusion on whether disability compensation for our law enforcement officers is tax-exempt or not.
Your legislation will help lighten the burden of our disabled law enforcement officers and their families, and we are grateful for your leadership on this issue.
On behalf of the more than 356,000 members of the Fraternal Order of Police, I am proud to offer our support for this legislation. If I can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me or Executive Director Jim Pasco in our Washington office.
Sincerely,
Patrick Yoes
National President