House passes bill to incentivize donations to families of slain police officers

The House passed legislation by voice vote on Wednesday to authorize a charitable tax deduction for contributions toward the families of two New York City police detectives who were murdered last December.

Two New York Police Department detectives, Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos, were shot and killed while on duty in Brooklyn by a man apparently trying to avenge the recent deaths of young black men due to aggressive force from police. Protesters had been gathering in New York City to express disappointment with a grand jury’s decision not to indict the white police officer who shot Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo.

{mosads}Under the bill, taxpayers who make contributions to the families of Liu and Ramos between Jan. 1 and April 15 of this year can claim tax deductions for 2014.

The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said the tax incentive would help the families of Ramos and Liu. Ramos had a wife and two teenage sons, while Liu had just gotten married a month before his death.

“On December 20 of 2014, unspeakable tragedy struck the Bedford-Stuyvesant community that I represent,” Jeffries said. “In the aftermath, we cannot forget the families left behind when these two brave heroes were killed tragically in the line of duty.”

Congress has approved similar measures in the past to incentivize donations toward specific causes, such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake and the 2013 typhoon in the Philippines.