WASHINGTON — Congresswoman Elaine Luria on Monday announced that the House of Representatives approved a pair of her amendments as part of the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
The amendments will help service members and their families by ensuring that the men and women who educate the children of military families are not subject to unfair taxation and another to encourage continued research that is occurring within the Navy’s Wound Care Research Program.
“Servicemembers and military families are the backbone of Virginia, and it’s with great privilege that I’m able to advocate for them as part of America’s annual defense bill,” Congresswoman Luria said. “Those who teach our military children shouldn’t be burdened with unfair taxes. Meanwhile, we must keep a spotlight on important research for wound care for our troops.”
Helping Teachers of Military Children:
Relocation expenses for federal civilian employees generally are reimbursed by the government. But the 2017 tax law ended the federal government’s ability to cover the taxes on some reimbursements. For example, civilian employees of the Department of Defense who transfer to teach at the elementary, middle, and high schools on military bases across the world currently pay taxes on artificially inflated incomes due to the expense of their moves. Congresswoman Luria’s amendment would fix this discrepancy.
Emphasizing Importance of Wound Care:
Another of Congresswoman Luria’s amendments would call attention to one of the top injuries facing warfighters: musculoskeletal injuries. It would recognize the importance of tissue repair innovations for these injuries and encourage continued research and innovation that is occurring within the Navy’s Wound Care Research program.