Washington — The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill today that would exempt relatives and victims of the April 16 shootings at Virginia Tech from paying federal income taxes on any payments they have received from the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund.
The bill, HR 4118, was introduced by Rep. Rick Boucher, a Virginia Democrat, and six other Virginia representatives have signed on as co-sponsors. Identical legislation has been introduced in the U.S. Senate and is expected to pass before the end of the year.
Donations to the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund amount to about $8-million and are being used for scholarships and payments to the families of the 32 people killed and to others who were seriously injured in last April’s tragedy. Some recipients of the payments had been concerned that the money would be subject to federal income taxes. —Erin Strout
