Wyden, Collins Reintroduce Legislation to Bring Marriage Equality to the Tax Code
Washington, D.C. – Marking the 10th anniversary of Obergefell v. Hodges, Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, reintroduced bipartisan legislation providing equality in the tax code for all legal marriages. The Equal Dignity for Married Taxpayers Act would remove gender-specific references to marriage in the tax code.
The Equal Dignity for Married Taxpayers Act was introduced alongside the Refund Equality Act, a proposal from Senator Collins and Senator Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., (and cosponsored by Senator Wyden) that would ensure legally-married same-sex couples can obtain refunds they were unfairly denied prior to the Obergefell ruling when they were barred from jointly filing federal taxes. The two Senate proposals were combined in a House companion proposal, the Promoting Respect for Individuals’ Dignity and Equality (PRIDE) Act, introduced by Representatives Judy Chu, Calif., and Becca Balint, D-Vt.
“The right to marry whoever you love may be recognized as the law of the land, but the work toward true equality is far from over,” Senator Wyden said. “The opponents of marriage equality are working to roll back the clock on the progress we’ve made in recent years and decades. That’s all the more reason to root out the remnants of discrimination from the laws on the books, including in our tax code.”
“This bipartisan legislation helps modernize our tax code to reflect the equal rights and dignity that all married couples enjoy under the law, including the Respect for Marriage Act that I co-authored in 2022,” Senator Collins said.
“Ten years after same-sex marriage was legalized nationwide, Democrats and Republicans agree: it’s time to modernize our tax code to reflect that reality,” Senator Warren said. “As LGBTQ+ rights come under attack, I’m going to keep fighting to deliver equal treatment for everyone.”
Two years before Obergefell, the Supreme Court struck down the section of the Defense of Marriage Act that defined “marriage” as a legal union between one man and one woman in Windsor v. United States. After Obergefell legalized same-sex marriage, the Treasury Department finalized rules allowing federal joint tax filing for same-sex couples. Wyden’s bill adds to these efforts by ensuring the tax code offers equal treatment to all married taxpayers.
In addition to Wyden and Collins, the bill is cosponsored by Senators Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., Michael Bennet, D-Colo., Richard Blumenthal, D, Conn., Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Chris Coons, D-Del., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., John Fetterman, D-Pa., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., Maizie Hirono, D-Hawai’i, Tim Kaine, D-Va., Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., Andy Kim, D-N.J., Angus King, I-Maine, Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Patty Murray, D-Wash., Alex Padilla, D-Calif., Gary Peters, D-Mich., Jack Reed, D-R.I., Jackie Rosen, D-Nev., Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Brian Schatz, D-Hawai’i, Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Jeanne Shaheen D-N.H., Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., Tina Smith, D-Minn., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Mark Warner, D-Va., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Peter Welch, D-Vt. and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.
The bill text is available here.
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