Congresswoman Tenney's Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act Passes House of Representatives

Washington, DC - Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) today announced her bill, the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act, passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 219-184.

Additional cosponsors of this legislation include Representatives David Kustoff (TN-8), Brad Schneider (IL-10), and Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11).

H.R. 9495, amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to postpone tax deadlines and reimburse paid late fees for United States citizens who are wrongfully detained or held hostage abroad and terminate the tax-exempt status of terrorist-supporting organizations.

"Americans are being used as leverage across the globe, held hostage or wrongfully detained by terrorist groups," said Congresswoman Tenney. "This includes NY-24's own Ryan Corbett in Afghanistan and numerous Americans held by Hamas in Gaza. The last thing these Americans should have to face when returning home is tax penalties from the government. The Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act corrects this flaw in our tax code, ensuring that individuals returning home from unimaginable hardship are not penalized with back taxes by the IRS. Additionally, this legislation requires the IRS to revoke the tax-exempt status of any organization that provides financial support or resources to designated terrorist groups. I am pleased this legislation passed the House, ensuring that Americans who have endured the horrors of being held hostage can return home without facing punitive tax penalties while also strengthening our stance against terrorism."

Watch Tenney's remarks she delivered on the House Floor here(link is external).

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