Death Gratuity Take Action now! A Congressional Research Service is reporting that a little-known, unofficial benefit has long been in practice in Congress. It is to provide a death gratuity equal to a member’s annual salary, payable to the deceased member’s widow or widower, or children and is usually contained in the annual legislative appropriations act. Currently, a $174,000 gratuity is included. The Controversy: Critics say taxpayer money should not be quietly redistributed to private parties, especially those who are extremely wealthy. Proponents say it is a way to honor families of deceased Congress members.News Story: One item House members have not said much about is a six-figure “gift” they tucked into the latest spending bill. The little-noticed provision would pay the widow of the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg – who was a millionaire -- $174,000 in tax-free funds.The payment is part of a time-honored practice of paying out death benefits to lawmakers families. But its caught the eye of government watchdogs who say its time to put an end to that practice.Daniel Schuman, policy director for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, first noticed the payment to the widow of the late New Jersey Democratic senator.How is this a top funding priority? he asked.Schuman questioned why the House, which voted to cut $40 billion from food stamps over the next decade and is locked in a stand-off over de-funding ObamaCare, would so easily pony up thousands of dollars for this benefit payment. Not all lawmakers are independently wealthy, but Lautenberg was among the wealthiest.According to Roll Call’s 2012 annual survey of congressional wealth, which is based on 2011 financial disclosure reports, Lautenberg’s estimated net worth was $56.8 million.“The situation is even more galling when you think about the choice it represents,” Schuman wrote. “Congress just voted to cut food stamps for poor children. A shameful number were unwilling to support relief from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Sandy.”Further, he warned that the payments embody an attitude that places members of Congress above the public.The practice of paying a deceased lawmaker’s salary to his or her family has been around for a long time.A 1918 document, Cannon’s Precedents, which sets the precedents for the U.S. House of Representatives, calls the death gratuities a “long-established custom.” It is not known when the custom first originated.What Happens Next?If Lautenberg’s death gratuity is approved by the Senate, as expected, it would bring the total amount that Congress has given the families of deceased lawmakers to $2.6 million over the past decade.Among other things, the money is supposed to help with funeral fees, the cost of erecting a monument and travel expenses for a delegation to attend a service. Federal law treats the payment as a gift, which means it’s tax free.Not all lawmakers make the same amount.According to the Congressional Research Service, the family of Hawaii Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, who died Dec. 17, 2012, was given $193,400. The family of Rep. Robert Matsui, D-Calif., who died on Jan. 1, 2005, was gifted $162,100, while relatives of Rep. Jo Ann Davis, R-Va., who died on Oct. 6, 2007, were given $165,200.
Posted on: Tue, 15 Oct 2013 00:16:32 +0000
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