In celebration of love on Valentine’s Day, Rep. Judy Chu (D) has joined with Rep. Andy Levin (D-Mich.) to introduce a bill that would remove gendered language from the U.S. tax code.
The duo’s Equal Dignity for Married Taxpayers Act is intended to “affirm the dignity of LGBTQ married couples,” the legislators said in a joint Feb. 14 statement.
“The Supreme Court has recognized that love is love,” said Chu, “no matter your gender identity. It’s time our tax code does the same.”
Chu said that filing taxes is difficult enough without the taint of prejudice to make it moreso. The proposal, she added, represents a “simple, common sense fix that acknowledges LGBTQ couples as equals.”
Said Levin, “The [bill] will make small changes that have a huge impact on the affirmation of the LBGTQ community.”
The House legislation has no number yet, according to Chu’s Washington D.C. office.
Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oreg.) will introduce the Senate version as ranking member of the Senate finance committee, the statement said.
Several groups including Human Rights Campaign, and the National Center for Transgender Equality, have expressed support for the bill.
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