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Legislative bills

Bipartisan Bill Aims to End Economic Coercion in Abusive Marriages through SAFE Tax Filing Act

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) introduced the Survivors Assistance for Fear-free and Easy (SAFE) Tax Filing Act to make it easier for survivors of spousal abuse or abandonment to file their taxes. The bill would allow survivors to file their taxes as if they are unmarried, eliminating the requirement to contact their abuser to get the biggest tax refund they're eligible for. This legislation aims to keep Nevada families safe and help survivors on the road to recovery.

Key Takeaways:

  • The SAFE Tax Filing Act would enable survivors of spousal abuse or abandonment to file their taxes as if they are unmarried, eliminating the need to contact their abuser.
  • Currently, laws require survivors to either file their taxes jointly with their abuser or to file as Married Filing Separately, which could reduce their tax refund.
  • The bill is endorsed by several organizations, including the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, the National Domestic Violence Hotline, and the Center for Survivor Agency and Justice.
  • The SAFE Tax Filing Act recognizes that survivors of abuse deserve safety, autonomy, and freedom from financial entanglement with those who've harmed them.
  • Survivors of domestic violence often face substantial tax liability as a result of their abusive partner, and the act of filing taxes can expose survivors to further risk to their physical safety.
  • The act provides survivors with the chance to attend to their tax responsibilities without subjecting themselves to further economic and physical harm.
  • Senator Cortez Masto is an outspoken advocate for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking.
  • The reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act includes Cortez Masto's Fairness for Rape Kit Backlog Survivors Act, which requires state programs to allow sexual assault victims to file for compensation without being unfairly penalized for delays due to rape kit backlogs.

Statistics:

  • According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, survivors of domestic violence often face substantial tax liability as a result of their abusive partner.
  • The SAFE Tax Filing Act would benefit survivors who are subjected to economic coercion in abusive marriages.
  • The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence reports that survivors of abuse deserve safety, autonomy, and freedom from financial entanglement with those who've harmed them.
  • The Center for Survivor Agency and Justice estimates that survivors of domestic violence often face substantial tax liability as a result of their abusive partner.
  • Futures Without Violence reports that the SAFE Tax Filing Act provides survivors with the chance to attend to their tax responsibilities without subjecting themselves to further economic and physical harm.

Sources:

  • United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto
  • National Resource Center on Domestic Violence
  • National Domestic Violence Hotline
  • National Network to End Domestic Violence
  • Center for Survivor Agency and Justice
  • Futures Without Violence
  • Just Solutions

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