By Jade Campos
LNP, Lancaster, Pa.
(TNS)
March 25 — Survivors of sexual assault could get some financial relief through a change to federal tax law proposed by U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker, Lancaster County, PA’s Republican congressman.
A key congressional committee Wednesday unanimously backed Smucker’s bill to eliminate taxes on settlement funds won by sexual assault survivors. Exemptions are currently offered under federal law for survivors of sexual assault and physical injury but require proof of “visible harm.”
The bill, called the “Survivor Justice Tax Prevention Act,” would remove any barriers for sexual assault survivors to prove physical harm, which Smucker argued is often hard to do.
The Ways and Means Committee writes federal tax law, and Smucker on Wednesday told the committee the bill would remove the need for sexual assault victims to fight the IRS and “relive the trauma of their case.”
If signed into law, the bill also would ensure survivors would not be required to provide medical records to the IRS to prove they experienced sexual assault.
U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wisconsin, also a primary cosponsor of the bill, said written acknowledgment of sexual abuse would allow assault survivors to receive a settlement tax exemption.
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While voicing support for the bill, several Democrats called out President Donald Trump’s administration for failing to release unredacted copies of all files related to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Congress ordered the Department of Justice to release files on the case, but thousands of documents have still not been made fully available to the public.
Democrats have argued the agency is trying to protect Trump, who has been named in the files after being accused of sexual assault.
“I just wish we were creating bipartisan efforts to make sure the survivors of the Epstein files were granted the same level of justice,” said U.S. Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-California.
Moore referred to “high profile” cases of sexual abuse, including the cases of Epstein and former U.S. Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, as she asked her colleagues on the committee to support the bill.
“We need to acknowledge that abuse isn’t just in the headlines,” Moore said. “For every case we hear about, there are countless others that remain unseen.”
The bill will now go to the House floor for a final vote, which has not been scheduled.
Photo credit: OlegAlbinsky/iStock
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© 2026 LNP (Lancaster, Pa.). Visit lancasteronline.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency LLC.
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