Fallen Heroes bill advances in MD, making settlements for families tax free

MARYLAND -The family members of fallen first responders, EMS, or police would no longer have to pay tax on any settlements, as part of a new bill that is moving forward in Annapolis.

The Maryland Senate moved the bill forward, with its counterpart also moving forward in the state house, in part due to testimony from the widow of Corporal Glenn Hilliard who was killed in Wicomico County last year.
Tashica Hilliard would have had to pay upwards of 150, thousand dollars in taxes on the 500,000 settlement she received in the wake of Hilliard’s murder.

Lawmakers say that was the last thing they want grieving families to worry about.

“We were told by the comptroller’s office that we needed the legislation, so you had both the House and the Senate bill and those bills have moved through. And what those bills do is they make it clear that if a fallen hero has died in the line of duty, law enforcement, firefighters, or EMTs, that they will not that family will not have to pay taxes on that,” said Senator Mary Beth Carozza.

Senator Carozza says the bill would cover the Hilliard family retroactively, but just how far back the bill would go has not yet been determined.