Bill · H.R. 1868· House(119-HR-1868)
Stop Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act of 2025
- Introduced
- 3/5/2025
- Last activity
- 3/5/2025 — Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
- Sponsored by
- J. Hill
- Cosponsors
- - 6 - 8
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The bill is called the Stop Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act of 2025. It helps United States nationals who are wrongfully detained or held hostage abroad by postponing their tax deadlines. The legislation also ensures that these individuals do not have to pay interest or penalties on taxes while they are being held. Furthermore, the bill creates a program to refund late fees and interest that were already paid during the detention period. Spouses of these individuals are also granted these protections and relief benefits. The government departments involved must share lists of affected individuals and update their systems to make sure the relief is properly applied.
Yes
Does this cut taxes for middle-income families?+5
The bill provides tax relief by disregarding periods of unlawful detention when calculating interest and penalties for affected individuals.
Would middle-income households be better off under this?+4
The bill assists affected individuals and their spouses by providing refunds for tax-related penalties and interest.
Is this likely to lift people out of poverty?+3
The bill provides financial relief to individuals and their spouses through the abatement or refund of tax penalties and interest.
The opposite
Does this reduce what the federal government spends?-2
The bill directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue refunds and abate assessments for certain individuals.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Postponement of Tax Deadlines and Relief from Penalties: Under Section 2, the time an individual is wrongfully detained or held hostage abroad is disregarded when determining tax liabilities, meaning they will not face penalties, interest, or missed deadlines while they are away.
-
Application to Spouses: Section 2 also specifies that these tax deadline postponements and penalty reliefs apply directly to the spouse of the affected individual.
-
Refunds for Past Penalties and Fines: Section 3 establishes a program by January 1, 2026, to allow eligible individuals, their spouses, or their dependents to apply for a refund or cancellation of any late fees, interest, or penalties paid during the applicable period.
-
Extended Time to Claim Refunds: Section 3 extends the usual time limits so that affected individuals have a full year after receiving an official notice to apply for and receive their tax refunds.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- There are no negative impacts explicitly found within the text of the provided bill for individuals or groups of people in the United States.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Middle Class Households+4
- Economy And Finance
- Reduces Middle Class Taxes+5Reduces Government Spending-2
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Poverty Reduction+3
- 1/13/2026
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- 9/8/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 5/7/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 5/6/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 4/17/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 4/14/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 4/8/2025
- 3 Cosponsors added.
- 3/31/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 3/5/2025
- Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
- 3 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in House
4 bills Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Donald BeyerDemocrat · Virginia
Herbert ConawayDemocrat · New Jersey
Neal DunnRepublican · Florida
Brian FitzpatrickRepublican · Pennsylvania
Josh GottheimerDemocrat · New Jersey
Abraham HamadehRepublican · Arizona
Mike HaridopolosRepublican · Florida
Nick LaLotaRepublican · New York
Jerrold NadlerDemocrat · New York
Thomas SuozziDemocrat · New York
Dina TitusDemocrat · Nevada
Claudia TenneyRepublican · New York
Eugene VindmanDemocrat · Virginia
Nikema WilliamsDemocrat · Georgia