The Virginia Constitution has two proposed amendments up for referendum on Nov. 8. The first one concerns workers’ rights, and the editorial board has already written an excellent article on it. The second proposed amendment would empower the General Assembly to exempt from taxation the real property of a surviving spouse of any firefighter, police officer or emergency medical technician killed in the line of duty. Until now this privilege was only extended to those who had a spouse die while serving in the armed forces. This is a change that is not only sensible but also needed in our current national climate.
Firefighters, police officers and EMTs deserve this privilege just as much as members of our armed forces. We give soldiers special privileges because they chose to put themselves in what could be mortal danger for the good of everyone. People can argue over soldiers deserving more or less respect than they get, but it is undeniable they provide an essential public good. Firefighters, police and EMTs do the same. The least we can do to recognize their essential contribution is to pass this amendment.
There may be some worries that the cost of this provision would put too much of a burden on the state. But look at the state’s statistics. As of today, there have been three police line-of-duty deaths, no firefighter deaths and no EMT fatalities in 2016. In 2015 there was one line of duty death for a firefighter and one for a police officer. Assuming every single one of these people are married, that would mean only exempting five people from their real property tax. Under current conditions, I think the state of Virginia will have no problem shouldering this burden.
Passing this amendment will also create a positive incentive for people to join professions that are always in need of new people. Firefighters and police officers are often paid too little for the dangerous and tough work they do. Add on to this the worry that if you get injured or killed it will not only hurt you, but also your spouse, who may be economically dependent on you. People looking to get into any of these professions would have to worry a little less about the economic danger they put their spouses in if the amendment is passed.
Hopefully adopting this amendment will also signal we still respect our police and fire responders. Many police officers feel embattled by Americans who accuse them of being racist. This worry has only increased after five cops were killed in Dallas this July during a protest against police violence. Though most of this rhetoric is against the police, the whole first responder community feels the same wariness. I am not arguing there are no problems with police or first responders, but the lack of respect and violence against them has gone far past a productive discourse. It won’t spark major change, but adopting this amendment would show there is still respect for the people who work so hard to preserve our communities.
I admit this would be mostly a symbolic change. I would much rather legislators put more money towards police and first responders. However, I recognize it would take an extremely tough political fight to get the more money in the state budget or reallocate existing funds. I hope one day Virginia legislators will take up this issue, but for now I support this pragmatic step in that direction.
I am a first responder myself, a volunteer firefighter. This might bias my view on this amendment, but I think it gives me more perspective. I have personally seen the ridiculous amount of work and suffering that police and first responders go through on a daily basis — it is staggering. These are the people who have to deal with society at its very worst and its most dangerous. To me it just makes sense that we extend them this modest benefit already given to military spouses — it is the least we can do.
Bobby Doyle is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at b.doyle@cavalierdaily.com.
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