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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has signed into law a measure allowing people to write off donations they made this year to the families of two slain New York police officers.
Wenjian Liu (WEHN'-jihn loo) and Rafael Ramos (rah-fah-YEL' RAH'-mos) were shot in their patrol car in Brooklyn on Dec. 20 by a man who then killed himself.
Under normal circumstances, individuals would have had to donate to the families by Dec. 31 to quality for a deduction on their 2014 taxes. The legislation extends that deadline until April 15, 2015 — the deadline for Americans to file their personal income taxes.
The bill easily passed both chambers of Congress. The White House says Obama signed it Wednesday in private.
The shooting came amid heightened tensions between law enforcement and minority communities.
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