Gay GOP Group Praises Mary Bono

After California congresswoman Mary Bono Mack voted against an estate tax bill that would amend IRS rules, the gay conservative group GOProud commended her actions.

Even without Mack's vote, the Permanent Estate Tax Relief for Families, Farmers, and Small Businesses Act of 2009, passed the House on Thursday. The bill would alter current rules so that the government couldn't take out more than 45% of the value of an estate and would tax only estates larger than $3.5 million. Mack, a Republican, is against the estate tax in its entirety, and believes the current bill would enshrine it for perpetuity.

Current estate taxes often burden gay couples more than married spouses, though it's not clear if that factored into Mack's vote. Bono was married to Sonny Bono and took his congressional seat after he died in a 1998 skiing accident. Bono is running for reelection in 2010 against Steve Pougnet, the gay mayor of Palm Springs.