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By Louisiana Personal Injury Attorney J. Price McNamara with the Law Offices of Price McNamara.

Provisions included in the Tax Cut and Jobs Act signed into law in late 2016 will provide individuals financially impacted by the rain and flooding that occurred across the state of Louisiana in August 2016.

The changes, which were championed by U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, will allow individuals who suffered losses related to their homes, vehicles and other personal property which were not otherwise reimbursed by insurance coverage or Federal grants, to deduct those losses by amending their 2016 tax return.

Previously, deductions for losses like this were allowed, but they were capped at 10 percent of a filer’s income.

“Provisions like this will provide thousands of Louisianans with financial benefits related to losses that the either were not covered for from an insurance standpoint, or that the insurance company declined to pay out,” said J. Price McNamara, a Louisiana Flood Damage Claim attorney with the Law Offices of Price McNamara in Baton Rouge. “I have represented clients in matters related to this flood and even know individuals with insurance coverage that still had losses they were unable to recover. This change will allow them a chance to be made completely whole.” (more…)

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Original Hamilton-Burr Dueling Pistols on Rare Public Display

The original pistols used in the infamous 1804 duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr are now on display at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum.

The rare public showing represents the first time the pistols have been on public display in the Washington area.

They are featured in the exhibition “Alexander Hamilton: Soldier, Secretary, Icon,” along with mail, portraits and postage and revenue stamps reflective of Hamilton’s life and career as the first U.S. treasury secretary.

The full exhibition remains on view through next March. Its opening coincides with the June opening of the hit Broadway play, Hamilton: An American Musical, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

The original dueling pistols used by Hamilton, former secretary of the treasury and retired two-star general, and Vice President Aaron Burr in the duel that resulted in Hamilton’s death are on loan to the museum from JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Hamilton was born on the British Caribbean island of Nevis in 1755, deserted by his father at age 11 and raised by his mother who died when he was 13. Shortly after his arrival in New York in 1772, long-simmering tensions between Great Britain and its North American colonies erupted into open war.

An orphan with few influential connections, Hamilton saw the American Revolution as an opportunity for rapid social advancement. He committed to the revolution and decided he and America would sink or swim together.

In a scene that is scarcely imaginable today, on July 11, 1804, Burr killed Hamilton in a duel. Burr had lost the U.S. presidential election of 1800 and the New York governor’s race of 1804. He blamed Hamilton’s outspoken opposition for both losses — especially a letter attributed to Hamilton and published in the Albany Register that referred to Burr as “despicable.” Burr then issued the challenge to a duel, which was set for a location outside New York City in nearby New Jersey.

In the 215 years since his untimely death at 39 in the duel with Burr, Hamilton has become an American icon. Stamps, money, movies, television miniseries, and now a hit Broadway musical, commemorate his meteoric rise and his sweeping vision for America’s future.

This weekly column is written and sponsored by D.C. real estate agent and Kalorama resident Jeffrey Tanck. He can be reached at [email protected].

And we’re back for the final segment on being a Do-it-Yourself Landlord.

At this point you’ve gotten all of your required licenses, identified and vetted a great tenant, signed a lease and are ready to start collecting rent.

In DC, Landlords can only charge tenants a security deposit equal to or less than one month’s rent. This deposit must be placed in a separate interest bearing account and you should notify your tenant of the name and location of the financial institution that is holding the funds.

For leases 12 months or longer the interest earned is to be provided to the tenant upon return of their security deposit, which must occur within 45 days of the tenants leaving. If you’re not planning on returning the deposit due to non-payment or damage to the property, you are still required to inform the tenant in writing of the status of their deposit within the 45-day time frame.

You also need to decide how you would like your tenant to pay you every month.

Thankfully, “There’s an app for that!” Venmo and Paypal are great ways to receive money and they create an easily accessible record of the transaction. You can also ask your tenants to set up an auto-pay with their bank into your account. Checks are also an option — but are increasingly rare. (more…)

By Pennsylvania Criminal Defense Attorney Amato Sanita and Virginia Criminal Defense Attorney Thomas Soldan.

Pennsylvania law allows the state attorney general to review, on an annual basis, the concealed carry background check requirements of every state with which Pennsylvania has a reciprocal agreement to honor concealed carry permits.

If the attorney general determines that the laws of a state are not consistent with those of Pennsylvania, he or she can elect to terminate that reciprocal agreement.

This year, Pennsylvania’s reciprocal agreement with Virginia was terminated due to the attorney general’s finding that Virginia’s procedures for mental health, juvenile record and other background screenings fell short of the procedures used by Pennsylvania.

This means that holders of concealed carry permits in Virginia may be subject to prosecution in Pennsylvania if found in possession of a concealed weapon.

At the same time, Pennsylvania entered into agreements with Alabama and Idaho to recognize concealed carry permits issued in those states, finding that the background check procedures of those states were substantially similar to those of Pennsylvania.

“Each state is currently allowed to set its own rules regarding the issuance of concealed carry permits, as there is no federal standard governing their issuance,” said Thomas Soldan, a Virginia Gun Crimes Attorney in Leesburg, VA. “Virginia is a shall-issue concealed carry permit state, meaning that if a person meets all of the requirements, a permit shall be issued.” (more…)