Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2023

Floor Speech

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Mr. PADILLA. Madam President, as if in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 5863 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.
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Mr. PADILLA. I know of no further debate on the bill.
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Mr. PADILLA. Madam President, I thank you for that.

For the folks watching at home, we just passed a significant disaster tax bill, which is critical to helping disaster survivors across the country, and it includes bipartisan legislation that I introduced, along with Senator Wyden and Senator Cassidy.

Our Protect Innocent Victims Of Taxation After Fire Act would make sure that individuals, families, and entire communities who have suffered from utility-caused wildfires can receive the full compensation to rebuild their lives without fear that their settlement payments will be subject to taxes.

In my home State of California, over 70,000 people have been impacted by the destruction of the Butte fire, the North Bay fire, and the Camp fire in recent years.

Now, if you can imagine when you are wading through the ashes of your former home and thinking about how you can possibly begin to rebuild, the last thing you should have to worry about is that the government is going to tax the payment from your legal settlement that already fails to cover the full cost of your losses in the first place.

Disaster settlement funds aren't income. It is not an asset. It is compensation for what a family has lost. It is meant to be an opportunity to begin to rebuild your life--an opportunity that should not be diminished because our Tax Code is outdated.

And it is not just for my constituents--my constituents looking to rebuild--utility-caused fires are becoming increasingly common across the Western United States. This bill we just passed would make sure that all recent and future wildfire victims throughout the country have access to their full settlements. That includes those in Oregon and Hawaii who have either reached settlements or are still working through the process with the utilities that caused devastating wildfires.

This measure is a commonsense, bipartisan solution to protect Americans at the most difficult time in their lives.

I want to take a moment to thank Senator Cassidy and Senator Wyden for their partnership, as well as my California colleagues in the House, Representatives Mike Thompson and Doug LaMalfa, for their leadership on the issue in that Chamber. I look forward to seeing the President sign this bill into law as soon as possible.

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Mr. PADILLA. Madam President, I also rise today with the bittersweet task of saying farewell to my trusted partner for the State of California, Senator Laphonza Butler, as her tenure here in the Senate with us comes to end in the coming days.

You may recall that just over a year ago, Senator Butler was appointed to serve alongside me here in the U.S. Senate. I remember it vividly. In just a matter of days, she received a call from Governor Newsom, accepted the appointment, traveled to Washington to take the oath of office, and introduced herself to the Nation.

That alone is a tall task for anyone--imagine--to be called upon on such short notice to serve a State of nearly 40 million people--but it is another thing entirely to be asked to also, in the process, fill the shoes of the legendary Senator Dianne Feinstein, a titan of California politics and the U.S. Senate, who served with such honor and dignity and grace for over three decades, not to mention that she carried on her shoulders the fate of a narrow Senate Democratic majority. It literally rested on her appointment and willingness to serve. But as I think back and reflect on that moment in her decision to say yes, it takes a trailblazer to fill the seat of a trailblazer.

And Laphonza Butler was certainly no stranger to high stakes. She knew it and proved it as a union organizer, fighting for workers all across the Nation; she knew it as the onetime president of California's SEIU Local 2015, representing members of California's largest home care and nursing home workers union; and she knew it as president of EMILY's List--all leadership positions that she held prior to joining us here in the Senate. So once she did join us here in the Senate, it was no surprise to me that she hit the ground running. She immediately set up an office and built a team of more than capable and passionate public servants who would help her and my office, frankly--we are a tag team, after all--serve the people of California.

Imagine, as she began to navigate the complex Senate procedures to effectively represent Californians, she was also learning, in the early days, how to simply navigate the halls of the U.S. Capitol--with the help of the legendary Alex Baldonado, I might add.

I was honored to serve alongside her here in the Senate, to offer her advice when I could and even lend staff assistance. In the year that has followed, I have been proud to work with her, nominating and confirming historic judicial nominees to the Federal bench, fighting for critical disaster funding for Californians in the relief we just passed a few minutes ago, working to protect and conserve our cherished public lands, and so much more.

Through it all, Senator Butler worked to also lift up the voices of all Californians, including through her Youth Advisory Council, empowering young Californians to get involved in the civic process.

So, Senator Butler, let the Record reflect that it has been an honor to serve alongside you these past 14 months. While we will miss you here in the U.S. Senate, I know that your work is far from over and that our partnership will continue. I have no doubt that I will see you in the trenches.

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