Doug Lamalfa Federal Disaster Tax Relief Certainty Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Doug LaMalfa Federal Disaster Tax Relief Certainty Act. I thank Mr. Smith for his work on this bill, and I thank Mr. Steube for his partnership.

I represent communities in northern California that have been on the front lines of catastrophic wildfires for years. I sat with families who have watched their homes burn to the ground. I spoke with small business owners who lost not just their storefronts but their entire livelihoods. I met with farmers and growers who saw generations of work wiped out in a matter of hours.

After all of that, after the fire trucks leave, after the smoke clears, after the cameras are gone, those families are left to navigate through the aftermath.

They are dealing with insurance claims. They are trying to find temporary housing. They are figuring out how to rebuild their lives.

Then they run into the tax code.

In northern California, my constituents had to fight tooth and nail just to get basic, commonsense tax relief. Think about that.

Congressman LaMalfa and I had to fight to pass this relief, and we worked to mobilize victims to speak out and demand that that tax relief be forthcoming.

People who lost everything should not have to come to Washington, D.C., to fight for relief. We should not be asking disaster victims to lobby Congress in the middle of recovery. We should not be telling families that the help they receive to build their homes might come with a tax bill attached. We should not be forcing communities into uncertainty every single time disaster strikes.

This legislation ensures that when Americans receive disaster relief they are not penalized by paying tax on that relief.

This is not just about the past. It is about what is happening right now.

In Los Angeles, across southern California, in Hawaii, and in Colorado, families reeling from devastating fires are being forced to navigate the same uncertainty those in my district faced. They should not have to come back to Congress and ask for relief that we already know is necessary.

Disaster relief should not depend on your ability to navigate Congress. It should be automatic. It should be fair, and it should be there when you need it.

This bill is a step toward that goal. It reflects what we have learned from northern California. It reflects the realities facing communities in Los Angeles, Hawaii, and Colorado. This legislation is a great first step, and we should now work to make this relief permanent going forward.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. THOMPSON of California. Tokuda). She has seen devastating wildfire that impacted her district and her constituents, and she has done great work to bring relief to them.

Mr. Speaker, this bill is about basic fairness. When Americans lose their homes to wildfires or other disasters, the last thing they should face is a tax bill on the help they received to rebuild that home.

My constituents in northern California had to fight for that relief. Families in Los Angeles should not have to do the same, nor should they in Colorado, Hawaii, or anyplace else.

Let's pass this bill today and then do the work to make these protections permanent so no disaster victim has to come back to Congress for relief ever again.

Mr. Speaker, this legislation is rightfully named after our former colleague and friend, Doug LaMalfa, who worked hard to protect his fire victims. We should pass this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I urge everyone to vote ``yes,'' and I yield back the balance of my time.

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