Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda (HI-02) joined Representatives Mike Thompson (D-CA), Greg Steube (R-FL), and 76 other House members in sending a letter to Senate leadership urging them to promptly bring the bipartisan Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2023 (H.R. 5863) to the floor for a vote.
Cosponsored by Rep. Tokuda, the bill would exempt wildfire disaster relief payments received between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2025, from taxable income. In May 2024, the House passed the bill, which also includes language from Rep. Tokuda’s Natural Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2023 to make it easier for Maui fire victims to deduct disaster-related losses by eliminating the minimum 10 percent loss threshold and the requirement to itemize deductions to receive this tax benefit.
“As we pass the one-year anniversary of the devastating Maui wildfires, too many members of our community continue to struggle with the costs of recovery. This bill will ensure that the payments and money meant to help disaster victims stay in their pockets and provide financial support for what we know will be a long recovery. I urge the Senate to quickly act on this important legislation.” said Rep. Tokuda.
Rep. Tokuda has given remarks on the House floor in favor of the bill’s passage and continues her advocacy to pass tax relief for disaster survivors.
This letter follows the recent failure by the Senate to pass the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024, which also included parts of Rep. Tokuda’s disaster tax relief bill passed the House floor in January.
The letter to Senate leadership can be viewed here.
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