LEFT: Congressman Ronny Jackson/Photo by U.S. House of Representatives; RIGHT: Senator Ted Cruz/Photo by U.S. Senate
Congressman Ronny Jackson (R-Amarillo) and Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) have announced they will be introducing a bill to grant tax relief to victims of recent wildfires in the Texas Panhandle.
The bill, titled the “‘Wildfire Victim Tax 5 Relief and Recovery Act” would classify payments to victims by government or Xcel Ener as qualified disaster relief payments. The bill would apply to victims of the Smokehouse Creek Fire, the Windy Deuce Fire, the Grape Vine Creek Fire, the 687 Reamer Fire, and the Roughneck Fire.
Congressman Ronny Jackson and Senator Ted Cruz provided the following comments to The Amarillo Pioneer:
Congressman Jackson:
While the flames that swept the Texas Panhandle earlier this year may finally be extinguished, the destruction caused by this historic disaster will remain for years to come. I am committed to making sure the farmers, ranchers, and communities affected by these wildfires have every resource possible to help in their recovery, including making common sense changes to the tax code to allow individuals with losses from the wildfires to focus on rebuilding their lives without worrying about the tax implications of relief they may have received. I am proud to lead this legislation to ensure that any assistance received by affected individuals due to this devastating disaster is used to rebuild homes and livelihoods, not to pay Uncle Sam.”
Senator Cruz:
“I am proud to work alongside Rep. Jackson to introduce common-sense tax relief measures to help communities in the Texas Panhandle recover from the historic wildfires earlier this year. This disaster destroyed livelihoods, homes, and over a million acres of land across the Panhandle. Our legislation ensures Texans devastated by the wildfires receive needed tax relief to help recovery efforts.”
The House and Senate versions were both introduced on Thursday. The House Bill, H.R.9155, was referred to the Ways and Means Committee, while the Senate Bill, S.4806, was referred to the Committee on Finance.
The full bill can be downloaded at this link.