U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack introduced the Federal Disaster Responsibility Act on Sept. 5. She said the bill, which fully funds the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Disaster Relief Fund (DRF), ensures that block grants are secured for Florida’s growers, among other things. The grants would make sure growers get the necessary tax breaks from hurricane losses they suffered. The bill would also ensure that damaged military bases are rebuilt and restored.
U.S. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida introduced the Senate companion bill with the same name after touring Hurricane Idalia damage with Cammack in Levy County’s coastal Cedar Key community.
“My Florida colleagues and I are committed to ensuring federal resources are available to everyone affected, which includes shoring up the FEMA DRF, which does not have the funds necessary to help with Idalia recovery and other national natural disasters,” Cammack said.
Provisions in the Federal Disaster Responsibility Act include:
- Pass an enhanced version of the Disaster Relief Fund Replenishment Act and fully fund the immediate needs of FEMA’s DRF with at least $16.5 billion to ensure the federal government can uphold its obligation to quickly deploy emergency funding and resources to communities and Americans impacted by natural disasters.
- Ensure final passage of the bipartisan Block Grant Assistance Act, which provides needed authority for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to issue block grants to Florida’s citrus growers and all U.S. agriculture producers devastated by natural disasters in 2022.
- Secure final passage of the Hurricane Tax Relief Act, which takes care of Americans impacted by disasters by providing disaster-loss tax relief to families who have been impacted by qualified disasters for purposes of enhanced disaster casualty loss tax relief. This bill modifies the deduction for personal casualty losses in the hurricane disaster areas, waiving the requirements for impacted taxpayers to itemize deductions and to have losses that exceed 10% of adjusted gross income. Congress previously extended this tax relief for hurricanes Irma, Wilma, Dorian and Michael, among others.
- Commit necessary funds and resources to Florida’s military installations to fully rebuild and recover from hurricane damage.
Source: U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack