December 6, 2024 11:00 a.m. 

On Thursday, State Representative Christine Goodwin praised the U.S. Senate passage of the Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act.

A release from the Oregon House Republican Caucus said Goodwin called the act, landmark legislation that builds upon her pioneering efforts in the Oregon State Legislature to protect disaster survivors from burdensome taxation.

Goodwin said, “Today marks a victory for common-sense governance and fiscal responsibility”. Goodwin said, “When I first wrote Oregon’s framework for wildfire disaster tax relief, I did so with the belief that government should not profit from the misfortunate of its citizens. It took Representative Jami Cate and I many years to get the bill over the line here in Oregon. I’m happy to see similar efforts happen so swiftly at the Federal level”.

The release said the legislation exempts wildfire relief payments from federal income taxes and streamlines the process for claiming disaster-related losses. Most significantly, it allows affected taxpayers to reclaim taxes paid on wildfire settlements that have been made since 2020, representing an estimated $512 million that will be returned to the rightful hands of disaster survivors.

House Republican Leader Christine Drazan said, “This is how conservative governance works”. Drazan said, “Removing bureaucratic barriers, preventing government overreach, and ensuring that hardworking Americans keep more of their own money when they need it most. When disaster strikes, victims shouldn’t face a second catastrophe from the IRS”.