WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Rick Scott released four proposals to help families in the Bahamas recover and repair following the devastation of Hurricane Dorian. This follows the letter sent yesterday by Senator Scott and Senator Marco Rubio urging President Trump to waive or suspend certain visa requirements for Bahamian citizens with relatives residing in the United States.

Senator Rick Scott said, “At times of crisis, we come together. That’s exactly what we’re going to do to help our Bahamian brothers and sisters. I’m working on what we can get done on the federal level right now to help the Bahamas, and I will do everything in my power to help the Bahamas recover and rebuild.”

Senator Scott’s proposals include:

• Change the U.S. Tax Code to Incentivize Charitable Giving

Senator Scott will file a bill to eliminate the cap on deductibility of individual and corporate charitable contributions to organizations doing disaster relief in the wake of Hurricane Dorian. Families and businesses should not have restrictions on how much they can donate to relief efforts.

• Provide Humanitarian Assistance

Senator Scott is thankful for all the work by the U.S. Coast Guard to help with search and rescue and medical evacuations in the Bahamas. Senator Scott is also supporting efforts by NORTHCOM to provide additional humanitarian assistance to the Bahamas.

• Redirect Foreign Aid to the Bahamas

Senator Scott is proposing that the U.S. redirect some foreign aid currently being distributed to our adversaries, including Russia, North Korea, China, Iran, Syria, Cuba and Yemen, to support Bahamian recovery efforts.

• Peace Corps

Senator Scott is calling on the Peace Corps to terminate all activities in China and instead use those resources to support recovery in the Bahamas. All Peace Corps personnel and resources should be transferred from China to the Bahamas by October 1, 2019.

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