Press Releases

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT… Sen. Rick Scott Continues to Fight for Disaster Relief for Florida, Puerto Rico & States Affected by Recent Hurricanes

October 30, 2024

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In case you missed it, Senator Rick Scott is continuing his push to provide disaster relief, including immediate passage of his Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act to provide disaster-loss tax relief for communities in Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, Puerto Rico and more across the nation that have been affected by disasters, including Hurricanes Helene, Debby, and Milton this year, and Hurricanes Ian, Nicole, Fiona and Idalia in recent years that are still waiting for much-needed relief from the federal government. This legislation overwhelmingly passed the House earlier this year, but has been stalled by Democrats in the Senate despite similar tax relief packages passing under previous congresses and administrations with overwhelming bipartisan support.

 

Senator Rick Scott said, “As I travel the state and talk to Floridians impacted by hurricanes this year and in years past, one thing is abundantly clear: they are sick and tired of their federal government playing politics as they wait for relief and resources they’ve needed for MONTHS and YEARS. That’s obviously the case with Democrats’ continued stalling of my Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act. My colleague, Congressman Steube, led the passage of this bill in the House with massive support from both sides of the aisle, just like we’ve done with storms under prior administrations. I’ve been fighting to get this done for nearly two years, while Democrats refuse to take action and families wait. That’s why I’m calling on Schumer to bring the Senate back ASAP to pass needed disaster funding for FEMA, SBA and the USDA and approve common sense relief like my Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act and my bill to replenish FEMA with Senator Rubio, and I’ve reiterated this call to the president multiple times. Families in Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, Puerto Rico and across the nation shouldn’t be punished in Chuck Schumer’s political games.”

 

In addition to passage of his Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act, the Senator continues to call for Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to bring Congress back into session to fully fund disaster relief as soon as communities have completed expedited assessments of damage and their needs from the federal government and has called for the USDA to make assistance available immediately in the form of state block grants to expedite support for Florida’s farmers and agricultural producers as they recover from the destructive impacts of the storms. Senator Scott has also joined Senator Marco Rubio to introduce critical legislation that will add $20 billion for FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund to ensure FEMA has needed resources to address communities immediate needs and fulfill obligations from prior storms in Florida and across the nation.

 

This week, Senator Scott also joined Senators Thom Tillis, Ted Budd, Tim Scott and Bill Cassidy, M.D. to announce new legislation that would replenish the Small Business Administration (SBA) Disaster Loan Program. The Restoring an Economic Lifeline with Immediate Emergency Funding (Relief) Act would appropriate $550 million to fund the SBA Disaster Loan Program Account, which would provide $2.475 billion in lending capacity projected to last until the end of 2024.

 

Senator Scott is also leading important legislation to bring costs down for families, including his legislation that provides a non-refundable tax break to families who purchase flood insurance coverage and a bill that provides a $10,000 tax break for property insurance premiums. Senator Scott also recently announced his READY Account Act to help folks save for home mitigation and disaster response costs in tax-free accounts. 

 

See more on the Senator’s efforts to bring much-needed disaster relief to impacted communities below:

 

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