I am requesting our Congressman, Doug LaMalfa make the passage of HR176, the bill he authored to grant tax relief for fire survivors’ settlements, his highest priority. I further implore him to exert his leadership and political influence within his party and the California delegation to get this law passed.
During the devastating wildfires in New Mexico caused by USFS controlled burns, Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM) authored the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Assistance Act On May 11, 2022, while the fires raged from April to August, 2022. This act forced FEMA to make claims as straightforward as possible and within one month, design and implement a system to fully compensate those who suffered losses. She had co-sponsorship and support from the entire New Mexico delegation and the law granted $2.5 billion tax free to victims and passed in five months.
After delays, Representative LaMalfa co-authored and introduced HR176 on January 10, 2023, four years after the Camp Fire and three years after the FVT was funded. I checked Representative LaMalfa’s tweets, Facebook, and web site to get an update on the bill and found nothing except various bills supporting farming and gender issues and political bashing of various Democrats. He did mention good news for tree nut farmers in that “after suffering much hardship over the past four years” tariff reductions will allow expansion and USDA is buying $90 million in walnuts.
Let’s hope that someday the thousands of fire victims get good news. They too have suffered much hardship.
— Paul Arnold, Chico
