NW Tennessee News

The House Committee on Ways and Means has unanimously approved a bill aimed at providing tax relief to individuals affected by natural disasters. The legislation, known as H.R. 517, the Filing Relief for Natural Disasters Act, was introduced by Representatives David Kustoff (R-TN) and Judy Chu (D-CA).

Congressman Kustoff expressed the necessity of the bill by stating, "My district, which is West Tennessee, has been hit by a number of natural disasters over the years – ranging from tornados to most recently major flooding . . . Anyone who has toured a disaster area, spoken to victims, or watched the damage from television or social media should know: Recovering and rebuilding is not easy, and it doesn’t happen overnight. For impacted Americans, families, and communities – it is critical they have timely access to the support, the resources, and the relief they need to begin the recovery process and start getting their lives back on track."

He added that he introduced the act with Rep. Chu because "this legislation makes two straightforward, commonsense reforms to the Internal Revenue Code that will ensure disaster victims are able to receive timely relief."

Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO) also supported the measure: “The last thing survivors of natural disasters should have to worry about is missing a tax deadline while they’re piecing their lives back together. Representative Kustoff’s legislation will allow the IRS the option to postpone federal tax deadlines for those impacted by state-declared disasters. I want to thank Representative Kustoff for his leadership in fighting for the folks in Tennessee and taxpayers across the country to give them this much-needed flexibility."

Currently, tax filing deadline extensions apply only when disasters are federally declared. This new bill would enable similar extensions at the state level when governors declare emergencies. Additionally, it proposes extending mandatory deadline postponements from 60 days to 120 days following federally-declared disasters.