Donalds pushing bill to consider Hurricane Ian as a qualified disaster

Reporter: Claire Galt
Published: Updated:
sanibel causeway
The Sanibel Causeway after Hurricane Ian. CREDIT: FDOT

A local Southwest Florida congressman is pushing the House of Representatives to consider a bill that could provide many with more Hurricane Ian relief.

WINK sat down with U.S. Congressman Byron Donalds on Friday, and during the exclusive interview, he said he’s pushing Speaker of the House Mike Johnson to bring the Qualified Disaster bill to a vote on the House floor ​next week.

We are 16 months after the hurricane, and Congress still has not declared Hurricane Ian, the most expensive hurricane in the history of Florida and one of the most deadly storms to hit the Gulf Coast ever, a qualified disaster.

If passed, the bill would directly impact how storm victims prepare their taxes by allowing them to deduct expenses for repairs without the current limits.

The congressman said Ian’s victims have suffered enough.

Donalds said if Speaker Johnson does not take steps to bring the bill to the floor, it will be his top priority when he returns to D.C. Monday morning.

This is not an unusual request: Congress declared and the president signed off on hurricanes Irma, Maria, Harvey and the California wildfires as qualified disasters.

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