Pete Domenici: “this is a simple bill that stands for the proposition that when the Federal Government burns your house down it is not a…”

“this is a simple bill that stands for the proposition that when the Federal Government burns your house down it is not a taxable event. I can't believe any member of this chamber would argue that the Federal Government is so hard up for revenue that it would try to tax the very payment that it makes to someone whose home, business, and community it burned down. Let me summarize the events: The Park Service decided to start a fire--a so-called ``controlled burn.'' The Park Service didn't follow its own guidelines regarding when it is safe to conduct a controlled burn. They lit a fire when the rules were clear that they shouldn't. The fire raged out of control and burned 48,000 acres. It burned down hundreds of homes, and businesses. No dispute that this fire should never have been set. Congress passed a bill to compensate the victims for their losses. When Congress passed the Cerro Grande Fire Assistance Act we were assured that the FEMA payments to the victims of the Cerro Grande Fire would not be taxed under current law. Well, apparently there are some in the IRS who now have a different view.”