Sonny Bono: “after five United States Forest Service fire fighters were killed in the line of duty battling the Esperanza fire to…”

“after five United States Forest Service fire fighters were killed in the line of duty battling the Esperanza fire to protect life and property, a fund was set up to help care for the families of these brave men. Thousands of citizens from across the country donated to this worthy cause. The response was so overwhelming that soon, the County of Riverside found itself with approximately $1 million to distribute to their survivors. The County turned to the Central County United Way in Hemet, CA to help manage these donations. Local officials were surprised to learn soon thereafter that tax-exempt charitable organizations are not allowed to raise money for a group as small and specific as the families of these five American heroes. My colleagues, Chairman Jerry Lewis and Congressman Ken Calvert, and I, along with Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, are trying to remedy this situation. The pain these families have suffered through should not be worsened due to their inability to receive funds that Americans so generously donated.”