Deborah Koff Ross: “I thank the chairman for his leadership. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Disaster Tax Relief and Airport and…”

“I thank the chairman for his leadership. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Disaster Tax Relief and Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2017, and I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this desperately needed legislation. Included in this bill are two provisions that are particularly important to my constituents in central Florida. One is tax relief for families and small businesses recovering from the destruction of Hurricanes Harvey, Maria, and Irma. The other is language taken from my legislation, the Private Flood Insurance Market Development Act, which will allow private sector insurers to compete with the National Flood Insurance Program. The catastrophic impact of the three major hurricanes is heartbreaking and tragic. However, it has been inspiring to witness the outpouring of charity and goodwill from our communities in response. Now it is time for this Congress to rise to the occasion. The tax relief for disaster victims in this legislation is a great first step. This bill will help individuals in the disaster areas keep their jobs, support retirement savers paying for recovery, encourage charitable contributions to help victims, and put more money in the pockets of families trying to get their lives back on track after having lost everything. To deny our constituents this relief because it is not enough is simply irresponsible. To be sure, I agree that more aid will likely be needed. But is that really a good excuse to do nothing?…”