WASHINGTON — Yesterday, Congressman Ronny Jackson (TX-13) and Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) reintroduced the Wildfire Victim Tax Relief and Recovery Act. This legislation would exempt any income individuals received for fire relief from their overall tax burden, ensuring individuals and agricultural producers can focus on recovering from the wildfires that ravaged the Texas Panhandle last year. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) championed a companion bill in the U.S. Senate.

“The historic wildfires that tore through the Texas Panhandle last year have left a lasting mark on all the ranchers, families, and communities involved,” said Rep. Ronny Jackson. “I’m honored to reintroduce this critical legislation and am committed to making sure those hit hardest by this catastrophic disaster can use the assistance they’ve received to rebuild their farms, ranches, and livelihoods, not pay the federal government.”

“Last year, historic wildfires destroyed the Panhandle, taking the homes and livelihoods of thousands of Texans,” said Sen. Ted Cruz. “This bill will deliver much needed tax relief to support these communities in their ongoing recovery efforts. I urge my colleagues to pass this bill without delay.”

Kent Bacus, Executive Director, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association said: “The Texas Panhandle wildfires have highlighted the need to fix our tax code to provide much needed relief to cattle producers. The Wildfire Victim Tax Relief and Recovery Act, introduced in the House and Senate, would allow taxpayers to exclude from gross income any disaster relief payments received from federally declared wildfires in Texas. This legislation will bring much-needed relief to the multitude of cattle producers and rural communities who have been negatively impacted by recent wildfires in Texas. NCBA thanks Senator Ted Cruz and Congressman Ronny Jackson for leading this measure and calls for swift congressional passage.”

Carl Ray Polk, Jr., Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, President said: “As we continue to refine our approach to wildfire prevention, mitigation, and response, we need legislation that is impactful. Rep. Jackson and Sen. Cruz have done just that by offering practical solutions to a very real problem for ranchers and landowners.”

Ben Weinheimer, President & CEO, Texas Cattle Feeders Association said: “Texas Cattle Feeders Association supports this bill and thanks Congressman Jackson and Sen. Cruz for their continuous efforts to assist those impacted by the Texas Panhandle wildfires. This bill is a commonsense approach to preventing what could become the tax disaster resulting from the wildfire disaster. Settlement payments and disaster assistance, like most insurance, should not be considered income. Neither should a literal ‘fire sale’ of cattle, because the producer’s pasture was destroyed, be subject to capital gains.”

Russell Boening, President, Texas Farm Bureau said: “Texas Farm Bureau thanks Sen. Ted Cruz and Congressman Ronny Jackson for continuing their work in Congress to help panhandle wildfire victims in their recovery efforts. Providing flexibility in the U.S. tax code to maximize federal disaster assistance will tremendously help the many farm and ranch families impacted by the catastrophic wildfires. TFB appreciates Sen. Cruz and Congressman Jackson for their steadfast support and looks forward to working in Congress to enact this commonsense legislation.”

The bill text can be found here.

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