SE Kentucky News

WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Rep. Harold "Hal" Rogers (KY-05) voted for the bipartisan Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act to provide tax relief for flood survivors impacted by federally declared disasters since February 2021. The House bill would allow survivors of those storms to claim a deduction for losses exceeding $500, in addition to the standard deduction.

"As families continue to rebuild and recover from the floods that ripped through our region in recent years, they need every break they can get," said Congressman Rogers, Dean of the House. "The costs of flood damage in Eastern Kentucky have been overwhelming, and many of those losses have been irreplaceable. This bill will help relieve some of the financial burden that folks have suffered and eliminate unnecessary challenges on their tax forms."

Several Eastern Kentucky counties were included in the federally declared disaster designations after the floods in May 2021 and July 2022, suffering back-to-back losses that will be impacted by this legislation.

The bill eliminates the 10% threshold of adjusted gross income losses to qualify for a deduction, extending tax relief to more people. The bill passed the House and now moves on to the Senate for consideration.