Emergency Aircraft Act of 2022

Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of legislation that I introduced today along with Senators Alex Padilla and John Hickenlooper. This is a companion to the bipartisan bill that Representative Mike Thompson has introduced in the House of Representatives.

In 2020, the Fire Victim Trust was established after Pacific Gas & Electric, PG&E, was found legally responsible for major California wildfires in 2015, 2017, and 2018. PG&E contributed about $13 billion to this fund to pay victims of these wildfires to cover losses they suffered.

Unfortunately, the specific situations of each of these victims is different, and it is unclear to many whether they will need to pay Federal income tax on the amounts they receive. Moreover, it is unfair that these victims should have to worry about paying taxes on amounts that are simply intended to make them whole.

In addition, about 30 percent of settlement payouts are devoted to attorney fees, for attorneys whom the victims did not hire. It appears that victims will even owe taxes on the full amount of the settlement, including these attorney fees.

This is a problem now for wildfire victims in California. However, as the frequency and severity of wildfires grows across the Western United States due to climate change, it is more likely that this is a problem that California and other States will face again.

Our legislation would do two things. First, it would clarify that such wildfire settlement fees are not taxable. Second, it would create an above-the-line tax deduction for relevant attorney fees. This would provide tax certainty and fairness to wildfire settlement victims now and into the future.

With the incidence of wildfires rising, this is an important issue for Congress to address now to avoid victims having to worry about paying taxes on settlement payments that are meant to make them whole from devastating losses that many of them have suffered.

I hope my colleagues will join me in support of this bill.

Mr. President, I am pleased to introduce the Western Riverside County National Wildlife Refuge Act, along with my California colleague, Senator Alex Padilla.

As our country's population grows, so does the need for infrastructure like housing and highways. However, we must find a way to balance the needs of growth with the preservation of our natural resources, including endangered species habitat and green space for the health and safety of our communities.

Senator Padilla and I are proud this legislation would accomplish those goals by creating a Federal wildlife refuge in western Riverside County as part of a collaborative land management plan created by Riverside County.

The newly created wildlife refuge would provide expanded recreation, conservation, and educational opportunities for the local community-- one of the fastest growing in the Nation.

This legislation builds off Riverside County's multiple species habitat conservation plan, allowing land that has already been acquired by the Western Riverside County Regional Conservation Authority to be included in the new Federal wildlife refuge this bill would create.

Our bill would establish a new unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System--the Western Riverside County National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge would be comprised of donated lands from Western Riverside County Regional Conservation Authority, as well as any additional lands deemed appropriate by the Interior Department acquired from willing sellers or donors, including Federal, State, or local agencies, Tribes, or private land owners.

This refuge would not only create increased recreation, outdoor access, and educational opportunities in Southern California but also work to protect endangered species in the region like the arroyo toad, the southwestern willow flycatcher, and the quino checkerspot butterfly. These protections would in turn help streamline infrastructure projects and support smart growth and land management planning.

As temperatures continue to rise and California experiences another historic drought and wildfire season, it is more important than ever to ensure that we conserve green spaces. As I stated earlier, Riverside County's population is one of the fastest growing in the country, and it is well documented that human development can have damaging effects on the health of endangered and threatened species. Additionally, overdevelopment results in poor community health and well-being.

That is why smart, collaborative land management planning is our best option on how to move forward with a growing population and economy, while safeguarding the resources that keep our communities and wildlife populations healthy.

This bill would support the conservation of habitat for 146 different species in the region, including 33 species that are listed as threatened or endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The acquisition boundary for the refuge was created in collaboration with the county, environmental groups and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The boundary area expands on local conservation efforts and increase access to green spaces, especially to underserved communities.

The coronavirus pandemic and recent extreme heat waves in our State have served to underscore the importance of ensuring access and preservation of open spaces, especially as our Nation's population grows and its cities expand.

This bill also meets the Biden administration's call to conserve 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030, an initiative known as America the Beautiful. We are proud the creation of this refuge would contribute to that important goal.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation.