Donald J. Cazayoux Jr.

Thank you, Mr. Kind, for your great leadership on this important issue.

I rise in strong support of H.R. 7006, the Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2008. It's a good bill that deserves passage so citizens in disaster ravaged areas across the country have the assurances they need to rebuild their lives.

On Labor Day of this year, Hurricane Gustav tore across the Sixth District of Louisiana, packing winds of up to 90 miles per hour, while downing trees and power lines across the district and destroying and damaging homes and farms and businesses in its wake. It was, as nearly everyone has concurred, the worst storm that has ever hit the Baton Rouge area.

We are now facing the challenge of rebuilding. One problem that has become glaringly apparent is the named storm deductible issue. Instead of paying normal insurance deductibles to rebuild, constituents in Louisiana are now faced with a deductible of up to 5 percent of the value of their homes, sometimes thousands more than they had paid in the past.

This has been one of the most important issues to me after Hurricane Gustav, and we have asked the House to act and provide relief to these homeowners. I am proud to say that the legislation before us today will do that by expanding tax deductions for people who incurred damages during hurricanes such as Gustav and Ike. By waiving the minimum 10 percent adjusted gross income requirement for deducting losses, this will provide homeowners with much needed relief.

We will also continue to push FEMA on this issue that FEMA recognize these losses as covered by its individual disaster assistance programs.

In addition to expanding tax deductions for disaster-related losses, the bill also contains important tax provisions for businesses recovering from disasters across the country, such as extending the net operating loss carry-back period from 3 to 5 years, and allowing businesses to immediately write off certain expenses relating to Federal disasters. It also increases private activity bond financing for States to issue to businesses following a disaster.

Furthermore, it allows States to use their tax-exempt housing bonds to provide loans to repair or reconstruct homes and rental housing units damaged by storms. It also allocates additional low-income housing tax credits for States suffering a loss of affordable housing as a result of a Federal disaster.

This is a solid start to the long-term recovery for regions trying to rebuild. This year should be a wake-up call for everyone around the country, from Florida to Louisiana to Iowa and California, that we cannot avoid natural disasters but we can hope to mitigate their effects.

This bill shows that Congress is committed to helping our citizens recover, and it deserves our support.

Mr. Speaker, this past Labor Day, Hurricane Gustav made landfall in Cocodrie, Louisiana. It packed sustained winds of up to 110 miles per hour and tore across the State, uprooting trees and damaging property along its way.

Many across the country watched as the levees of New Orleans held. Miraculously and thankfully, they held. As the levees held, the media left and did not see the vast destruction left behind in the Baton Rouge area. It was the worst storm to hit the Baton Rouge area in its history. Louisiana has many people to thank for their efforts in helping in this time of great need, the first responders, its parish and local officials, the National Guardsmen and women, and the States who sent their men and women to Louisiana to help in this time of need.

Since then, Hurricane Ike has hit and has reinforced the notion that natural disasters and the damages they inflict cannot be avoided. We can only hope to respond as best as possible to minimize that aftereffects. It is our job as Congressmen and women to aid our fellow citizens in this time of greatest need.

Over the next 2 weeks, I urge my colleagues to ensure that the victims of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike are not left behind and that we continue to improve the Federal Government's, and particularly FEMA's, response to natural disasters.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I would like to thank Congresswoman DeLauro for this thoughtful legislation that is long overdue. It is imperative that hardworking women be fairly compensated and that they are not being shortchanged by longstanding practices. Far too long in this country many American women have suffered pay inequities that have denied them the earnings they deserve. In America, this is unacceptable, and this bill aims to rectify those inequities.

However, as we seek to protect the legal rights of American workers, we must also protect their rights from being abused by those who work here illegally. The amendment I bring to the floor today serves to ensure that nothing in this legislation or in any amendments to this legislation will affect the obligations of employers and employees to comply with immigration laws. That means that anyone found to be in violation of our immigration laws, whether they are employers or employees, will be subject to all fines and penalties imposed by those laws regardless of the protections for all workers, male or female, contained within this Act.

Again, I thank Chairwoman DeLauro as well as Chairman Miller for this meaningful legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and the underlying bill.

I yield back the balance of my time.