SALEM, Ore. – The Oregon senate voted unanimously to pass a bill that would bring much needed relief to wildfire victims across the state.
Senate Bill 1520 proposes a tax exemption for legal settlements related to wildfires that were declared state and federal emergencies after January 1, 2020.
Southern Oregon senator David Brock Smith says this is an important step for the struggles he sees people face in his district.
“I had constituents in my office the week before last talking about how they did get their insurance settlement, which was barely enough,” Sen. Brock Smith said when addressing the legislature about the bill. “They had built their home up past glide over the past 35 years themselves. The insurance dollars that they received was barely enough to buy a house in town.”
The bill is now in the hands of the House Committee on Revenue.
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