Victims of disasters like the California wildfires, with damage shown here, will receive tax breaks thanks to a bill introduced by Rep. Greg Steube and signed into law by President Joe Biden. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
Jan. 15, 2025 by David Silverberg
In an unprecedented feat for Southwest Florida members of Congress, two representatives succeeded in getting laws passed in the last session, a remarkable achievement.
Both pieces of legislation were propelled by the devastation of Hurricane Ian in 2022 and will benefit disaster victims in the future.
Rep. Greg Steube (R-17-Fla.) introduced and then shepherded to passage his Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2023 (House Resolution (HR) 5683).
For the first time Rep. Byron Donalds (R-19-Fla.) moved a legislative proposal all the way to enactment with the FISHES Act (Fishery Improvement to Streamline untimely regulatory Hurdles post Emergency Situation) (HR 5103).
Both bills were passed by the House and Senate and were signed into law; HR 5683 on Dec. 12 and HR 5103 on Jan. 4.
Ironically, both bills were enacted by President Joe Biden, whom both Steube and Donalds repeatedly attacked, denigrated and insulted during the preceding two years.
The Tax Relief Act
Of the two laws, Steube’s has the wider national impact. In the most current disaster situation, it will help victims of the California wildfires.
The bill provides tax relief for victims of disasters. Taxpayers can exclude compensation they receive for disaster losses from their income taxes and specifically losses caused by wildfires. It also extends tax relief to the victims of the East Palestine, Ohio train wreck in 2023.
Steube introduced the bill in October 2023, almost exactly a year after Hurricane Ian. It went through the committee process but after being reported out by the Committee on Ways and Means, which oversees tax measures, it got stuck when Speaker of the House Rep. Mike Johnson (R-4-La.) didn’t advance it to the floor.
To overcome this roadblock, Steube relied on a rarely used procedure called a “discharge petition.” It provides that if a majority of members want legislation advanced it must go forward.
Steube and his staff began the laborious work of rounding up 218 member signatures, a notoriously difficult task in a fractious and partisan House of Representatives. However, the Democratic leadership chose to support it and by May, 189 Democrats and 29 Republicans signed the petition.
“I am grateful for the motivation and support of 217 of my bipartisan colleagues as we join forces to deliver tax relief for Americans all across the country,” Steube stated at the time. “That’s a testament to how important this issue is for ALL of our constituents.”
When the vote was taken on the floor the bill passed overwhelmingly, with a vote of 382 to 7. All seven nay votes were Republican. (Donalds didn’t vote on the measure.)
Following this the Senate took it up and passed it on a voice vote on Dec. 4.
It then went to President Biden, who signed it on Dec. 12.
The FISHES Act
In the 118th Congress Donalds was a prolific introducer of legislation; according to the official record of Congress, he introduced 61 bills, very few of which related to his district, which runs along the coast from Cape Coral to Marco Island.
Of all the bills, only four passed the House, one was voted down and the rest languished in committee, never advancing past their introduction.
However, the FISHES Act made it all the way through the House, Senate and onto the President’s desk.
Another product of Hurricane Ian, the bill is aimed at helping the fishing industry after disasters.
Under current law, after a disaster, funding to help fishing industry applicants has to be approved within 90 days. Once approved, it is up to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to sign off on a spending plan for disbursement within 90 days.
The bill speeds up the approval time to 10 days. If a grant applicant’s plan is incomplete, NOAA must tell the applicant what’s necessary to finish the application and then further tell the applicant when the plan is satisfactorily finished.
The plan can be reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as long as its review doesn’t extend the timeline past 90 days.
The bill was backed by 49 cosponsors, 31 Republicans and 18 Democrats. It was also backed by 107 fishing-related organizations, associations and lobbying groups.
On Dec. 3 it passed the House by a voice vote. In the Senate it was approved by what is called “unanimous consent”—i.e., no one objected.
On Jan. 4, President Joe Biden signed it into law.
One question that will affect its implementation, though, is that Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation master plan for the Trump administration, advocates elimination of NOAA. If in fact NOAA is disestablished, the authority for issuing funds will be called into question as well as implementation of the FISHES Act.
Analysis: District needs and distractions
To date Southwest Florida members of Congress have had a poor legislative record, particularly given the needs of the region.
These successes are rare exceptions.
Both Steube and Donalds are intensely ideological congressmen, pledging total loyalty to Donald Trump and his agenda.
In the past, Steube has largely been notable for introducing firearms-related legislation; i.e., making guns faster and easier to get (and allowing their presence in the US Capitol, pre-Jan. 6, 2021). Donalds is a prolific bill introducer on a wide range of topics unrelated to his district (most notably nuclear power and premium cigars) who has shown next to no interest in follow-up and passage. He largely spent the past two years stumping for Trump around the country.
However, the prevalence of disasters and environmental challenges to the region requiring federal attention clearly forced both to propose practical measures transcending ideology.
Steube’s tax bill in particular is a nationwide measure that will bring considerable relief to victims of natural disasters and it is particularly timely in light of the California wildfires now burning.
It bears repeating that Steube’s success would have been impossible without the support of the entire Democratic caucus and leadership, who put his discharge petition over the goal line—and President Joe Biden, who signed the bill into law.
Donalds’ measure is much narrower in scope and far less impactful to the public at large, just making assistance approvals a bit quicker for fishing industry victims.
Following these successes, both congressmen immediately reverted back to ideological combat.
Steube had another legislative success yesterday, Jan. 14, when the full House passed his Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025 (HR 28) by a largely party line vote of 218 to 206. The bill establishes that in athletics receiving federal funds, “sex shall be recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth”—i.e., it prohibits transgender athletes.
Steube’s other bills in the current Congress include HR 320 to eliminate the “marriage penalty” in certain tax brackets, HR 244 to provide military healthcare to eligible veterans, and HR 321 to expedite airport gate passes for caregivers, guardians and parents boarding airplanes.
Donalds has not introduced any legislation yet this year. In the early days of his past two terms he introduced and then re-introduced the Harmful Algal Bloom Essential Forecasting Act and the Combat Harmful Algal Blooms Act, both of which are of direct relevance to his district. However, he never followed up on either of them.
This year so far, his attention appears focused on preparing a run for the Florida governorship in 2026. (More about this in a future posting.)
This year will be a tumultuous one, given the change of presidential administrations. Steube, Donalds and Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-26-Fla.) will all no doubt be working legislatively and, certainly, rhetorically to advance the Trump agenda both in Southwest Florida and nationally.
The thing for Southwest Floridians to watch as the year unfolds is whether these men can keep any of their attention focused on the real needs of their districts and constituents—without the impact of another hurricane.
Liberty lives in light
© 2025 by David Silverberg
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