Hurricane Katrina Tax Relief Act of 2005
Latest action. Ordered placed on Senate legislative calendarThe list of measures reported out of committee and eligible for floor action. Being on the calendar is not a promise of a vote.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) under General Orders. Calendar No. 212.
Hurricane Katrina Tax Relief Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide tax relief to Hurricane Katrina victims, including by: (1) permitting penalty-free withdrawals from tax-exempt retirement accounts for disaster relief; (2) allowing certain tax credits for employers and employees affected by Hurricane Katrina; (3) increasing, between August 28 and December 31, 2005, the limitation on individual and corporate charitable cash contributions; (4) permitting tax-free distributions from individual retirement accounts for charitable purposes relating to Hurricane Katrina disaster relief; (5) allowing individuals (in addition to corporations) to claim a tax deduction for charitable contributions of food inventories; (6) allowing an additional personal tax exemption for the housing of individuals displaced by Hurricane Katrina; (7) increasing the standard mileage rate for the tax deduction for charitable usage of a passenger automobiles; (8) excluding from gross income cancellation of certain indebtedness owned by Hurricane Katrina victims; (9) suspending limitations on casualty losses incurred by Hurricane Katrina victims; and (10) authorizing the Secretary of the Treasury to disclose to state officials information concerning the tax status of certain charitable organizations.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on September 13, 2005. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on September 15, 2005: Ordered placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 212.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 109th Congress (2005-06), 482 of the 10,701 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.5 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Charles Grassley (R-IA) introduced it on September 13, 2005, and 7 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 2 Democrats, 5 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on September 13, 2005, 7667 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 7665 days ago, on September 15, 2005.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 109th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2007 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers