Today, Congressman Rudy Yakym (R-IN-02) participated in a Ways and Means Committee markup that advanced five bipartisan tax relief bills out of committee, each addressing a distinct and pressing need for American taxpayers.
“Each of these bills reflects a straightforward principle: the tax code should work for Americans, not against them,” Rep. Yakym said. “Whether it’s a survivor of sexual abuse, a family rebuilding after a disaster, a pre-K teacher spending her own money on her students, or a taxpayer who just wants a straight answer from the IRS, these bills deliver real, tangible relief to real people. I’m proud to support them and urge their swift passage on the House floor.”
Background:
H.R. 2347 Survivor Justice Tax Prevention Act
Current law exempts damages for physical injuries from taxation, but the IRS requires observable bodily harm, leaving many survivors of sexual assault taxed on their settlements. This bill closes that gap by explicitly excluding damages received on account of a sexual act or sexual contact from gross income.
H.R. 5366 Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2025
This bill lets disaster victims deduct qualified losses above a $500-per-casualty threshold without the standard 10-percent-of-AGI floor, and extends through 2030 the income exclusion for wildfire relief payments covering living expenses, lost wages, and personal injury.
H.R. 5334 Supporting Early-Childhood Educators’ Deductions Act of 2025 (SEED Act)
K–12 teachers can deduct up to $350 in classroom expenses, but pre-K educators have always been excluded. The SEED Act extends that same above-the-line deduction to early childhood educators, retroactive to the 2025 tax year.
H.R. 7971 Taxpayer Experience Improvement Act
This bill requires the IRS to post real-time wait times online, give taxpayers individualized return status updates, offer callbacks to anyone on hold more than five minutes, and build an online portal where taxpayers can view and respond to six years of IRS correspondence.
H.R. 7959 IRS Whistleblower Program Improvement Act
This bill strengthens the IRS whistleblower program by upgrading Tax Court review to a de novo standard, protecting whistleblowers’ identities in proceedings, adding interest when the IRS delays award determinations, and ensuring attorneys’ fees are deductible for all award types.
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