Date: 2010-03-10
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of H.R. 4783a bill that will accelerate the income tax benefits for charitable cash contributions for the relief of victims of the earthquake in Chile. As you know. on Saturday. February 27. 2010. a massive. 8.8 magnitude earthquake. one of the largest ever recorded. struck off of the coast of Chile. An estimated 2.000.000 people. including upwards of 1.500.000 displaced persons. have been directly affected by the earthquake. the tsunami. and its aftermath. As the casualties continue to grow. there is a great deal of extensive damage to highways. bridges. apartments. and infrastructure. have led the government of Chile to declare a state of catastrophe. Since the initial earthquake. there have been over 100 aftershocks. which include 8 aftershocks registering above a 6.0 magnitude. These aftershocks continue to affect the coast and the rest of the country. According to the United States Geological Survey. Concepcion. Chiles second largest city. was 70 miles from the earthquakes epicenter and suffered some of the worst damage. Thousands of its residents initially remained cutoff from the remainder of the country without any basic necessities. such as running water and electricity. The coastal town of Dichato and its 4.000 residents were among the hardest hit and is 80 percent destroyed. 80 percent of Talcahuanos 180.000 residents living on the Chilean coast were left homeless by the earthquake. Initial estimates of damages range from $15.000.000.000 to $30.000.000.000. and basic necessities across the country. including electricity. clean water access. telephone access. and communication systems continue to be restored on a progressive basis in many zones. Chiles stringent building codes. which one local architect called our proud building standards. as well as the Government of Chiles ability to implement them greatly mitigated the impact of this catastrophic natural event both in terms of casualties and physical damage to the infrastructure of this country. The Government of Chile has taken significant measures to maintain order and public security in the streets in order to prevent more widespread panic and chaos as damage assessments are made and relief is delivered. America is again responding. and will continue to respond with immediate humanitarian assistance to help the people of this struggling nation rebuild their livelihoods. I send my condolences to the people and government of Chile as they grieve once again in the aftermath of a natural disaster. As Chiles neighbor. I believe it is the United States responsibility to help Chile recover. and build the capacity to mitigate against future disasters. Throughout my time in Congress. I have been highly involved in strengthening the relationship between the U.S. and countries abroad. I have worked to establish positive and productive partnerships with local development officials. nonprofit organizations. and various leaders to establish a strong web of support for countries abroad. In collaboration with the Congressional Black Caucus. I have been a continual advocate of providing assistance to various countries to strengthen their fragile democratic processes. continue to improve security. and promote economic development among other concerns such as the protection of human rights. combating narcotics. arms. and human trafficking. addressing migration. and alleviating poverty. Once again. I am devastated by the immeasurable tragedy that occurred in Chile. Along with my colleagues. I hope to visit Chile in the near future to meet with their leaders and see what the United States can do to rebuild the shattered livelihoods. America is responding to the earthquakes in Chile and will continue to respond with immediate humanitarian assistance to help the people of Chile rebuild their livelihoods. I send my condolences to the people and government of Chile as they grieve once again in the aftermath of a natural disaster. As Chiles friend. it is the United States responsibility to help Chile recover. and build the capacity to mitigate against future disasters. Financially. 2009 was not an easy year for many Americans. Although thousands of jobs were created and we are back on the road to economic recovery. Americans lived on tighter budgets than usual. This legislation will allow those Americans who have generously donated money to Chile to receive their tax break this year instead of next year. In January of 2005. Congress enacted this type of relief for individuals that made charitable contributions to victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami that occurred in late December of 2004. That bill (H.R. 241 in the 109th Congress) passed the House of Representatives without objection and subsequently passed the Senate by unanimous consent. Additionally. these same benefits were extended to people who donated to Haiti. I hope that this legislation. like our response to the 2004 tsunami. and Januarys earthquake in Haiti will encourage Americans to contribute more money to Chile. As Haiti starts on its long recovery. every dollar is critically important. Once again. I am proud to represent such a compassionate and generous nation.