Senate Passes Blessing Bill Protecting East Palestine Disaster Relief for Residents

COLUMBUS—Today the Ohio Senate passed critical legislation protecting disaster relief payments to the people recovering from the East Palestine train derailment. Senate Bill 9, sponsored by Senator Louis Blessing III, exempts those payments from state income taxes.

"Without this important tax conformity bill the federal disaster assistance would be subject to income taxes," said Senator Blessing. "Unintended consequences of not changing the tax law would be harmful and unfair to the brave people living there. It's simply the right thing to do."

The dangerous train derailment in East Palestine happened a little over two years ago and led to the Senate's Select Committee on Rail Safety passing new safety standards to commercial trains.