BILL SPEEDS UP TAX CREDIT FOR TYPHOON HAIYAN AID

President Barack Obama signed a bill Tuesday that allows taxpayers to get expedited tax credit for donations made to the Philippines typhoon recovery effort, Rep. Mike Thompson's office said.

The bill, initially co-sponsored by Thompson, D-St. Helena, and three other congressmen, allows taxpayers to claim a charitable deduction on their 2013 tax returns for donations made by April 15.

Taxpayers usually must wait until the following year to claim any deduction for charitable donations.

The House, known for partisan gridlock, unanimously approved the bill on a voice vote Monday and sent it to the president's desk with the tax filing deadline three weeks away.

"A lot of people in our communities have family and friends who were impacted by the typhoon," Thompson said in a written statement. "Passing this bill will help make sure aid keeps coming during these early stages of a long-term rebuilding effort."

Thompson and Reps. Eric Swalwell, D-Dublin; Darrell Issa, R-Vista; and Joe Heck, R-Nev., were lead co-sponsors of the Philippines Charitable Giving Assistance Act, which ultimately gained 34 co-sponsors.

The United States has provided $87.7 million in relief funding to the Philippines, devastated by Typhoon Haiyan on Nov. 8. Other governments have pledged an additional $573 million.

More than 4 million people were displaced and 16 million affected by the typhoon, which killed 6,201 people.

The American Red Cross has received $76 million in donations for Philippines typhoon relief, including $250,000 from the organization's California Northwest Region with offices in Santa Rosa, Napa and Eureka.

Red Cross had spent or committed $28 million through Jan. 27.

Catholic Relief Services has spent $8.4 million, with $600,000 donated by the Diocese of Metuchen, N.J.

Thompson backed the bill because residents of his district, which includes Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Cotati and Sonoma Valley, have relatives in the Philippines, said Austin Vevurka, a Thompson aide.

Thompson also considers the Philippines "one of our closest allies" and believes that "when tragedy like this strikes, Americans don't sit on the sidelines, we help," Vevurka said.

There was an immediate outpouring of donations and other assistance following Typhoon Haiyan in November, Thompson said, noting that the nation's lengthy rebuilding "means contributions are still needed now and in the months ahead."

To get the charitable deduction this year, taxpayers must make a donation by April 15.

The Internal Revenue Service said it had received more than 75 million individual tax returns as of March 14, amounting to more than half of the 149 million returns it expects this year.

You can reach Staff Writer

Guy Kovner at 521-5457 or guy.kovner@pressdemocrat.com.