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H.R. 4172: Give A HAND Act

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H.R. 4172: Give A HAND Act

115th Congress · introduced 2017-10-31 · Taxation · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2017-10-31 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. Neal, Richard E. [D-MA-1] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Give A HAND Act

Plain summary

Give Assistance and Help to Americans impacted by Natural Disasters Act or the Give A HAND Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow various tax credits, deductions, and modifications to existing rules in areas impacted by disasters. With respect to areas in which a federally declared disaster occurred, the bill allows: expensing of disaster expenses, increased charitable contribution limits and mileage rates, modifications to rules regarding deductions for losses, waivers of certain mortgage revenue bond requirements, increased expensing and bonus depreciation, an increased new markets tax credit allocation, penalty-free distributions from retirement plans, an additional exemption for providing housing to displaced individuals, an exclusion for cancellations of indebtedness, the use of the previous year's income for calculating the earned income tax credit and the child tax credit, an increased rehabilitation credit for buildings, additional advance refundings of certain tax-exempt bonds, disaster area recovery bonds, additional low-income housing credit allocations, an exclusion for disaster mitigation payments received from state and local governments, a deduction for payments to a tax-exempt natural disaster fund, a credit for a portion of the wages paid to employees, an exclusion for employer-provided housing, an enhanced deduction for medical expenses, and extensions for tax and Medicare filing deadlines. The bill also modifies several deductions, credits, and other tax provisions that affect Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Give A HAND Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

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Arguments against (opponents)

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Neal, Richard E. [D-MA-1] · 21 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Mike Thompson (D-CA), John B. Larson (D-CT), Danny K. Davis (D-IL), Linda T. Sánchez (D-CA), Terri A. Sewell (D-AL), Suzan K. DelBene (D-WA), Judy Chu (D-CA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Dwight Evans (D-PA), Frederica S. Wilson (D-FL), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Stacey E. Plaskett (D-VI), Julia Brownley (D-CA)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Neal, Richard E. [D-MA-1] reported raising $3.1 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (4)
Bill
A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Bond
A way to borrow money. A government sells bonds to raise money now and promises to pay it back with interest over time. Bonds repaid from taxes often need voter approval.
Exemption
A rule that removes certain people, property or activities from a tax or requirement.
Rulemaking
The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong115-hr4172 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115