HR 426
Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act
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Bill overview
The Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act aims to expand disaster housing assistance for individuals and families affected by major disasters. It lowers the threshold for eligibility, requiring only ‘damaged’ properties instead of ‘uninhabitable’ ones, and allows FEMA to provide permanent housing construction if it’s deemed a cost-effective alternative to temporary solutions. The bill also directs FEMA to consider evidence of ‘constructive ownership’ when determining eligibility, potentially assisting those without formal property titles.
Key provisions
- Lowers the damage threshold for IHP housing assistance to ‘damaged’ instead of ‘uninhabitable’ by a major disaster.
- Authorizes FEMA to provide permanent housing construction as a cost-effective alternative to temporary housing.
- Requires FEMA to consider evidence of ‘constructive ownership’ when determining eligibility for assistance.
- Allows for a declarative statement to be submitted if evidence of constructive ownership is insufficient.
- Specifies a list of documentation that FEMA can consider when evaluating claims of constructive ownership.
- Amends the Stafford Disaster Relief Act to clarify the criteria for determining when permanent housing assistance is appropriate.
- Extends the timeframe for pilot programs related to disaster housing assistance.
- Limits the applicability of the amendments to applications received and funds appropriated after the bill’s enactment.
Who is affected
- Individuals and families affected by major disasters
Sponsors
Official sponsors from legislative records.
Primary sponsor
Cosponsors
Pablo Jose [D-PR-At Large] Rescom. Hernández
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119th CONGRESS — 1st Session
H. R. 426
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
A BILL
To make available necessary disaster assistance for families affected by major disasters, and for other purposes.
This Act may be cited as the Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act
.
In this Act:
The term FEMA
means the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The term Administrator
means the Administrator of FEMA.
The deed or title for the applicable property.
A mortgage payment booklet or another mortgage document.
Property title of mobile home certificate of title.
A real estate property tax receipt.
A will and testament with the name and address of the individual that conveys the individual is the owner.
In a State that does not require a will and testament for the transfer of immovable property, a death certificate and birth certificate that establishes an automatic transfer of legal ownership.
Home Purchase Contracts, including, but not limited to, Bill of Sale, Bond for Title, Land Installment Contracts.
Receipts of major repairs or maintenance dated within five years prior to the disaster.
Court Documents.
Letter prepared after the disaster from a mobile home park owner or manager or public office that meets FEMA requirements.
Notice of Federal benefits.
Student loan documentation.
Any other documentation, certification, identification, or proof of occupancy or ownership not included on this list that can reasonably link the individual requesting assistance to the applicable property, as determined by the President.
Where evidence of constructive ownership is not sufficient, the Administrator may require the individual or household to provide a declarative statement, signed under penalty of perjury, that describes why the individual or household is the constructive owner of the property.
The Administrator may not require notarization of a declarative statement submitted under this paragraph.
In this section, the term constructive ownership
means that an individual’s or household’s residence is owner-occupied, as determined by the Administrator, the purposes of section 408 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174).
This section shall apply to funds appropriated on or after the date of enactment of this Act.
Section 408(b)(1) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174(b)(1)) is amended—
by striking rendered uninhabitable
and inserting damaged by a major disaster
; and
by striking uninhabitable, as a result of damage caused by a major disaster
and inserting damaged by a major disaster
.
Section 408(c)(4) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174) is amended by striking in cases in which
and all that follows through the end of the paragraph and inserting if the President determines such assistance is a cost effective alternative to other housing solutions, including the costs associated with temporary housing provided under this section.
.
Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this paragraph, the Administratorand inserting
The Administrator; and
in clause (iii)—
by striking 2 years after the date of enactment of this paragraph or
; and
, whichever occurs sooner.
This section and the amendments made by this section shall only apply to—
amounts appropriated on or after the date of enactment of this Act.
The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined by reference to the latest statement titled Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation
for this Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.