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Regular Session, 2014 ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 149
BY SENATOR MORRELL
A RESOLUTION
To urge and request the disaster recovery unit within the division of administration's office
of community development (OCD/DRU) through the United States Department of
Housing and Urban Affairs (HUD) and the governor's office of homeland security
and emergency preparedness (GOHSEP) through the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) to seek federal remedies to certain situations which
occurred as a result of certain hurricanes.
WHEREAS, Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) disaster recovery funds
were authorized by Congress under supplemental appropriation laws, which authorized
HUD's secretary to modify various statutes and regulations that could impede the prompt
implementation of disaster relief programs, and provided that on request from the states
receiving disaster recovery CDBG funds, the secretary could waive certain provisions to
allow immediate response; and
WHEREAS, through the Road Home Elevation Incentive award, OCD/DRU offered
an eligible applicant a CDBG disaster-funded grant of up to $30,000 in return for a binding
incentive agreement to elevate and reoccupy the home the owner lived in at the time of the
hurricanes and to use it as the owner's primary residence within three years of signing the
grant agreement; and
WHEREAS, in addition to the CDBG disaster recovery funds for the Road Home
Elevation Incentive program, the state was approved to receive supplemental funding for
elevation activities through FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program; and
WHEREAS, the state provided up to $100,000 in program funds (based on actual
construction costs) to eligible homeowners to elevate their homes to comply with, at a
minimum, the required FEMA elevation height for the area; and
WHEREAS, Louisiana's Road Home program was designed using a CDBG
compensation model rather than a housing rehabilitation model; and SR NO. 149 ENROLLED
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WHEREAS, the compensation model provides eligible homeowners with a grant for
uncompensated property losses to their damaged address rather than tying funding to a
specific construction related activity; and
WHEREAS, the disaster recovery unit within the division of administration's office
of community development is aware that some homeowners who have reached their three
year compliance period have not elevated their homes and believes it is prudent to bring
more applicants into compliance through ongoing file completion, elevation activities, and
working with HUD to approve and implement Action Plan Amendments, reserving grant
recovery for those applicants who cannot achieve compliance through these or other means;
and
WHEREAS, HUD has issued guidelines which stipulate that the state may look at
a homeowner's unmet needs or a change in circumstances when determining how to move
forward with verifying the homeowner's compliance; and
WHEREAS, long-term recovery is a process; however, disaster recovery needs are
calculated at points in time which can result in subsequent changes in circumstance which
can affect need; and
WHEREAS, House Bill 1 of the 2014 Regular Session of the Legislature proposes
two mandates which require the division of administration, office of community
development to submit Action Plan Amendments requesting HUD approval for reallocation
of such monies.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby urge and request the disaster recovery unit within the division of
administration's office of community development through the United States Department of
Housing and Urban Affairs and the governor's office of homeland security and emergency
preparedness through the Federal Emergency Management Agency to seek federal remedies
by requesting Action Plan Amendments and administrative waivers:
(1) To re-classify awards received from elevation incentive funds which were
utilized for home repairs.
(2) To re-evaluate payments which were beyond the homeowners's control.
(3) To support greater flexibility in documentation, such as notarized affidavits to SR NO. 149 ENROLLED
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verify circumstances and work done to repair homes.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
executive director of the office of community development and to the director of the
governor's office of homeland security and emergency preparedness.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE