Us Congress 2025-2026 Regular Session

Us Congress House Bill HB426 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	I
2	2	119THCONGRESS
3	3	1
4	4	STSESSION H. R. 426
5	5	To make available necessary disaster assistance for families affected by major
6	6	disasters, and for other purposes.
7	7	IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
8	8	JANUARY15, 2025
9	9	Mr. E
10	10	SPAILLAT(for himself and Mrs. KIM) introduced the following bill;
11	11	which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastruc-
12	12	ture, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to
13	13	be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider-
14	14	ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee
15	15	concerned
16	16	A BILL
17	17	To make available necessary disaster assistance for families
18	18	affected by major disasters, and for other purposes.
19	19	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-1
20	20	tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2
21	21	SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3
22	22	This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Housing Survivors of 4
23	23	Major Disasters Act’’. 5
24	24	SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 6
25	25	In this Act: 7
26	26	VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:27 Feb 06, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H426.IH H426
27	27	kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 2
28	28	•HR 426 IH
29	29	(1) FEMA.—The term ‘‘FEMA’’ means the 1
30	30	Federal Emergency Management Agency. 2
31	31	(2) A
32	32	DMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis-3
33	33	trator’’ means the Administrator of FEMA. 4
34	34	SEC. 3. ELIGIBILITY FOR AND USE OF DISASTER ASSIST-5
35	35	ANCE. 6
36	36	(a) E
37	37	VIDENCE.— 7
38	38	(1) C
39	39	ONSIDERATION.—Where an individual or 8
40	40	household does not have documented ownership 9
41	41	rights in their predisaster primary residence, in 10
42	42	making a determination to provide assistance pursu-11
43	43	ant to paragraphs (2) and (3) of section 408(c) of 12
44	44	the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emer-13
45	45	gency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174(c)), the Presi-14
46	46	dent shall consider an individual or household claim 15
47	47	to having constructive ownership where evidence 16
48	48	supports that it is more likely than not the indi-17
49	49	vidual or household has such ownership. 18
50	50	(2) F
51	51	ORMS OF EVIDENCE .—In determining 19
52	52	whether it is more likely than not that an individual 20
53	53	or household has constructive ownership under para-21
54	54	graph (1), the Administrator shall consider all evi-22
55	55	dence provided by an individual or household, includ-23
56	56	ing a digital or physical copy of the following: 24
57	57	VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:27 Feb 06, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H426.IH H426
58	58	kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 3
59	59	•HR 426 IH
60	60	(A) The deed or title for the applicable 1
61	61	property. 2
62	62	(B) A mortgage payment booklet or an-3
63	63	other mortgage document. 4
64	64	(C) Property title of mobile home certifi-5
65	65	cate of title. 6
66	66	(D) A real estate property tax receipt. 7
67	67	(E) A will and testament with the name 8
68	68	and address of the individual that conveys the 9
69	69	individual is the owner. 10
70	70	(F) In a State that does not require a will 11
71	71	and testament for the transfer of immovable 12
72	72	property, a death certificate and birth certifi-13
73	73	cate that establishes an automatic transfer of 14
74	74	legal ownership. 15
75	75	(G) Homeowners insurance documentation. 16
76	76	(H) Home Purchase Contracts, including, 17
77	77	but not limited to, Bill of Sale, Bond for Title, 18
78	78	Land Installment Contracts. 19
79	79	(I) Receipts of major repairs or mainte-20
80	80	nance dated within five years prior to the dis-21
81	81	aster. 22
82	82	(J) Court Documents. 23
83	83	VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:27 Feb 06, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H426.IH H426
84	84	kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 4
85	85	•HR 426 IH
86	86	(K) Letter prepared after the disaster 1
87	87	from a mobile home park owner or manager or 2
88	88	public office that meets FEMA requirements. 3
89	89	(L) Notice of Federal benefits. 4
90	90	(M) Student loan documentation. 5
91	91	(N) Any other documentation, certification, 6
92	92	identification, or proof of occupancy or owner-7
93	93	ship not included on this list that can reason-8
94	94	ably link the individual requesting assistance to 9
95	95	the applicable property, as determined by the 10
96	96	President. 11
97	97	(3) D
98	98	ECLARATIVE STATEMENT .— 12
99	99	(A) I
100	100	N GENERAL.—Where evidence of con-13
101	101	structive ownership is not sufficient, the Admin-14
102	102	istrator may require the individual or household 15
103	103	to provide a declarative statement, signed under 16
104	104	penalty of perjury, that describes why the indi-17
105	105	vidual or household is the constructive owner of 18
106	106	the property. 19
107	107	(B) P
108	108	ROHIBITION OF NOTARIZATION .—The 20
109	109	Administrator may not require notarization of a 21
110	110	declarative statement submitted under this 22
111	111	paragraph. 23
112	112	(b) D
113	113	EFINITION OFCONSTRUCTIVEOWNERSHIP.— 24
114	114	In this section, the term ‘‘constructive ownership’’ means 25
115	115	VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:27 Feb 06, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H426.IH H426
116	116	kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 5
117	117	•HR 426 IH
118	118	that an individual’s or household’s residence is owner-oc-1
119	119	cupied, as determined by the Administrator, the purposes 2
120	120	of section 408 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 3
121	121	and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174). 4
122	122	(c) A
123	123	PPLICABILITY.—This section shall apply to 5
124	124	funds appropriated on or after the date of enactment of 6
125	125	this Act. 7
126	126	SEC. 4. REPAIR AND REBUILDING. 8
127	127	(a) H
128	128	OUSINGASSISTANCE.—Section 408(b)(1) of the 9
129	129	Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assist-10
130	130	ance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174(b)(1)) is amended— 11
131	131	(1) by striking ‘‘rendered uninhabitable’’ and 12
132	132	inserting ‘‘damaged by a major disaster’’; and 13
133	133	(2) by striking ‘‘uninhabitable, as a result of 14
134	134	damage caused by a major disaster’’ and inserting 15
135	135	‘‘damaged by a major disaster’’. 16
136	136	(b) T
137	137	YPES OF HOUSINGASSISTANCE.—Section 17
138	138	408(c)(4) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 18
139	139	Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174) is amended 19
140	140	by striking ‘‘in cases in which’’ and all that follows 20
141	141	through the end of the paragraph and inserting ‘‘if the 21
142	142	President determines such assistance is a cost effective al-22
143	143	ternative to other housing solutions, including the costs 23
144	144	associated with temporary housing provided under this 24
145	145	section.’’. 25
146	146	VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:27 Feb 06, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H426.IH H426
147	147	kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 6
148	148	•HR 426 IH
149	149	(c) PROVISION OFGRANTS ASPILOTPROGRAM.— 1
150	150	Section 408(f)(3)(J) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 2
151	151	Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 3
152	152	5174(f)(3)(J)) is amended— 4
153	153	(1) in clause (ii) by striking ‘‘Not later than 2 5
154	154	years after the date of enactment of this paragraph, 6
155	155	the Administrator’’ and inserting ‘‘The Adminis-7
156	156	trator’’; and 8
157	157	(2) in clause (iii)— 9
158	158	(A) by striking ‘‘2 years after the date of 10
159	159	enactment of this paragraph or’’; and 11
160	160	(B) by striking ‘‘, whichever occurs soon-12
161	161	er’’. 13
162	162	(d) A
163	163	PPLICABILITY.—This section and the amend-14
164	164	ments made by this section shall only apply to— 15
165	165	(1) applications received on or after the date of 16
166	166	enactment of this Act; and 17
167	167	(2) amounts appropriated on or after the date 18
168	168	of enactment of this Act. 19
169	169	SEC. 5. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS. 20
170	170	The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 21
171	171	complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, 22
172	172	shall be determined by reference to the latest statement 23
173	173	titled ‘‘Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation’’ for this 24
174	174	Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record 25
175	175	VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:27 Feb 06, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H426.IH H426
176	176	kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 7
177	177	•HR 426 IH
178	178	by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, pro-1
179	179	vided that such statement has been submitted prior to the 2
180	180	vote on passage. 3
181	181	Æ
182	182	VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:27 Feb 06, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H426.IH H426
183	183	kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB