I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 6108 

To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 

Act to provide assistance for common interest communities, condominiums, and housing cooperatives damaged by a major disaster, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 26, 2023 

Mr. STEUBE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

A BILL 

To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to provide assistance for common 

interest communities, condominiums, and housing cooperatives damaged by a major disaster, and for other 

purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Clean Up Disasters 

5 and Emergencies with Better Recovery and Immediate 

6 Support Act’’ or the ‘‘Clean Up DEBRIS Act’’. 

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1 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

2 Section 102 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 

3 and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122) is 

4 amended by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(13) RESIDENTIAL COMMON INTEREST COM6 MUNITY.—The term ‘residential common interest 

7 community’ means any mandatory membership orga8 nization comprising owners of real estate described 

9 in a declaration or created pursuant to a covenant 

10 or other applicable law with respect to which a per11 son, by virtue of the person’s ownership of a unit, 

12 is obligated to pay for a share of real estate taxes, 

13 insurance premiums, maintenance, or improvement 

14 of, or services or other expenses related to, common 

15 elements, other units, or any other real estate other 

16 than that unit described in the declaration. 

17 ‘‘(14) CONDOMINIUM.—The term ‘condo18 minium’ means a stand-alone condominium project 

19 in which each dwelling unit is separately owned, in 

20 which the remaining portions of the real estate are 

21 designated for common ownership solely by the own22 ers of the related units, each owner having an undi23 vided interest in the common elements, and which is 

24 represented by an association consisting exclusively 

25 of all the unit owners in the project, which is, or will 

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1 be responsible for the operation, administration, and 

2 management of the project. 

3 ‘‘(15) HOUSING COOPERATIVE.—The term 

4 ‘housing cooperative’ means a multi-unit housing en5 tity, including an association of manufactured 

6 homes, in which each dwelling unit is subject to sep7 arate use and possession by 1 or more cooperative 

8 members whose interest in such unit, and in any un9 divided assets of the cooperative association that are 

10 appurtenant to such unit, is evidenced by a member11 ship or share interest in a cooperative association 

12 and a lease or other document of title or possession 

13 granted by such cooperative as the owner of all coop14 erative property.’’. 

15 SEC. 3. REMOVAL OF DEBRIS RESULTING FROM A MAJOR 

16 DISASTER IN RESIDENTIAL COMMON INTER17 EST COMMUNITIES. 

18 Section 407 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 

19 and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5173) is 

20 amended— 

21 (1) by redesignating subsections (d) and (e) as 

22 subsections (e) and (f); and 

23 (2) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol24 lowing: 

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1 ‘‘(d) RULES RELATING TO RESIDENTIAL COMMON

2 INTEREST COMMUNITIES.— 

3 ‘‘(1) ISSUANCE OF RULES.—The President shall 

4 issue rules which provide that removal of debris or 

5 wreckage from a unit of real estate within a residen6 tial common interest community, condominium enti7 ty, or an entity of a housing cooperative from a 

8 major disaster is in the public interest when a State 

9 or local government determines in writing such de10 bris or wreckage constitutes a threat to life, to pub11 lic health or safety, or to the economic recovery of 

12 the residential common interest community. 

13 ‘‘(2) DEFERENCE.—In issuing the rules under 

14 paragraph (1), the President shall be deferential to 

15 defined terms in State or local laws and ordi16 nances.’’. 

17 SEC. 4. CONDOMINIUMS AND HOUSING COOPERATIVES 

18 DAMAGED BY A MAJOR DISASTER. 

19 Section 408(c)(2)(A) of the Robert T. Stafford Dis20 aster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 

21 5174(c)(2)(A)) is amended— 

22 (1) in clause (i) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

23 (2) by redesignating clause (ii) as clause (iii); 

24 and 

25 (3) by adding after clause (i) the following: 

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1 ‘‘(ii) the repair of essential common 

2 elements of a condominium or housing co3 operative (such as a roof, exterior wall, 

4 heating and cooling equipment, elevator, 

5 stairwell, utility access, plumbing, and elec6 tricity) provided an individual’s or house7 hold’s pro rata share of essential common 

8 element repair costs are satisfactorily doc9 umented; and’’. 

10 SEC. 5. APPLICABILITY. 

11 The amendments made by this Act shall apply to a 

12 major disaster or emergency declared by the President 

13 under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emer14 gency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) on or after 

15 the date of enactment of this Act. 

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