I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 208 

To require the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to establish a program to make loans to certain businesses, homeowners, and 

renters affected by Superstorm Sandy. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 8, 2015 

Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ (for herself, Mr. NADLER, Mr. RANGEL, Ms. MENG, and Mr. 

CROWLEY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Small Business 

A BILL 

To require the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to establish a program to make loans to certain 

businesses, homeowners, and renters affected by 

Superstorm Sandy. 

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 ‘‘Superstorm Sandy Re5 lief Act of 2015’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

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1 (1) In 2012, Superstorm Sandy caused sub2 stantial physical and economic damage to the United 

3 States, and New York in particular. 

4 (2) For businesses and homeowners, the pri5 mary means of obtaining long-term Federal financial 

6 assistance in the wake of disasters such as 

7 Superstorm Sandy is through the Small Business 

8 Administration’s Disaster Loan Program. 

9 (3) With regard to the Small Business Adminis10 tration’s operation of the Disaster Loan Program 

11 after Superstorm Sandy, the Government Account12 ability Office found that the Administration did not 

13 meet its timeliness goals for processing business loan 

14 applications. 

15 (4) According to the Government Accountability 

16 Office, the Small Business Administration stated 

17 that it was challenged by an unexpectedly high vol18 ume of loan applications that it received early in its 

19 response to Superstorm Sandy. 

20 (5) As a result, many businesses and home21 owners affected by Superstorm Sandy were unable 

22 to apply for financing from the Small Business Ad23 ministration. 

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1 SEC. 3. DISASTER LOANS FOR BUSINESSES, HOMEOWNERS, 

2 AND RENTERS AFFECTED BY SUPERSTORM 

3 SANDY. 

4 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 45 days after 

5 the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of 

6 the Small Business Administration shall establish and 

7 carry out a loan program under which a small business 

8 concern, homeowner, or renter that was located within an 

9 area and during the time period with respect to which a 

10 major disaster was declared by the President under sec11 tion 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 

12 Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170) by reason of 

13 Superstorm Sandy may apply— 

14 (1) for a loan to repair, rehabilitate, or replace 

15 property damaged or destroyed by reason of 

16 Superstorm Sandy; or 

17 (2) if such a small business concern has suf18 fered substantial economic injury by reason of 

19 Superstorm Sandy, for a loan to assist such a small 

20 business concern. 

21 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—To carry out the program de22 scribed in subsection (a), the Administrator shall use the 

23 same application, selection, and notice requirements and 

24 procedures that are used under section 7(b) of the Small 

25 Business Act Section 7(b) (15 U.S.C. 636(b)). 

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1 (c) TIMING.—The Administrator shall select loan re2 cipients and make available loans under this Act for a pe3 riod of not less than 1 year after the date on which the 

4 Administrator establishes the program. 

Æ 

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