I 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4919 

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

Act to authorize temporary mortgage and rental payments, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 19, 2007 

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California (for herself and Mrs. TAUSCHER) 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 authorize temporary mortgage 

and rental payments, 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 ‘‘Mortgage and Rental 

5 Disaster Relief Act of 2007’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DISASTER RELIEF. 

7 Section 408(c) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Re8 lief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174(c)) 

9 is amended by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(5) TEMPORARY MORTGAGE AND RENTAL PAY2 MENTS.— 

3 ‘‘(A) DEFINITIONS.—In this paragraph— 

4 ‘‘(i) the term ‘adjusted gross income’ 

5 means the adjusted gross income (as that 

6 term is defined in section 62 of the Inter7 nal Revenue Code of 1986) of the relevant 

8 individual or household for the last taxable 

9 year that such individual or household filed 

10 a tax return; and 

11 ‘‘(ii) the term ‘financial hardship 

12 caused by a major disaster’ means that an 

13 individual or member of a household— 

14 ‘‘(I) is employed by a business, or 

15 owns a business, located in the area 

16 for which the President declared the 

17 relevant major disaster; 

18 ‘‘(II) became unemployed, or lost 

19 significant income, because the em20 ployer or business of that individual 

21 or member of a household has or, on 

22 the day before the date of the relevant 

23 major disaster, had a significant busi24 ness relationship with a business lo25 cated in the area for which the PresiVerDate Aug 31 2005 02:22 Dec 27, 2007 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4919.IH H4919

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1 dent declared the relevant major dis2 aster; or 

3 ‘‘(III) resides in the area for 

4 which the President declared the rel5 evant major disaster and has suffered 

6 financially due to travel restrictions or 

7 station or road closures in effect after 

8 the date of that major disaster. 

9 ‘‘(B) AUTHORIZATION.—In accordance 

10 with this paragraph, the President may provide 

11 assistance on a temporary basis in the form of 

12 mortgage or rental payments to or on behalf of 

13 individuals and households who, as a result of 

14 financial hardship caused by a major disaster, 

15 have received written notice of dispossession or 

16 eviction from a residence by reason of a fore17 closure of any mortgage or lien, cancellation of 

18 any contract of sale, or termination of any 

19 lease, entered into before such major disaster. 

20 ‘‘(C) ELIGIBILITY.— 

21 ‘‘(i) INCOME.— 

22 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—Except as 

23 provided in subclause (II), an indi24 vidual or household may receive as25 sistance under this paragraph if the 


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1 adjusted gross income of that indi2 vidual or household was not more 

3 than $75,000. 

4 ‘‘(II) AREAS WITH A HIGH COST

5 OF LIVING.—An individual or house6 hold that, on the day before the date 

7 of the relevant major disaster, resided 

8 in an area with a high cost of living, 

9 as determined by the President, may 

10 receive assistance under this para11 graph if the adjusted gross income of 

12 that individual or household was not 

13 more than $100,000. 

14 ‘‘(ii) ADJUSTMENT.—The President 

15 shall adjust the limits established under 

16 clause (i) annually to reflect inflation. 

17 ‘‘(D) PERIOD OF ASSISTANCE.—Assistance 

18 under this paragraph shall be provided for the 

19 duration of the period of financial hardship 

20 caused by a major disaster, not to exceed 18 

21 months. 

22 ‘‘(E) PROCEDURES.— 

23 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—An individual or 

24 household seeking assistance under this 

25 paragraph shall submit an application in 


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1 such manner and accompanied by such in2 formation as the President shall establish, 

3 which shall include a requirement that 

4 such an individual or household sign a 

5 statement indicating that individual or 

6 household meets the eligibility require7 ments under subparagraph (C). 

8 ‘‘(ii) LACK OF RECORDS.—If an indi9 vidual or household does not have access to 

10 records necessary to demonstrate eligibility 

11 under subparagraph (C), that individual or 

12 household shall submit such records not 

13 later than 6 months after the date that in14 dividual or household applies for assistance 

15 under this paragraph. 

16 ‘‘(iii) INELIGIBLE RECIPIENTS.—If an 

17 individual or household receives assistance 

18 under this paragraph and was not eligible 

19 to receive such assistance, that individual 

20 or household shall return the full amount 

21 of that assistance to the Government.’’. 

22 SEC. 3. APPLICABILITY. 

23 The amendment made by this Act shall apply to any 

24 major disaster (as that term is defined in section 102 of 

25 the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency AsVerDate Aug 31 2005 02:22 Dec 27, 2007 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4919.IH H4919

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1 sistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122)) declared on or after Octo2 ber 21, 2007. 

Æ 


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