I

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. 1786

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

Act to establish a grant program for assisting small businesses and

agricultural enterprises in meeting disaster-related expenses.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

OCTOBER 26, 1999

Mr. LAUTENBERG introduced the following bill; which was read twice and

referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works

A BILL

To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to establish a grant program for

assisting small businesses and agricultural enterprises

in meeting disaster-related expenses.

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

3 SECTION 1. SMALL BUSINESS AND AGRICULTURAL ENTER4 PRISE GRANT PROGRAM.

5 Title IV of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and

6 Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170a et seq.) is

7 amended by adding at the end the following:
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1 ‘‘SEC. 425. SMALL BUSINESS AND AGRICULTURAL ENTER2 PRISE GRANT PROGRAM.

3 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:

4 ‘‘(1) AGRICULTURAL ENTERPRISE.—The term

5 ‘agricultural enterprise’ includes—

6 ‘‘(A) a farm not larger than a family farm

7 (within the meaning of section 321(a) of the

8 Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act

9 (7 U.S.C. 1961(a))); and

10 ‘‘(B) an enterprise engaged in the business

11 of production of food or fiber, ranching or rais12 ing of livestock, aquaculture, or any other farm13 ing or agricultural related industry (within the

14 meaning of section 3(a) of the Small Business

15 Act (15 U.S.C. 632(a))).

16 ‘‘(2) SMALL BUSINESS.—The term ‘small busi17 ness’ has the meaning given the term ‘small business

18 concern’ under section 3 of the Small Business Act

19 (15 U.S.C. 632).

20 ‘‘(b) GRANT PROGRAM.—The President may make

21 grants to assist small businesses and agricultural enter22 prises adversely affected by a major disaster in meeting

23 disaster-related expenses, including the costs of non24 structural repairs and replacement of noninsured contents

25 and inventory.

26 ‘‘(c) CONDITIONS.—
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1 ‘‘(1) NO RELOCATION ASSISTANCE.—A small

2 business or agricultural enterprise receiving a grant

3 under this section—

4 ‘‘(A) shall not use the proceeds of the

5 grant for relocation; but

6 ‘‘(B) may use the proceeds of the grant for

7 appropriate purposes in a new location, at the

8 discretion of the President, for a safety, health,

9 or mitigation purpose.

10 ‘‘(2) DUPLICATIVE ASSISTANCE.—

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A small business or

12 agricultural enterprise receiving assistance in

13 the form of a grant under this section shall be

14 liable to the United States to the extent that

15 the assistance duplicates benefits provided to

16 the small business or agricultural enterprise for

17 the same purpose by another Federal agency.

18 ‘‘(B) DEBT COLLECTION.—A Federal

19 agency that provides any duplicative assistance

20 described in subparagraph (A) shall collect an

21 amount equal to the value of the duplicative as22 sistance from the recipient in accordance with

23 chapter 37 of title 31, United States Code, in

24 any case in which the head of the agency con-
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1 siders such collection to be in the best interest

2 of the Federal Government.

3 ‘‘(C) INAPPLICABILITY OF DUPLICATION

4 OF BENEFITS PROVISION.—Section 312 shall

5 not apply to assistance provided under this sec6 tion.

7 ‘‘(d) FUNDING LIMITATIONS.—

8 ‘‘(1) ONE MAJOR DISASTER ONLY.—A small

9 business or agricultural enterprise shall be eligible

10 for a grant under this section in relation to not more

11 than 1 major disaster.

12 ‘‘(2) MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF GRANT.—The max13 imum amount that a small business or agricultural

14 enterprise may receive under this section shall be

15 $20,000.

16 ‘‘(e) TIME PERIOD FOR MAKING GRANTS.—The

17 President may make a grant under this section only dur18 ing the 90-day period beginning on the date of declaration

19 of a major disaster under this title.

20 ‘‘(f) REGULATIONS.—The President shall promulgate

21 regulations to carry out this section, including criteria,

22 standards, and procedures for the determination of eligi23 bility for grants and the administration of grants under

24 this section.

25 ‘‘(g) APPLICABILITY.—
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1 ‘‘(1) DATE OF DISASTER.—This section shall

2 apply to any major disaster declared after Sep3 tember 1, 1999, and before the date of enactment of

4 this section.

5 ‘‘(2) LIMITATION ON TIME PERIOD FOR MAKING

6 GRANTS.—For the purpose of subsection (e), with

7 respect to a major disaster described in paragraph

8 (1), the 90-day period shall begin on the date of en9 actment of this section.’’.

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