tenant-based rental assistance under section 8 of the 
United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f). 
TITLE IV—DAMAGES ARISING 
FROM FEMA ACTIONS 
SEC. 401. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS TO REIM-
BURSE LANDLORDS FOR DAMAGES DUE TO 
FEMA MANAGEMENT OF LEASES ENTERED 
INTO UNDER SECTION 403 OF THE STAFFORD 
DISASTER RELIEF ACT. 
There are authorized to be appropriated, from 
amounts made available before the date of the enactment 
of this Act under any provision of law to the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency for disaster relief under 
the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief Emergency Assist-
ance Act, such sums as may be necessary for the Director 
of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide 
reimbursement to each landlord who entered into leases 
to provide emergency sheltering in response to Hurricane 
Katrina, Rita, or Wilma of 2005, pursuant to the program 
of the Federal Emergency Management Agency pursuant 
to section 403 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170b) in the 
amount of actual, documented damages incurred by such 
landlord as a result of abrogation by such Agency of com-
mitments entered into under such program, but not in-
cluding reimbursement for any such landlord to the extent 
that such landlord has previously received reimbursement 
for such damages under any other Federal or non-Federal 
program. 
TITLE V—FHA SINGLE FAMILY 
HOUSING 
SEC. 501. TREATMENT OF NON-CONVEYABLE PROPERTIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provi-
sion of law, in the case of any property consisting of 1- 
to 4-family residence that is subject to a mortgage insured 
under title II of the National Housing Act (12 U.S.C. 
1707 et seq.) and was damaged or destroyed as a result 
of Hurricane Katrina or Rita of 2005, if there was no 
failure on the part of the mortgagee or servicer to provide 
hazard insurance for the property or to provide flood in-
surance coverage for the property to the extent such cov-
erage is required under Federal law, the Secretary of 
Housing and Urban Development—
(1) may not deny conveyance of title to the 
property to the Secretary and payment of the bene-
fits of such insurance on the basis of the condition 
of the property or any failure to repair the property; 
(2) may not reduce the amount of such insur-
ance benefits to take into consideration any costs of 
repairing the property; and
(3) with respect to a property that is destroyed, 
condemned, demolished, or otherwise not available 
for conveyance of title, may pay the full benefits of 
such insurance to the mortgagee notwithstanding 
that such title is not conveyed. 
(b) BUDGET ACT COMPLIANCE.—Insurance claims 
may be paid in accordance with subsection (a) only to the 
extent or in such amounts as are or have been provided 
in advance in appropriations Acts for the costs (as such 
term is defined in section 502 of the Federal Credit Re-
form Act of 1990 (2 U.S.C. 661(a)) of such claims. 
TITLE VI—FAIR HOUSING 
ENFORCEMENT 
SEC. 601. FAIR HOUSING INITIATIVES PROGRAM. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out section 561 of 
the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987 
(42 U.S.C. 3616a), in each of fiscal years 2008 and 2009, 
such sums as may be necessary, but not less than 
$5,000,000, for areas affected by Hurricanes Katrina and 
Rita, of which, in each such fiscal year—
(1) 60 percent shall be available only for private 
enforcement initiatives for qualified private enforce-
ment fair housing organizations authorized under 
subsection (b) of such section, and, of the amount
made available in accordance with this paragraph, 
the Secretary shall set aside an amount for multi-
year grants to qualified fair housing enforcement or-
ganizations; 
(2) 20 percent shall be available only for activi-
ties authorized under paragraphs (1) and (2) of sub-
section (c) of such section; and 
(3) 20 percent shall be available only for edu-
cation and outreach programs authorized under sub-
section (d) of such section. 
(b) LOW FUNDING.—If the total amount appro-
priated to carry out the Fair Housing Initiatives Program 
for either fiscal year 2008 or 2009 is less than 
$50,000,000, not less than 5 percent of such total amount 
appropriated for such fiscal year shall be available for the 
areas described in subsection (a) for the activities de-
scribed in paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) of such subsection. 
(c) 
AVAILABILITY.—Any 
amounts 
appropriated 
under this section shall remain available until expended.
TITLE 
VII—IMPROVED 
DIS-
TRIBUTION 
OF 
FEDERAL 
HURRICANE HOUSING FUNDS 
FOR HURRICANE RELIEF 
SEC. 701. GAO STUDY OF IMPROVED DISTRIBUTION OF 
FEDERAL HOUSING FUNDS FOR HURRICANE 
RELIEF. 
(a) STUDY.—The Comptroller General of the United 
States shall conduct a study to examine methods of im-
proving the distribution of Federal housing funds to assist 
States covered by this Act with recovery from hurricanes, 
which shall include identifying and analyzing—
(1) the Federal and State agencies used in the 
past to disburse such funds and the strengths and 
weakness of existing programs; 
(2) the means by and extent to which critical 
information relating to hurricane recovery, such as 
property valuations, is shared among various State 
and Federal agencies; 
(3) program requirements that create impedi-
ments to the distribution of such funds that can be 
eliminated or streamlined; 
(4) housing laws and regulations that have 
caused programs to be developed in a manner that 
complies with statutory requirements but fails to
meet the housing objectives or needs of the States 
or the Federal Government; 
(5) laws relating to privacy and impediments 
raised by housing laws to the sharing, between the 
Federal Government and State governments, and 
private industry, of critical information relating to 
hurricane recovery; 
(6) methods of streamlining applications for 
and underwriting of Federal housing grant or loan 
programs; and 
(7) how to establish more equitable Federal 
housing laws regarding duplication of benefits. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 6 months after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall 
submit to the Congress a report describing the results of 
the study and any recommendations regarding the issues 
analyzed under the study. 
TITLE 
VIII—COMMENDING 
AMERICANS FOR THEIR RE-
BUILDING EFFORTS 
SEC. 801. COMMENDING AMERICANS. 
(a) CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS.—The Congress finds 
that—
(1) over 500,000 individuals in the United 
States have volunteered their time in helping rebuild
the Gulf Coast region in the aftermath of Hurri-
cane’s Katrina and Rita; 
(2) over $3,500,000,000 in cash and in-kind do-
nations have been made for hurricane victims; 
(3) 40,000,000 pounds of food have been dis-
tributed by Catholic Charities’ Food Bank through 
hurricane relief efforts; 
(4) almost 7,000,000 hot meals have been 
served by Salvation Army volunteers in hurricane re-
lief efforts; 
(5) over 10,000,000 college students have de-
voted their spring and fall breaks to hurricane relief 
efforts; 
(6) almost 20,000 families displaced as a result 
of the hurricanes have been supported by Traveler’s 
Aid volunteers; 
(7) faith-based organizations, such as Jewish 
Family Services, Lutheran Disaster Response, the 
United Methodist Committee on Relief, Presbyterian 
Disaster Assistance, the National Baptist Conven-
tion of America, Inc., the Progressive National Bap-
tist Convention, the Southern Baptist Convention, 
and the African Methodist Episcopal Church have 
contributed tens of thousands of man-hours for hur-
ricane relief; and
(8) community-based organizations, such as the 
Boys and Girls Club of America, Junior League, 
Boy and Girl Scouts of America, and the YMCA, 
have had thousands of members volunteer with the 
cleanup in the Gulf States. 
(b) COMMENDATION.—The Congress hereby com-
mends the actions and efforts by the remarkable individ-
uals and organizations who contributed to the hurricane 
relief effort and recognizes that the rebuilding of the Gulf 
Coast region rests on the selfless dedication of private in-
dividuals and community spirit. 
TITLE 
IX—PROTECTION 
OF 
HOUSEHOLDS 
RECEIVING 
FEMA HOUSING ASSISTANCE 
SEC. 901. EXTENSION OF FEMA HOUSING ASSISTANCE. 
There are authorized to be appropriated such sums 
as may be necessary to provide until December 31, 2007, 
temporary housing assistance, including financial and di-
rect assistance, under section 408(c)(1) of the Robert T. 
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 
(42 U.S.C. 5174(c)(1)) to individuals and households eli-
gible to receive such assistance as a result of Hurricane 
Katrina, Rita, or Wilma, and to the extent that amounts 
for such purpose are made available, such assistance shall 
be so extended.
SEC. 902. VOUCHER ASSISTANCE FOR HOUSEHOLDS RE-
CEIVING FEMA RENTAL ASSISTANCE AND 
HOUSEHOLDS RESIDING IN FEMA TRAILERS. 
(a) TRANSFER OF FEMA RENTAL ASSISTANCE TO 
SECTION 8 VOUCHER PROGRAM.—There are authorized 
to be appropriated, for tenant-based rental assistance 
under section 8(o) of the United States Housing Act of 
1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)), such sums as may be nec-
essary to provide vouchers for such assistance for each in-
dividual and household that is eligible for such voucher 
assistance and received financial assistance for temporary 
housing under section 408(c)(1) of the Robert T. Stafford 
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 
5174(c)(1)) as a result of Hurricane Katrina, Rita, or 
Wilma, for the period beginning upon termination of such 
temporary housing assistance and continuing through 
such period that such individual or household remains eli-
gible for such voucher assistance. Such voucher assistance 
shall be administered by the public housing agency having 
jurisdiction of the area in which such assisted individual 
or household resides as of such termination date. 
(b) VOUCHER ASSISTANCE FOR HOUSEHOLDS RE-
SIDING IN FEMA TRAILERS.—
(1) OFFER.—The Secretary of Housing and 
Urban Development shall offer, to each individual 
and household who, as of the date of the enactment
of this Act, receives direct assistance for temporary 
housing under section 408(c)(2) of the Robert T. 
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 
Act (42 U.S.C. 5174(c)(2)) as a result of Hurricane 
Katrina, Rita, or Wilma and is eligible for tenant-
based rental assistance under section 8(o) of the 
United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 
1437f(o)), a voucher for such rental assistance, sub-
ject to the availability of amounts for such assist-
ance made available in advance in appropriation 
Acts. 
(2) PROVISION OF ASSISTANCE.—There are au-
thorized to be appropriated, for tenant-based rental 
assistance under section 8(o) of the United States 
Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)), such 
sums as may be necessary to provide vouchers for 
such assistance for each individual and household 
that, pursuant to an offer of such assistance under 
paragraph (1) requests such assistance, for the pe-
riod beginning upon occupancy of the individual or 
household in a dwelling unit acquired for rental with 
such assistance and continuing through such period 
that such individual or household remains eligible 
for such voucher assistance.