I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5337 
To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 
Act to provide assistance for common interest communities, condomin-
iums, and housing cooperatives damaged by a major disaster, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 6, 2019 
Mr. NADLER (for himself, Mr. ROUZER, Mr. CUNNINGHAM, Mr. ZELDIN, Mr. 
ENGEL, and Mr. KING of New York) 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 Emer-
gency Assistance Act to provide assistance for common 
interest communities, condominiums, and housing co-
operatives damaged by a major disaster, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Disaster Assistance 
Equity Act of 2019’’. 
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SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
Section 102 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122) is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(13) RESIDENTIAL COMMON INTEREST COM-
MUNITY.—The term ‘residential common interest 
community’ means any nonprofit mandatory mem-
bership organization comprising owners of real es-
tate described in a declaration or created pursuant 
to a covenant or other applicable law with respect to 
which a person, by virtue of the person’s ownership 
of a unit, is obligated to pay for a share of real es-
tate taxes, insurance premiums, maintenance, or im-
provement of, or services or other expenses related 
to, common elements, other units, or any other real 
estate other than that unit described in the declara-
tion. 
‘‘(14) CONDOMINIUM.—The term ‘condomini-
um’ means a multi-unit housing project in which 
each dwelling unit is separately owned, and the re-
maining portions of the real estate are designated 
for common ownership solely by the owners of those 
units, each owner having an undivided interest in 
the common elements, and which is represented by 
a condominium association consisting exclusively of 
all the unit owners in the project, which is, or will 
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be responsible for the operation, administration, and 
management of the project. 
‘‘(15) 
HOUSING
COOPERATIVE.—The 
term 
‘housing cooperative’ means a multi-unit housing en-
tity in which each dwelling unit is subject to sepa-
rate use and possession by one or more cooperative 
members whose interest in such unit, and in any un-
divided assets of the cooperative association that are 
appurtenant to such unit, is evidenced by a member-
ship or share interest in a cooperative association 
and a lease or other document of title or possession 
granted by such cooperative as the owner of all coop-
erative property.’’. 
SEC. 3. REMOVAL OF DEBRIS RESULTING FROM A MAJOR 
DISASTER IN RESIDENTIAL COMMON INTER-
EST COMMUNITIES. 
Section 407 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5173) is 
amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsections (d) and (e) as 
subsections (e) and (f); and 
(2) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(d) RULES RELATING TO RESIDENTIAL COMMON 
INTEREST
COMMUNITIES.—The President shall issue 
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rules which provide that removal of debris or wreckage 
from real estate owned by a residential common interest 
community resulting from a major disaster is in the public 
interest when a State or local government determines in 
writing such debris or wreckage constitutes a threat to 
life, to public health or safety, or to the economic recovery 
of the residential common interest community.’’. 
SEC. 4. CONDOMINIUMS AND HOUSING COOPERATIVES 
DAMAGED BY A MAJOR DISASTER. 
Section 408(c)(2)(A) of the Robert T. Stafford Dis-
aster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 
5174(c)(2)(A)) is amended— 
(1) in clause (i) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(2) by redesignating clause (ii) as clause (iii); 
and 
(3) by adding after clause (i) the following: 
‘‘(ii) the repair of essential common 
elements of a condominium or housing co-
operative (such as a roof, exterior wall, 
heating and cooling equipment, elevator, 
stairwell, utility access, plumbing, and elec-
tricity) provided an individual’s or house-
hold’s pro rata share of essential common 
element repair costs are satisfactorily doc-
umented; and’’. 
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SEC. 5. APPLICABILITY. 
The amendments made by this Act shall apply to a 
major disaster or emergency declared by the President 
under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emer-
gency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) on or after 
the date of enactment of this Act. 
Æ 
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