SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Superstorm Sandy Re-
lief and Disaster Loan Program Improvement Act of 
2015’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) In 2012, Superstorm Sandy caused sub-
stantial physical and economic damage to the United 
States, and New York in particular. 
(2) For businesses and homeowners, the pri-
mary means of obtaining long-term Federal financial 
assistance in the wake of disasters such as 
Superstorm Sandy is through the Small Business 
Administration’s Disaster Loan Program. 
(3) With regard to the Small Business Adminis-
tration’s operation of the Disaster Loan Program 
after Superstorm Sandy, the Government Account-
ability Office found that the Administration did not 
meet its timeliness goals for processing business loan 
applications. 
(4) According to the Government Accountability 
Office, the Small Business Administration stated 
that it was challenged by an unexpectedly high vol-
ume of loan applications that it received early in its 
response to Superstorm Sandy.
(5) As a result, many businesses and home-
owners affected by Superstorm Sandy were unable 
to apply for financing from the Small Business Ad-
ministration. 
SEC. 3. REVISED DISASTER DEADLINE. 
Section 7(d) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
636(d)) is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(8) 
DISASTER
LOANS
FOR
SUPERSTORM 
SANDY.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any 
other provision of law, and subject to the same 
requirements and procedures that are used to 
make loans pursuant to subsection (b), a small 
business concern, homeowner, or renter that 
was located within an area and during the time 
period with respect to which a major disaster 
was declared by the President under section 
401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 
5170) by reason of Superstorm Sandy may 
apply to the Administrator— 
‘‘(i) for a loan to repair, rehabilitate, 
or replace property damaged or destroyed 
by reason of Superstorm Sandy; or
‘‘(ii) if such a small business concern 
has suffered substantial economic injury by 
reason of Superstorm Sandy, for a loan to 
assist such a small business concern. 
‘‘(B) TIMING.—The Administrator shall 
select loan recipients and make available loans 
for a period of not less than 1 year after the 
date on which the Administrator carries out 
this authority.’’. 
SEC. 4. USE OF PHYSICAL DAMAGE DISASTER LOANS TO 
CONSTRUCT SAFE ROOMS. 
Section 7(b)(1)(A) of the Small Business Act (15 
U.S.C. 636(b)(1)(A)) is amended by striking ‘‘mitigating 
measures’’ and all that follows through ‘‘modifying struc-
tures’’ and inserting the following: ‘‘mitigating measures, 
including— 
‘‘(i) construction of retaining walls and sea 
walls; 
‘‘(ii) grading and contouring land; and 
‘‘(iii) relocating utilities and modifying 
structures, including construction of a safe 
room or similar storm shelter designed to pro-
tect property and occupants from tornadoes or 
other natural disasters’’.
SEC. 5. COLLATERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SMALL BUSI-
NESS CONCERNS. 
Section 7(b) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
636(b)) is amended by inserting after paragraph (9) the 
following: 
‘‘(10) COLLATERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SMALL 
BUSINESSES.—In the case of a loan made pursuant 
to this subsection in an amount not greater than 
$250,000, the Administrator may not require a bor-
rower to pledge his or her primary residence as col-
lateral if— 
‘‘(A) other collateral exists, including as-
sets related to the operation of a business; and 
‘‘(B) such an option does not delay the Ad-
ministrator’s processing of disaster applications 
for a disaster.’’. 
SEC. 6. REDUCING DELAYS ON CLOSING AND DISBURSE-
MENT OF LOANS. 
Section 7(b) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
636(b)) is further amended by inserting after paragraph 
(10) (as added by section 5) the following: 
‘‘(11) REDUCING CLOSING AND DISBURSEMENT 
DELAYS.—The Administrator shall provide a clear 
and concise notification on all application materials 
for loans made under this subsection and on relevant 
websites notifying an applicant that the applicant
may submit all documentation necessary for the ap-
proval of the loan at the time of application and that 
failure to submit all documentation could delay the 
approval and disbursement of the loan.’’. 
SEC. 7. INCREASING TRANSPARENCY IN LOAN APPROVALS. 
Section 7(b) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
636(b)) is further amended by inserting after paragraph 
(11) (as added by section 6) the following: 
‘‘(12) INCREASING TRANSPARENCY IN LOAN AP-
PROVALS.—The Administrator shall establish and 
implement clear, written policies and procedures for 
analyzing the ability of a loan applicant to repay a 
loan made under this subsection.’’. 
SEC. 8. SAFEGUARDING TAXPAYERS’ INTERESTS. 
Section 7(b) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
636(b)) is further amended by inserting after paragraph 
(12) (as added by section 7) the following: 
‘‘(13) ENSURING ACCOUNTABILITY IN LOAN AP-
PROVALS.—The Administrator shall establish re-
quirements for the approval of economic injury dis-
aster loan assistance made available pursuant to 
paragraph (2), which shall include the review of ap-
plicant eligibility and shall require that all sup-
porting documentation is submitted prior to loan ap-
proval. The Administrator shall require that per-
sonnel involved in the approval of such loans be 
trained on such procedures.’’. 
SEC. 9. DISASTER PERFORMANCE MEASURES. 
Section 7(b) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
636(b)) is further amended by inserting after paragraph 
(13) (as added by section 8) the following: 
‘‘(14) REPORTING ON DISASTER PERFORMANCE 
MEASURES.—The Administrator shall report the av-
erage processing time for all other disaster loan ap-
plications, including disaggregated data on disaster 
loan applications that were declined by the Adminis-
tration’s automated disaster processing system and 
applications in which the Administrator performed 
loss verification. For each disaster described in para-
graph (2), the Administrator shall report such aver-
age processing times on its website and to the Com-
mittee on Small Business of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Small Business 
and Entrepreneurship of the Senate.’’. 
SEC. 10. DISASTER PLAN IMPROVEMENTS. 
The Administrator of the Small Business Administra-
tion shall revise the comprehensive written disaster re-
sponse plan required in section 40 of the Small Business 
Act (15 U.S.C. 657l), or any successor thereto, to incor-
porate the Administration’s response to a situation in
which an extreme volume of applications are received dur-
ing the period of time immediately after a disaster, which 
shall include a plan to ensure that sufficient human and 
technological resources are made available and a plan to 
prevent delays in loan processing. 
SEC. 11. REPORT TO CONGRESS ON IMPLEMENTATION OF 
CERTAIN PROGRAMS. 
(a) INITIAL REPORT.—The Administrator of the 
Small Business Administration shall report to Congress 
not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this 
Act on the implementation and status of the private dis-
aster loan program established in section 7(c) of the Small 
Business Act (15 U.S.C. 636(c)), the Immediate Disaster 
Assistance program established in section 42 of such Act 
(15 U.S.C. 657n), and the expedited disaster assistance 
business loan program established in section 12085 of the 
Small Business Disaster Response and Loan Improve-
ments Act of 2008 (15 U.S.C. 636j). 
(b) REQUIRED CONSULTATION WITH DEPOSITORY 
INSTITUTIONS AND CREDIT UNIONS.—The Administrator 
shall require the Associate Administrator for the Office 
of Disaster Assistance to consult with depository institu-
tions (as defined in section 3 of the Federal Deposit Insur-
ance Act (12 U.S.C. 1813)) and credit unions regarding
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 208 
AN ACT 
To improve the disaster assistance programs of the 
Small Business Administration.