I 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5685 
To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 
Act to reauthorize the temporary mortgage and rental payments program. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 2, 2008 
Mrs. MALONEY of New York (for herself and Mr. MELANCON) 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 reauthorize the temporary mort-
gage and rental payments program. 
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 ‘‘Mortgage and Rental 
Assistance Reauthorization Act of 2008’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The mortgage and rental assistance pro-
gram was authorized under the Robert T. Stafford 
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Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 
U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) to provide assistance to individ-
uals who have lost a portion of their income and are 
having difficulties paying their rents or mortgages. 
(2) The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (Pub-
lic Law 106–390) amended the Stafford Act to end 
the program in May 2002. 
(3) Following the major disaster declaration re-
sulting from the terrorist attacks in New York on 
September 11, 2001, the Federal Emergency Man-
agement Agency allowed the use of funds under the 
program to aid residents who were having difficulties 
paying their rents or mortgages. 
(4) The program should be reauthorized to 
allow the Federal Government to provide direct 
housing assistance to those who have been displaced 
by Hurricane Katrina. 
SEC. 3. TEMPORARY MORTGAGE RENTAL ASSISTANCE. 
Section 408(c)(1) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 
5174(c)(1)) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as sub-
paragraph (C); and 
(2) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the fol-
lowing: 
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‘‘(B) TEMPORARY MORTGAGE AND RENTAL 
PAYMENTS.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The President is 
authorized to provide assistance on a tem-
porary basis in the form of mortgage or 
rental payments to or on behalf of individ-
uals and families who, as a result of finan-
cial hardship caused by a major disaster, 
certify that they face dispossession or evic-
tion from a residence by reason of a fore-
closure of any mortgage or lien, cancella-
tion of any contract of sale, or termination 
of any lease, entered into prior to such dis-
aster. 
‘‘(ii) DURATION
OF
ASSISTANCE.— 
The assistance under this subparagraph 
shall be provided for the duration of the 
period of financial hardship but not to ex-
ceed 18 months.’’. 
SEC. 4. APPLICABILITY. 
The amendments made by section 3 shall apply with 
respect to a major disaster occurring on or after August 
24, 2005. 
Æ 
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