198 
(2) by inserting after paragraph (40) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(40A) The term ‘natural disaster’ means— 
‘‘(A) a major disaster, as defined in section 
102 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
and Emergency Assistance Act; or 
‘‘(B) a situation similar to such a major 
disaster (as so defined), with respect to which 
a determination is made in accordance with 
State law that such situation exists. 
‘‘(40B) The term ‘natural disaster zone’ means 
the geographical area included in the determination 
of a natural disaster.’’. 
(c) VICTIM OF NATURAL DISASTER.—Section 101 of 
title 11, United States Code, is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘(56) The term ‘victim of a natural disaster’ 
means a person— 
‘‘(A) whose financial condition is materi-
ally adversely affected by a natural disaster; 
and 
‘‘(B) whose domicile, residence, or prin-
cipal place of business in the United States, or 
whose principal assets in the United States, are 
located in a natural disaster zone immediately
199 
preceding the event that caused the natural dis-
aster exists.’’. 
(d) WHO MAY BE A DEBTOR.—Section 109(h)(4) of 
title 11, United States Code, is amended by inserting 
‘‘natural disaster,’’ after ‘‘disability,’’. 
SEC. 1003. AMENDMENT TO CHAPTER 3. 
Section 362(b)(22) of title 11, United States Code, 
is amended by inserting ‘‘(excluding a debtor who is victim 
of a natural disaster)’’ after ‘‘debtor’’ the 1st place it ap-
pears. 
SEC. 1004. AMENDMENTS TO CHAPTER 5. 
Section 521 of title 11, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(k) The Court may extend any time period specified 
in this section as may be necessary if— 
‘‘(1) the debtor is a victim of a natural disaster; 
and 
‘‘(2) the debtor’s status as a victim of a natural 
disaster necessitates such extension of time.’’. 
SEC. 1005. AMENDMENTS TO CHAPTER 7. 
(a) 
DEBTOR’S
MONTHLY
EXPENSES.—Section 
707(b)(2)(A)(ii) of title 11, United States Code, is amend-
ed by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(IV) In addition, the debtor’s 
monthly expenses may include the ac-
200 
tual reasonably necessary expenses in-
curred as a result of being a victim of 
a natural disaster.’’. 
(b) LIMITATION ON CONVERSION OF CASE.—Section 
707(b)(2) of title 11, United States Code, is amended by 
adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(E) Subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) 
shall not apply, and the court may not dismiss 
or convert a case under section 707(b), if the 
debtor is a victim of a natural disaster.’’. 
SEC. 1006. AMENDMENTS TO CHAPTER 11. 
(a) CONVERSION OF CASE.—Section 1112(b) of title 
11, United States Code is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (2)(B)(i) by inserting ‘‘, in-
cluding a natural disaster’’ before the semicolon, and 
(2) in paragraph (3) by inserting ‘‘(including a 
natural disaster)’’ after ‘‘circumstances’’. 
(b) WHO MAY FILE A PLAN.—Section 1121(e)(3) of 
title 11, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (A) by inserting ‘‘(i)’’ after 
‘‘(A)’’, 
(2) in subparagraph (C) by striking the period 
at the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’, 
(3) by redesignating subparagraphs (B) and 
(C) as clauses (ii) and (iii), respectively, and
201 
(4) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(B) the debtor is unable to meet the 
deadline because of a natural disaster.’’. 
(c) EXTENSION OF TIME FOR SMALL BUSINESSES.— 
Chapter 11 of title 11, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in the table of sections by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘1117. Extension of time for small businesses.’’, and 
(2) in subchapter I by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘§ 1117. Extension of time for small businesses 
‘‘Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, in 
a small business case the court may extend any deadline 
specified in this chapter if the court finds that such exten-
sion is— 
‘‘(1) necessary to protect the best interests of 
the creditors and the estate; or 
‘‘(2) warranted by a natural disaster.’’. 
SEC. 1007. AMENDMENTS TO CHAPTER 13. 
(a) CONVERSION OR DISMISSAL.—Section 1307(e) of 
title 11, United States Code, is amended by adding at the 
end the following: ‘‘The Court may extend any time period 
specified in this subsection as may be necessary if— 
‘‘(1) the debtor is a victim of a natural disaster; 
and
202 
‘‘(2) the debtor’s status as a victim of a natural 
disaster necessitates such extension of time.’’. 
(b) FILING OF PREPETITION TAX RETURNS.—Sec-
tion 1308 of title 11, United States Code, is amended by 
adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(d) The Court may extend any time period specified 
in this subsection as may be necessary if— 
‘‘(1) the debtor is a victim of a natural disaster; 
and 
‘‘(2) the debtor’s status as a victim of a natural 
disaster necessitates such extension of time.’’. 
SEC. 1008. AMENDMENT TO TITLE 28 OF THE UNITED 
STATES CODE. 
Section 1408 of title 28, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) by inserting ‘‘(a)’’ before ‘‘Except’’, and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(b) If a case under title 11 cannot be commenced 
in a district court described in subsection (a) because a 
person is the victim of a natural disaster (as defined in 
section 101 of title 11), then a case under title 11 may 
be commenced by such person in the district court for the 
district in which such person resides.’’.
203 
SEC. 1009. EFFECTIVE DATE; APPLICATION OF AMEND-
MENTS. 
(a) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This title and the amend-
ments made by this title shall take effect on the date of 
the enactment of this Act. 
(b) APPLICATION OF AMENDMENTS.—The amend-
ments made by this title shall apply only with respect to 
cases commenced under title 11 of the United States Code 
on and after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
TITLE XI—MISCELLANEOUS 
SEC. 1101. REIMBURSEMENTS. 
Upon the request of any government, organization, 
individual, or other entity that provided rescue, housing, 
or other services that would normally be provided by the 
Federal Emergency Manangement Agency to a person or 
persons heeding the Hurricane Katrina evacuation order 
or to an evacuee from Hurricane Katrina (before, during 
or after Hurricane Katrina), the Director of the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency shall reimburse to such 
government, organization, individual, or other entity the 
cost of providing such services. The Director of the De-
partment of Homeland Security shall promulgate reason-
able rules, regualtions, and processes for such reimburse-
ment.
204 
SEC. 1102. TEMPORARY FLOOD INSURANCE BUY-IN PRO-
GRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency shall make available 
flood insurance coverage under the national flood insur-
ance program available for eligible structures, in accord-
ance with this section. 
(b) SCOPE OF COVERAGE.— 
(1) ELIGIBLE LOSSES.—Coverage may be made 
available under this section only for a damage or 
loss to an eligible structure, but not including any 
contents thereof, from flooding resulting from Hurri-
cane Katrina. 
(2) AMOUNT.—The amount of such coverage 
made available under this section for an eligible 
structure may not exceed the lesser of— 
(A) the maximum amount of coverage that 
may be made available for such structure under 
the national flood insurance program; and 
(B) the amount of coverage provided for 
the structure, as of August 28, 2005, under the 
policy for losses caused by wind or windstorm 
(as referred to in subsection (c)(3)). 
(c) ELIGIBLE STRUCTURES.—For purposes of this 
section, an eligible structure is a structure that—
205 
(1) sustained damage from flooding resulting 
from Hurricane Katrina of 2005; 
(2) is of a type (including residential properties, 
business properties, and others) for which coverage 
was generally made available under the national 
flood insurance program as of August 28, 2005; 
(3) is located in a covered disaster area (as 
such term is defined in subsection (h)); 
(4) as of August 28, 2005, was covered by an 
insurance policy for losses caused by wind or wind-
storm; 
(5) is not located in an area that has been iden-
tified by the Director as an area having special flood 
hazards (as such term is used for purposes of sec-
tion 102 of the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 
1973 (42 U.S.C. 4012a)); and 
(6) was not covered by flood insurance made 
available under the national flood insurance program 
at the time of such damage. 
(d) PREMIUMS.— 
(1) AMOUNT.—The Director shall charge, for 
coverage made available under this section for an eli-
gible structure, premiums in the amount equal to 
105 percent of the aggregate amount of premiums 
that would have been charged, at the time, for cov-
206 
erage for the structure under the national flood in-
surance program (for the type and amount of cov-
erage provided) for the 10-year period that ends 
upon the date of purchase of such coverage. 
(2) DEDUCTION FROM CLAIMS.—The Director 
shall provide that a purchaser of coverage made 
available under this section may pay premiums 
charged for such coverage pursuant to paragraph 
(1) by deducting such amounts from the amount of 
any claims payable under such coverage. 
(3) CREDITS TO NFIF.—There shall be credited 
to the National Flood Insurance Fund established 
under section 1310 of the National Flood Insurance 
Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4017) the following 
amounts: 
(A) Any premiums collected pursuant to 
this section. 
(B) From amounts appropriated pursuant 
to subsection (i)(1), an amount equal to the 
amount of any premiums charged for coverage 
made available under this subsection that are 
not collected by the Director as a result of the 
operation of paragraph (2) of this subsection. 
(e) CLAIMS.—Claims for damage or loss pursuant to 
coverage made available under this section may be paid
207 
only from amounts made available in appropriation Acts 
pursuant to subsection (i). Amounts in the National Flood 
Insurance Fund established under section 1310 of the Na-
tional Flood Insurance Act of 1968, including any amount 
credited to such Fund pursuant to subsection (d)(3), shall 
not be available for paying claims under coverage made 
available under this section. 
(f) REQUIREMENTS TO OBTAIN FUTURE COVERAGE 
AND TAKE MITIGATION ACTIONS.—The Director may not 
make coverage available under this section for an eligible 
structure unless the owner of the structure enters into 
binding agreements, contained in such deed restrictions as 
the Director considers appropriate, to ensure that such 
owner, and any future owners, will— 
(1) at all times after purchasing coverage under 
this section for the structure, in perpetuity, maintain 
coverage under the national flood insurance pro-
gram, for any structures located at any time on the 
same property on which, at the time of purchase, 
such eligible structure is located, in an amount at 
least equal to the lesser of— 
(A) the value of the structure, as deter-
mined by the Director; or 
(B) the maximum limit of coverage made 
available with respect to the particular type of
208 
property under the national flood insurance 
program; and 
(2) accept any offer to take mitigation actions 
or activities made, with respect to the structure, 
under a mitigation program under section 1323, 
1361A, or 1366 of the National Flood Insurance Act 
of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4030, 4102a, 4104c). 
(g) PREMIUM RATES FOR FUTURE COVERAGE.—In 
establishing rates for flood insurance coverage, other than 
coverage under this section, made available under the na-
tional flood insurance program, the Director shall not con-
sider, in any manner— 
(1) any premiums charged or collected pursuant 
to subsection (d); 
(2) any claims paid pursuant to coverage made 
available under this section; or 
(3) any amounts appropriated pursuant to sub-
section (i). 
(h) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section, the 
following definitions shall apply: 
(1) COVERED DISASTER AREA.—The term ‘‘cov-
ered disaster area’’ means an area— 
(A) for which a major disaster was de-
clared by the President pursuant to title IV of 
the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and