I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1607 
To assist applicants for community development block grant recovery assist-
ance not having traditionally accepted forms of documentation of owner-
ship of property to prove such ownership, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 26, 2025 
Mrs. FLETCHER (for herself, Mr. CLEAVER, Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia, Mr. 
THOMPSON of Mississippi, Ms. NORTON, Mr. SOTO, Ms. TLAIB, Mrs. 
BEATTY, and Mr. VEASEY) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Financial Services 
A BILL 
To assist applicants for community development block grant 
recovery assistance not having traditionally accepted 
forms of documentation of ownership of property to 
prove such ownership, 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 ‘‘Heirs Empowerment 
and Inheritance Rights Act of 2025’’ or the ‘‘HEIR Act 
of 2025’’. 
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SEC. 2. CDBG-DISASTER RECOVERY AND CDBG-MITIGATION 
PROGRAMS. 
(a) DOCUMENTATION OF PROPERTY OWNERSHIP.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Housing 
and Urban Development shall amend the regulations 
at part 570 of title 24, Code of Federal Regulations, 
to ensure that in providing assistance for the Com-
munity Development Block Grant program for Dis-
aster Recovery (CDBG–DR) and the Community 
Development Block Grant program for Mitigation 
(CDBG–MIT), in connection with a Presidentially 
declared disaster, in a case in which a homeowner is 
required to demonstrate ownership of a property 
heir property owners and any other owners not hav-
ing traditionally accepted forms of documentation of 
ownership of property are provided resources and 
options for proving ownership for purposes of receiv-
ing assistance under such Disaster Recovery and 
Mitigation programs. 
(2) ACCEPTABLE
DOCUMENTATION.—Accept-
able documentation for purposes paragraph (1) shall 
include— 
(A) a signed affidavit of ownership form 
developed pursuant to subsection (b); or 
(B) letters from local public or private 
schools, Federal or State benefit providers, and 
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social service organizations, including commu-
nity assistance programs and nonprofit organi-
zations. 
(3) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this sub-
section, the term ‘‘heir property’’ means residential 
property for which title passed by operation of law 
through intestacy and is held by two or more heirs 
as tenants in common. 
(b) AFFIDAVIT OF OWNERSHIP.— 
(1) DEVELOPMENT AND USE.—The Secretary 
of Housing and Urban Development shall amend the 
regulations at part 570 of title 24, Code of Federal 
Regulations, to provide for the use of a standardized 
affidavit of ownership form, to be developed by the 
Secretary, by grantees of the Community Develop-
ment Block Grant program for Disaster Recovery 
(CDBG–DR) and the Community Development 
Block Grant program for Mitigation (CDBG–MIT) 
in coordination with appropriate authorities of the 
applicable jurisdiction. Each grantee shall ensure 
that, at the time of application for housing repair 
and reconstruction assistance or mitigation assist-
ance under such programs— 
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(A) each applicant is informed of the exist-
ence of the affidavit of ownership and provided 
a copy at the time of application; and 
(B) copies of the form in English, Spanish, 
and any other locally predominant languages of 
the Presidentially-declared disaster area are ac-
cessible to the applicant. 
(2) PROHIBITION.—A grantee may not require 
that the signed affidavit of ownership form of an ap-
plicant be notarized. 
(c) EXEMPTION.—An affidavit of ownership form 
shall be exempt from any public comment periods or publi-
cation notices under part 570 of title 24, Code of Federal 
Regulations. 
Æ 
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