I
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 3109
To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance
Act to establish a grant program for assisting small businesses and
agricultural enterprises in meeting disaster-related expenses.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
OCTOBER 19, 1999
Mrs. ROUKEMA (for himself, Mrs. CLAYTON, Mr. HOLT, Mr. SMITH of New
Jersey, Mr. SAXTON, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr. ROTHMAN, Mr.
PAYNE, Mr. HAYES, Mr. JONES of North Carolina, and Mr. LOBIONDO)
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 establish a grant program for
assisting small businesses and agricultural enterprises
in meeting disaster-related expenses.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SMALL BUSINESS AND AGRICULTURAL ENTER-
PRISE GRANT PROGRAM.
Title IV of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170a–42 U.S.C.
5189b) is amended by adding at the end the following:
‘‘SEC. 425. SMALL BUSINESS AND AGRICULTURAL ENTER-
PRISE GRANT PROGRAM.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The President is authorized to
make grants for the purposes of assisting small businesses
and agricultural enterprises adversely affected by a major
disaster in meeting their disaster-related expenses, includ-
ing the costs of nonstructural repairs and replacement of
noninsured contents and inventory.
‘‘(b) NO RELOCATION ASSISTANCE.—No small busi-
ness or agricultural enterprise receiving a grant under this
section may use the proceeds of such grant for relocation,
although such proceeds may be used for appropriate pur-
poses in a new location, at the discretion of the President,
for safety, health, or mitigation purposes.
‘‘(c) DUPLICATIVE ASSISTANCE.—
‘‘(1) LIABILITY.—A small business or agricul-
tural enterprise receiving assistance under this sec-
tion shall be liable to the United States to the extent
that such assistance duplicates benefits provided to
the small business or agricultural enterprise for the
same purpose from another Federal agency.
‘‘(2) COLLECTION BY FEDERAL AGENCIES.—A
Federal agency which provides any duplicative as-
sistance described in paragraph (1) shall collect an
amount equal to the value of such duplicative assist-
ance from the recipient in accordance with chapter
37 of title 31, United States Code, relating to debt
collection, when the head of such agency considers it
to be in the best interest of the Federal Government.
‘‘(3) NONAPPLICABILITY.—Section 312 shall
not apply to assistence provided under this section.
‘‘(d) LIMITS ON GRANTS.—No small business or agri-
cultural enterprise shall be eligible for assistance under
this section in relation to more than one major disaster,
and the maximum aggregate of such assistance to such
business or enterprise shall be $20,000 with respect to
such disaster.
‘‘(e) LIMIT
ON
TIME
PERIOD
FOR
MAKING
GRANTS.—The President may only make a grant under
this section during the 90-day period beginning on the
date of declaration of a major disaster under this title.
‘‘(f) REGULATIONS.—The President shall promulgate
regulations to carry out this section and such regulations
shall include criteria, standards, and procedures for the
determination of eligibility for grants and the administra-
tion of grants under this section.
‘‘(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the following
definitions apply:
‘‘(1) AGRICULTURAL ENTERPRISE.—The term
‘agricultural enterprise’ includes—
‘‘(A) a farm not larger than a family farm
within the meaning of such phrase under sec-
tion 321 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural
Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1961); and
‘‘(B) an enterprise engaged in the business
of production of food and fiber, ranching and
raising of livestock, aquaculture, and all other
farming and agricultural related industries
within the meaning of such phrase under sec-
tion 3(a) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C.
632(a)).
‘‘(2) SMALL BUSINESS.—The term ‘small busi-
ness’ has the meaning the term ‘small business con-
cern’ has under section 3 of the Small Business Act
(15 U.S.C. 632).’’.
SEC. 2. APPLICABILITY.
The amendments made by section 1 shall apply to
any major disaster declared after September 1, 1999, and
before the date of enactment of this Act. For purposes
of section 425(d) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief
and Emergency Assistance Act, the 90-day period for such
disaster shall begin on such date of enactment.
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