I 
109TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5393 
To provide for the Department of Housing and Urban Development to coordi-
nate Federal housing assistance efforts in the case of disasters resulting 
in long-term housing needs. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 16, 2006 
Mr. BAKER (for himself and Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services, 
and in addition to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
committee concerned 
A BILL 
To provide for the Department of Housing and Urban Devel-
opment to coordinate Federal housing assistance efforts 
in the case of disasters resulting in long-term housing 
needs. 
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 ‘‘Natural Disaster 
Housing Reform Act of 2006’’. 
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SEC. 2. HUD AS LEAD AGENCY IN CASES OF DISASTERS RE-
SULTING IN LONG-TERM HOUSING NEEDS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—It is the policy of the United 
States that the Department of Housing and Urban Devel-
opment shall be primary Federal agency responsible for 
coordinating and administering housing assistance in con-
nection with any major disaster (as such term is defined 
in section 102 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122)) for any 
area that, pursuant to section 408(b)(2) of such Act, is 
determined to be an area for which such disaster will re-
sult in long-term housing needs. 
(b) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary of Housing and 
Urban Development shall, in coordinating and admin-
istering housing assistance pursuant to subsection (a), 
consult with the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Di-
rector of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, 
and such other heads of Federal agencies as may be ap-
propriate. 
(c) USE OF REGIONAL AND LOCAL OFFICES.—In co-
ordinating and administering housing assistance pursuant 
to subsection (a), the Secretary of Housing and Urban De-
velopment shall utilize staff and other resources of appro-
priate regional, field, and area offices of the Department 
and consult and coordinate with appropriate State and 
local housing agencies. 
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(d) PREPAREDNESS.—The Secretary of Housing and 
Urban Development shall take such actions as may be nec-
essary to ensure that officers and staff of the Department 
at headquarters, regional, field, and area offices at all 
times have the capability, capacity, training, and resources 
necessary to carry out the responsibilities under sub-
section (a). 
(e) HOUSING ASSISTANCE.—For purposes of this sec-
tion, the term ‘‘housing assistance’’ means any assistance 
that is provided to individuals, families, or households to 
respond to disaster-related housing needs of individuals, 
families, or households who are displaced from their 
predisaster primary residences or whose predisaster pri-
mary residences are rendered uninhabitable as a result of 
damage caused by a major disaster pursuant to— 
(1) the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et 
seq.)); or 
(2) any other provision of law specifically pro-
viding funds or assistance in connection with a 
major disaster. 
Such term includes financial assistance, the provision of 
temporary, transitional, and permanent housing units, as-
sistance for repair, replacement, and construction of hous-
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ing units, technical assistance, and any other form or type 
of housing assistance. 
(f) DETERMINATION
OF
LONG-TERM
HOUSING 
NEEDS.—Section 408(b) of the Robert T. Stafford Dis-
aster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 
5174) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating paragraph (2) as para-
graph (3); and 
(2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol-
lowing new paragraph: 
‘‘(2) DETERMINATION OF AREAS FOR WHICH 
DISASTER
RESULTS
IN
LONG-TERM
HOUSING 
NEEDS.— 
‘‘(A) STATE REQUEST.—After the occur-
rence and declaration of a major disaster, the 
Governor of a State containing any area that is 
subject to the declaration by the President of 
such major disaster may request the President 
to determine, for all or any part of such area 
in the State, that the disaster will result in 
long-term housing needs. 
‘‘(B) STANDARD.—Upon a request pursu-
ant to subparagraph (A), the President shall 
determine whether to grant such request. The 
President shall grant such a request and deter-
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mine that the major disaster will result in long- 
term housing needs with respect to an area if 
the President finds that the disaster will dis-
place individuals or households in the area from 
their predisaster primary residences, or will 
render such predisaster primary residences in 
the area uninhabitable, for a period of 30 days 
or more.’’. 
(g) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 408(b) of 
the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency As-
sistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174), as amended by subsection 
(f) of this section, is further amended by adding at the 
end the following new paragraph: 
‘‘(4) HUD ADMINISTRATION.—In accordance 
with section 2 of the Natural Disaster Housing Re-
form Act of 2006, in the case of any area for which 
any major disaster is determined, pursuant to para-
graph (2), to result in long-term housing needs, the 
President shall carry out the functions under this 
section relating to housing assistance, including this 
subsection and subsections (c) and (d), acting 
through the Secretary of Housing and Urban Devel-
opment.’’. 
(h) SAVINGS
PROVISION.—This section and the 
amendments made by this section may not be construed 
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