I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4707 
To establish a community disaster assistance fund for housing and community 
development and to authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Devel-
opment to provide, from the fund, assistance through a community devel-
opment block grant disaster recovery program, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 27, 2021 
Mr. GREEN of Texas introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on 
Appropriations, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speak-
er, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the ju-
risdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To establish a community disaster assistance fund for hous-
ing and community development and to authorize the 
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to provide, 
from the fund, assistance through a community develop-
ment block grant disaster recovery program, 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 ‘‘Reforming Disaster 
Recovery Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds that— 
(1) following a major disaster declared by the 
President under section 401 of the Robert T. Staf-
ford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 
(42 U.S.C. 5170), the subset of communities that 
are most impacted and distressed as a result of the 
disaster face critical social, economic, and environ-
mental obstacles to recovery, including insufficient 
public and private resources to address disaster-re-
lated housing and community development needs for 
lower income households and distressed commu-
nities; 
(2) unmet disaster recovery needs, including 
housing assistance needs, can be especially wide-
spread among persons with extremely low, low, and 
moderate incomes; 
(3) economic, social, and housing hardships 
that affect communities before disasters are exacer-
bated during crises and can delay and complicate 
long-term recovery, especially after catastrophic 
major disasters; 
(4) States, units of local government, and In-
dian Tribes within the most impacted and distressed 
areas resulting from major disasters benefit from 
flexibility to design programs that meet local needs, 
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but face inadequate financial, technical, and staffing 
capacity to plan and carry out sustained recovery, 
restoration, and mitigation activities; 
(5) the speed and effectiveness considerations of 
long-term recovery from catastrophic major disasters 
is improved by predictable investments that support 
disaster relief, long-term recovery, restoration of 
housing and infrastructure, and economic revitaliza-
tion, primarily for the benefit of low- and moderate- 
income persons; 
(6) undertaking activities that mitigate the ef-
fects of future natural disasters and extreme weath-
er and increase the stock of affordable housing, in-
cluding affordable rental housing, as part of long- 
term recovery can significantly reduce future fiscal 
and social costs, especially within high-risk areas, 
and can help to address outstanding housing and 
community development needs by creating jobs and 
providing other economic and social benefits within 
communities that further promote recovery and resil-
ience; and 
(7) the general welfare and security of the na-
tion and the health and living standards of its people 
require targeted resources to support State and local 
governments in carrying out their responsibilities in 
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disaster recovery and mitigation through interim and 
long-term housing and community development ac-
tivities that primarily benefit persons of low and 
moderate income. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) DEPARTMENT.—The term ‘‘Department’’ 
means the Department of Housing and Urban De-
velopment. 
(2) FUND.—The term ‘‘Fund’’ means the 
Long-Term Disaster Recovery Fund established 
under section 5. 
(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. 
SEC. 4. DUTIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND 
URBAN DEVELOPMENT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The offices and officers of the De-
partment shall be responsible for— 
(1) leading and coordinating the disaster-re-
lated responsibilities of the Department under the 
National Response Framework, the National Dis-
aster Recovery Framework, and the National Mitiga-
tion Framework; 
(2) coordinating and administering programs, 
policies, and activities of the Department related to 
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disaster relief, long-term recovery, resiliency, and 
mitigation, including disaster recovery assistance 
under title I of the Housing and Community Devel-
opment Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.); 
(3) supporting disaster-impacted communities 
as those communities specifically assess, plan for, 
and address the housing stock and housing needs in 
the transition from emergency shelters and interim 
housing to permanent housing of those displaced, es-
pecially among vulnerable populations and extremely 
low-, low-, and moderate-income households; 
(4) collaborating with the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency, the Small Business Adminis-
tration, and across the Department to align disaster- 
related regulations and policies, including incorpora-
tion of consensus-based codes and standards and in-
surance purchase requirements, and ensuring coordi-
nation and reducing duplication among other Fed-
eral disaster recovery programs; 
(5) promoting best practices in mitigation and 
land use planning, including consideration of tradi-
tional, natural, and nature-based infrastructure al-
ternatives; 
(6) coordinating technical assistance, including 
mitigation, resiliency, and recovery training and in-
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formation on all relevant legal and regulatory re-
quirements, to entities that receive disaster recovery 
assistance under title I of the Housing and Commu-
nity Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5301 et 
seq.) that demonstrate capacity constraints; and 
(7) supporting State, Tribal, and local govern-
ments in developing, coordinating, and maintaining 
their capacity for disaster resilience and recovery, 
and developing pre-disaster recovery and hazard 
mitigation plans, in coordination with the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency and other Federal 
agencies. 
(b) ESTABLISHMENT OF THE OFFICE OF DISASTER 
MANAGEMENT AND RESILIENCY.—Section 4 of the De-
partment of Housing and Urban Development Act (42 
U.S.C. 3533) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(i) OFFICE OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT AND RE-
SILIENCY.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established, 
in the Office of the Secretary, the Office of Disaster 
Management and Resiliency. 
‘‘(2) DUTIES.—The Office of Disaster Manage-
ment and Resiliency shall— 
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‘‘(A) be responsible for oversight and co-
ordination of all departmental disaster pre-
paredness and response responsibilities; and 
‘‘(B) coordinate with the Federal Emer-
gency Management Agency, the Small Business 
Administration, and the Office of Community 
Planning and Development and other offices of 
the Department in supporting recovery and re-
silience activities to provide a comprehensive 
approach in working with communities.’’. 
SEC. 5. LONG-TERM DISASTER RECOVERY FUND. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 
Treasury of the United States an account to be known 
as the Long-Term Disaster Recovery Fund. 
(b) DEPOSITS, TRANSFERS, AND CREDIT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Fund shall consist of 
amounts appropriated, transferred, and credited to 
the Fund. 
(2) TRANSFERS.—The following may be trans-
ferred to the Fund: 
(A) Amounts made available through sec-
tion 106(c)(4) of the Housing and Community 
Development 
Act 
of 
1974 
(42 
U.S.C. 
5306(c)(4)) as a result of actions taken under 
section 104(e), 111, or 123(j) of such Act. 
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(B) Any unobligated balances available 
until expended remaining or subsequently re-
captured from amounts appropriated for any 
disaster and related purposes under the heading 
‘‘Community Development Fund’’ in any Act 
prior to the establishment of the Fund. 
(3) 
USE
OF
TRANSFERRED
AMOUNTS.— 
Amounts transferred to the Fund shall be used for 
the eligible uses described in subsection (c). 
(c) ELIGIBLE USES OF FUND.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Amounts in the Fund shall 
be available— 
(A) to provide assistance in the form of 
grants under section 123 of the Housing and 
Community Development Act of 1974, as added 
by section 6; and 
(B) for activities of the Department that 
support the provision of such assistance, includ-
ing necessary salaries and expenses, informa-
tion technology, capacity building and technical 
assistance (including assistance related to pre- 
disaster planning), and readiness and other pre- 
disaster planning activities that are not readily 
attributable to a single major disaster. 
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