Title: Coronavirus Emergency Non-Congregate Housing Expansion Act
Policy area: Emergency Management

Summary:
Coronavirus Emergency Non-Congregate Housing Expansion Act
This bill makes non-congregate shelter expenses eligible for full funding reimbursement under the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA's) public assistance program during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency.
Non-congregate shelter is defined as shelter for specified individuals who test positive for, have been exposed to, or are asymptomatic of, COVID-19, as well as first responders, health care workers, emergency workers, and homeless individuals who do not require hospitalization. Such shelter may be in the form of hotels, motels, dormitories, or any other spaces that permit social distancing.
The federal share for non-congregate sheltering is increased to 100% (currently, FEMA only reimburses states, territories, and tribal governments for 75% of eligible costs incurred while performing emergency protective measures).

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6840 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6840

To provide for the coverage of non-congregate shelter under the Public 
   Assistance program of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
 Emergency Assistance Act for the emergency declared on March 13, 2020 
             relating to COVID-19, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 12, 2020

  Mr. Takano (for himself, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Espaillat, Mr. 
  Bera, Mr. Case, Ms. Castor of Florida, Ms. DeGette, Ms. Fudge, Mr. 
Garcia of Illinois, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Hastings, Mrs. Hayes, Ms. Norton, 
  Ms. Jackson Lee, Ms. Lee of California, Ms. Adams, Mrs. Beatty, Mr. 
Lowenthal, Ms. Moore, Mrs. Napolitano, Ms. Omar, Mr. Rose of New York, 
Ms. Schakowsky, and Mr. Soto) introduced the following bill; which was 
     referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide for the coverage of non-congregate shelter under the Public 
   Assistance program of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
 Emergency Assistance Act for the emergency declared on March 13, 2020 
             relating to COVID-19, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Coronavirus Emergency Non-Congregate 
Housing Expansion Act''.

SEC. 2. NON-CONGREGATE SHELTER ASSISTANCE.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding sections 403, 406, 407, and 502 of 
the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 
U.S.C. 5170b, 5172, 5173, 5192), for the emergency declared on March 
13, 2020, by the President under section 501 of such Act and under any 
subsequent major disaster declaration under section 401 of such Act, 
the provision of non-congregate shelter shall be an eligible use of 
assistance provided by the President under sections 403, 406, 407, or 
502 of such Act.
    (b) Non-Federal Share.--Notwithstanding sections 403, 406, 407, and 
503 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 
Act (42 U.S.C. 5170b, 5172, 5173, 5193), the Federal share of 
assistance provided under sections 403, 406, 407, or 502 that is used 
to provide non-congregate shelter in accordance with subsection (a) 
shall be 100 percent.
    (c) Non-Congregate Shelter Defined.--In this section, the term 
``non-congregate shelter'' means shelter for--
            (1) individuals who test positive for COVID-19 that do not 
        require hospitalization, but need isolation or quarantine 
        (including individuals that are discharged from a hospital);
            (2) individuals who have been exposed to COVID-19 (as 
        documented by a State or local public health official or a 
        medical professional) that do not require hospitalization, but 
        need isolation or quarantine;
            (3) individuals who are asymptomatic of COVID-19, but have 
        a higher risk, including individuals over 65 or individuals 
        with certain underlying health conditions (including 
        respiratory, compromised immunities, and chronic disease), and 
        that require emergency non-congregate shelting as a social 
        distancing measure;
            (4) first responders, healthcare workers, and emergency 
        workers that do not require hospitalization, but need isolation 
        or quarantine (including individuals that are unable to return 
        home as a precaution against exposing the families or 
        housemates of such individual to COVID-19); and
            (5) homeless individuals that have not been exposed or have 
        not tested positive for COVID-19, but require emergency non-
        congregate sheltering to adhere to social distancing measures.
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