Relief for Recovering Communities Act

Bill: 115-hr-3452
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Weber, Randy K., Sr. [R-TX-14]
Introduced: 2017-07-27
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Disaster relief and insurance

Public transit

Transportation programs funding

Urban and suburban affairs and development
Latest action: action_date: 2017-07-28
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.

Summaries:
action_date: 2017-07-27
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Relief for Recovering Communities Act</b></p> <p>This bill requires the Department of Transportation to treat an area as an &quot;urbanized area&quot; following a major disaster under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act until the second decennial census conducted after such disaster if:</p> <ul> <li> the population of the area fell below 50,000 as a result of such disaster; </li> <li> the area was defined and designated as such by the Department of Commerce in the decennial census immediately preceding such disaster, beginning with the 2000 decennial census; and </li> <li> the area was not so defined and designated in the decennial census immediately following such disaster. </li> </ul> <p>An area treated as an urbanized area shall be assigned the population and square miles of the urban cluster with respect to the area designated by Commerce in the most recent decennial census. This designation as an urbanized area permits an application for federal transit funding based upon population levels in the area prior to the major disaster. </p> <ul> </ul>

tv_txt: I 115th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 3452 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 27, 2017 Mr. Weber of Texas introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure A BILL To amend section 5307 of title 49, United States Code, with respect to the treatment of a community as an urbanized area following a major disaster.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Relief for Recovering Communities Act . 2. Availability of urbanized area formula grants following a major disaster Section 5307 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: (i) Urbanized areas following a major disaster (1) Major disaster defined In this section, the term major disaster has the meaning given such term in section 102(2) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act ( 42 U.S.C. 5122(2) ). (2) Urbanized area major disaster population criteria Notwithstanding section 5302, the Secretary shall treat an area as an urbanized area for purposes of this section until the second decennial census conducted after a major disaster in such area if— (A) the population of the area fell below 50,000 as a result of such major disaster; (B) the area was defined and designated as an urbanized area by the Secretary of Commerce in the decennial census immediately preceding such major disaster, beginning with the 2000 decennial census; and (C) the area was not so defined and designated in the decennial census immediately following such major disaster. (3) Population calculation An area treated as an urbanized area under this subsection shall be assigned the population and square miles of the urban cluster with respect to the area designated by the Secretary of Commerce in the most recent decennial census. (4) Savings provision Nothing in this subsection may be construed to affect apportionments made under this chapter before the date of the enactment of this subsection. .