Transparent Disaster Relief Act of 2018

Bill: 115-hr-7111
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Rice, Kathleen M. [D-NY-4]
Introduced: 2018-10-30
Policy area: Emergency Management
Subjects: Disaster relief and insurance

Government information and archives

Government lending and loan guarantees
Latest action: action_date: 2018-10-31
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management.

Summaries:
action_date: 2018-10-30
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Transparent Disaster Relief Act of 2018</b></p> <p>This bill amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to: (1) require recipients of federal assistance for a major disaster or emergency to sign a statement, as a condition of such assistance, that acknowledges the requirements relating to duplication of benefits under such Act. It also amends the Small Business Act to require notification to recipients of disaster assistance that they may decline to accept a loan, including for any reason relating to eligibility for other federal assistance.</p>

tv_txt: I 115th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 7111 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES October 30, 2018 Miss Rice of New York (for herself and Mr. King of New York ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure , and in addition to the Committee on Small Business , 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 amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to increase transparency with respect to duplication of benefits requirements, to amend the Small Business Act to notify disaster loan recipients of their ability to refuse assistance, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Transparent Disaster Relief Act of 2018 . 2. Duplication of benefits Section 312 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act ( 42 U.S.C. 5155 ) is amended by adding at the end the following: (e) Transparency (1) Statement of acknowledgment The President shall ensure that each person receiving Federal assistance for a major disaster or emergency signs a statement, as a condition of such assistance, that acknowledges the requirements under this section relating to duplication of benefits, including an acknowledgment of the types of assistance that may result in a duplication of benefits. (2) Recoupment Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this subsection, the President shall ensure that any action to collect duplicative assistance from a recipient under this section includes the provision to the recipient of all documentation used to determine the relevant duplication of benefits. . 3. Notification to disaster loan recipients Section 7(b)(10) of the Small Business Act ( 15 U.S.C. 636(b)(10) ) is amended— (1) by amending the paragraph heading to read as follows: NOTIFICATION ; (2) by striking loan. and inserting loan; and ; (3) by striking the applicant may submit and inserting the applicant— (A) may submit ; and (4) by adding at the end the following: (B) is not required to accept the loan for which the applicant applied, including for any reason relating to eligibility for other Federal assistance. .