[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2257 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2257

     To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
     Assistance Act to make modifications to the temporary housing 
                          assistance program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 24, 1997

Mr. Strickland introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
             Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
     Assistance Act to make modifications to the temporary housing 
                          assistance program.

    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 ``Disaster Assistance Fairness Act of 
1997''.

SEC. 2. TEMPORARY HOUSING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

    Section 408(c) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174(c)) is amended to read as 
follows:
    ``(c) In Lieu Expenditures.--
            ``(1) In general.--With respect to any major disaster 
        occurring after January 1, 1997, in lieu of providing other 
        types of temporary housing after a major disaster, the 
        President is authorized to make expenditures for the purpose 
        of--
                    ``(A) repairing or restoring to a habitable 
                condition owner-occupied private residential structures 
                made uninhabitable by a major disaster which are 
                capable of being restored quickly to a habitable 
                condition; and
                    ``(B) repairing, restoring to a habitable 
                condition, or replacing owner-occupied private 
                residential structures made uninhabitable by a major 
                disaster which are not capable of being restored 
                quickly to a habitable condition.
            ``(2) Payment amounts.--A grant made pursuant to paragraph 
        (1) may not exceed $10,000 (based on fiscal year 1998 constant 
        dollars), except that the President may increase such grant 
        amount if the President determines that unusual circumstances 
        warrant the increase.
            ``(3) Flood insurance.--The President may not waive any 
        provision of Federal law requiring the purchase of flood 
        insurance as a condition for the receipt of Federal disaster 
        assistance with respect to assistance provided under paragraph 
        (1)(B).
            ``(4) Income requirement.--Eligibility for a grant under 
        paragraph (1)(B) shall be limited to households with annual 
        income less than the national median income, as determined by 
        the Secretary of Commerce.''.
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