[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3109 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3109

     To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
    Assistance Act to establish a grant program for assisting small 
  businesses and agricultural enterprises in meeting disaster-related 
                               expenses.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 19, 1999

  Mrs. Roukema (for himself, Mrs. Clayton, Mr. Holt, Mr. Smith of New 
Jersey, Mr. Saxton, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Pascrell, Mr. Rothman, Mr. Payne, 
 Mr. Hayes, Mr. Jones of North Carolina, and Mr. LoBiondo) 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 establish a grant program for assisting small 
  businesses and agricultural enterprises in meeting disaster-related 
                               expenses.

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

SECTION 1. SMALL BUSINESS AND AGRICULTURAL ENTERPRISE GRANT PROGRAM.

    Title IV of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170a-42 U.S.C. 5189b) is amended by adding 
at the end the following:

``SEC. 425. SMALL BUSINESS AND AGRICULTURAL ENTERPRISE GRANT PROGRAM.

    ``(a) In General.--The President is authorized to make grants for 
the purposes of assisting small businesses and agricultural enterprises 
adversely affected by a major disaster in meeting their disaster-
related expenses, including the costs of nonstructural repairs and 
replacement of noninsured contents and inventory.
    ``(b) No Relocation Assistance.--No small business or agricultural 
enterprise receiving a grant under this section may use the proceeds of 
such grant for relocation, although such proceeds may be used for 
appropriate purposes in a new location, at the discretion of the 
President, for safety, health, or mitigation purposes.
    ``(c) Duplicative Assistance.--
            ``(1) Liability.--A small business or agricultural 
        enterprise receiving assistance under this section shall be 
        liable to the United States to the extent that such assistance 
        duplicates benefits provided to the small business or 
        agricultural enterprise for the same purpose from another 
        Federal agency.
            ``(2) Collection by federal agencies.--A Federal agency 
        which provides any duplicative assistance described in 
        paragraph (1) shall collect an amount equal to the value of 
        such duplicative assistance from the recipient in accordance 
        with chapter 37 of title 31, United States Code, relating to 
        debt collection, when the head of such agency considers it to 
        be in the best interest of the Federal Government.
            ``(3) Nonapplicability.--Section 312 shall not apply to 
        assistence provided under this section.
    ``(d) Limits on Grants.--No small business or agricultural 
enterprise shall be eligible for assistance under this section in 
relation to more than one major disaster, and the maximum aggregate of 
such assistance to such business or enterprise shall be $20,000 with 
respect to such disaster.
    ``(e) Limit on Time Period for Making Grants.--The President may 
only make a grant under this section during the 90-day period beginning 
on the date of declaration of a major disaster under this title.
  ``(f) Regulations.--The President shall promulgate regulations to 
carry out this section and such regulations shall include criteria, 
standards, and procedures for the determination of eligibility for 
grants and the administration of grants under this section.
    ``(g) Definitions.--In this section, the following definitions 
apply:
            ``(1) Agricultural enterprise.--The term `agricultural 
        enterprise' includes--
                    ``(A) a farm not larger than a family farm within 
                the meaning of such phrase under section 321 of the 
                Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 
                1961); and
                    ``(B) an enterprise engaged in the business of 
                production of food and fiber, ranching and raising of 
                livestock, aquaculture, and all other farming and 
                agricultural related industries within the meaning of 
                such phrase under section 3(a) of the Small Business 
                Act (15 U.S.C. 632(a)).
            ``(2) Small business.--The term `small business' has the 
        meaning the term `small business concern' has under section 3 
        of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632).''.

SEC. 2. APPLICABILITY.

    The amendments made by section 1 shall apply to any major disaster 
declared after September 1, 1999, and before the date of enactment of 
this Act. For purposes of section 425(d) of the Robert T. Stafford 
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, the 90-day period for 
such disaster shall begin on such date of enactment.
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