[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2171 Introduced in Senate (IS)]








109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2171

     To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
    Assistance Act to reauthorize the temporary mortgage and rental 
                           payments program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           December 21, 2005

 Ms. Landrieu introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
    Assistance Act to reauthorize the temporary mortgage and rental 
                           payments 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 ``Mortgage and Rental Assistance 
Reauthorization Act of 2005''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The mortgage and rental assistance program was 
        authorized under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
        Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) to provide 
        assistance to individuals who have lost a portion of their 
        income and are having difficulties paying their rents or 
        mortgages.
            (2) The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-
        390) amended the Stafford Act to end the program in May 2002.
            (3) Following the major disaster declaration resulting from 
        the terrorist attacks in New York on September 11, 2001, the 
        Federal Emergency Management Agency allowed the use of funds 
        under the program to aid residents who were having difficulties 
        paying their rents or mortgages.
            (4) The program should be reauthorized to allow the Federal 
        Government to provide direct housing assistance to those who 
        have been displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

SEC. 3. TEMPORARY MORTGAGE RENTAL ASSISTANCE.

    Section 408(c)(1) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174(c)(1)) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as subparagraph (C); 
        and
            (2) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the following:
                    ``(B) Temporary mortgage and rental payments.--
                            ``(i) In general.--The President is 
                        authorized to provide assistance on a temporary 
                        basis in the form of mortgage or rental 
                        payments to, or on behalf of, an individual 
                        who, as a result of financial hardship caused 
                        by a major disaster, receives written notice of 
                        dispossession of or eviction from a residence 
                        by reason of a foreclosure of any mortgage or 
                        lien, cancellation of any contract of sale, or 
                        termination of any lease, entered into prior to 
                        such major disaster.
                            ``(ii) Duration of assistance.--The 
                        assistance authorized under this subparagraph 
                        shall be provided for the duration of the 
                        period of financial hardship, but such period 
                        shall not exceed 18 months.''.

SEC. 4. APPLICABILITY.

    The amendments made by section 3 shall apply with respect to any 
major disaster occurring on or after August 24, 2005.
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