[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2983 Introduced in Senate (IS)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2983

   To provide for the Department of Housing and Urban Development to 
coordinate Federal housing assistance efforts in the case of disasters 
                 resulting in long-term housing needs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 23, 2006

 Ms. Landrieu introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
    referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To provide for the Department of Housing and Urban Development to 
coordinate Federal housing assistance efforts in the case of disasters 
                 resulting in long-term housing needs.

    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 ``Natural Disaster Housing Reform Act 
of 2006''.

SEC. 2. HUD AS LEAD AGENCY IN CASES OF DISASTERS RESULTING IN LONG-TERM 
              HOUSING NEEDS.

    (a) In General.--It is the policy of the United States that the 
Department of Housing and Urban Development shall be primary Federal 
agency responsible for coordinating and administering housing 
assistance in connection with any major disaster (as such term is 
defined in section 102 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122)) for any area that, pursuant 
to section 408(b)(2) of such Act, is determined to be an area for which 
such disaster will result in long-term housing needs.
    (b) Consultation.--The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 
shall, in coordinating and administering housing assistance pursuant to 
subsection (a), consult with the Secretary of Homeland Security, the 
Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and such other 
heads of Federal agencies as may be appropriate.
    (c) Use of Regional and Local Offices.--In coordinating and 
administering housing assistance pursuant to subsection (a), the 
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall utilize staff and 
other resources of appropriate regional, field, and area offices of the 
Department and consult and coordinate with appropriate State and local 
housing agencies.
    (d) Preparedness.--The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 
shall take such actions as may be necessary to ensure that officers and 
staff of the Department at headquarters, regional, field, and area 
offices at all times have the capability, capacity, training, and 
resources necessary to carry out the responsibilities under subsection 
(a).
    (e) Housing Assistance.--For purposes of this section, the term 
``housing assistance''--
            (1) means any assistance that is provided to individuals, 
        families, or households to respond to disaster-related housing 
        needs of individuals, families, or households who are displaced 
        from their predisaster primary residences or whose predisaster 
        primary residences are rendered uninhabitable as a result of 
        damage caused by a major disaster pursuant to--
                    (A) the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
                Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.)); or
                    (B) any other provision of law specifically 
                providing funds or assistance in connection with a 
                major disaster; and
            (2) includes--
                    (A) financial assistance;
                    (B) the provision of temporary, transitional, and 
                permanent housing units;
                    (C) assistance for repair, replacement, and 
                construction of housing units;
                    (D) technical assistance; and
                    (E) any other form or type of housing assistance.
    (f) Determination of Long-Term Housing Needs.--Section 408(b) of 
the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 
U.S.C. 5174(b)) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraph (2) as paragraph (3); and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following new 
        paragraph:
            ``(2) Determination of areas for which disaster results in 
        long-term housing needs.--
                    ``(A) State request.--After the occurrence and 
                declaration of a major disaster, the Governor of a 
                State containing any area that is subject to the 
                declaration by the President of such major disaster may 
                request the President to determine, for all or any part 
                of such area in the State, that the disaster will 
                result in long-term housing needs.
                    ``(B) Standard.--
                            ``(i) In general.--Upon a request pursuant 
                        to subparagraph (A), the President shall 
                        determine whether to grant such request.
                            ``(ii) Findings.--The President shall grant 
                        such a request and determine that the major 
                        disaster will result in long-term housing needs 
                        with respect to an area if the President finds 
                        that the disaster will displace individuals or 
                        households in the area from their predisaster 
                        primary residences, or will render such 
                        predisaster primary residences in the area 
                        uninhabitable, for a period of 30 days or 
                        more.''.
    (g) Conforming Amendment.--Section 408(b) of the Robert T. Stafford 
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174(b)), as 
amended by subsection (f) of this section, is amended by adding at the 
end the following:
            ``(4) HUD administration.--In accordance with section 2 of 
        the Natural Disaster Housing Reform Act of 2006, in the case of 
        any area for which any major disaster is determined to result 
        in long-term housing needs pursuant to paragraph (2), the 
        President shall carry out the functions under this section 
        relating to housing assistance, including this subsection and 
        subsections (c) and (d), acting through the Secretary of 
        Housing and Urban Development.''.
    (h) Savings Provision.--This section and the amendments made by 
this section may not be construed to affect, alter, limit, or decrease 
the authority of the Director of the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency in the overall coordination of assistance and relief with 
respect to a major disaster.

SEC. 3. FEDERAL ASSISTANCE TO INDIVIDUALS AND HOUSEHOLDS.

    Section 408 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) in paragraph (3) (as so redesignated by section 
                2(f)(1) of this Act), by adding at the end the 
                following:
                    ``(C) Manufactured modular housing.--In making any 
                determination of cost effectiveness under subparagraph 
                (A), the President shall consider whether or not 
                manufactured modular housing can be provided to an 
                individual or household at a cost to the Government 
                that is less than the same cost necessary to provide 
                other readily fabricated dwellings.''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(5) Consent of owner.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Notwithstanding paragraph 
                (2)(C), the President shall seek the consent of each 
                individual or household prior to providing such 
                individual or household with manufactured modular 
                housing assistance.
                    ``(B) Rejection of manufactured modular housing 
                assistance.--If an individual or household does not 
                provide consent under subparagraph (A), such individual 
                or household shall remain eligible for any other 
                assistance available under this section.
            ``(6) Owner contribution.--Nothing in this section shall be 
        construed to prevent an individual or household from 
        contributing, in addition to any assistance provided under this 
        section, such sums as are necessary in order to obtain 
        manufactured modular housing that is of greater size or quality 
        than that provided by the President under this section.'';
            (2) in subsection (c)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1)(A)(ii), by inserting ``the 
                amount of any security deposit for the accommodation, 
                the amount of any utility fees associated with the 
                accommodation, and'' after ``plus'';
                    (B) in paragraph (2)--
                            (i) in subparagraph (A)--
                                    (I) in clause (i), by striking 
                                ``(i)'' and inserting ``(i)(I)'';
                                    (II) by redesignating clause (ii) 
                                as subparagraph (II); and
                                    (III) by adding at the end the 
                                following:
                            ``(ii) the repair, to a safe and sanitary 
                        living or functioning condition, of existing 
                        rental units that, upon such repair, will be 
                        used as alternate housing accommodations for 
                        individuals or households described in 
                        paragraph (1).'';
                            (ii) in subparagraph (B)--
                                    (I) by striking ``this paragraph'' 
                                and inserting ``subparagraph (A)(i)''; 
                                and
                                    (II) by inserting ``not'' after 
                                ``can''; and
                            (iii) in subparagraph (C), by striking 
                        ``this paragraph'' and inserting ``subparagraph 
                        (A)(i)''; and
                    (C) in paragraph (4)--
                            (i) in the paragraph heading, by inserting 
                        ``or semi-permanent'' after ``Permanent'';
                            (ii) by inserting ``or semi-permanent'' 
                        after ``permanent'';
                            (iii) by striking ``in insular areas'' and 
                        inserting the following: ``in--
                    ``(A) insular areas'';
                            (iv) by striking ``(A) no alternative'' and 
                        inserting ``(i) no alternative'' and adjusting 
                        the margin accordingly;
                            (v) by striking ``(B)'' and inserting 
                        ``(ii)'' and adjusting the margin accordingly;
                            (vi) by striking the period at the end and 
                        inserting ``; and''; and
                            (vii) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(B) any area in which the President declared a 
                major disaster or emergency in connection with 
                Hurricane Katrina of 2005 during the period beginning 
                on August 28, 2005, and ending on December 31, 2007.'';
            (3) in subsection (d)(1), by adding at the end the 
        following:
                    ``(C) Sites located in a floodplain.--
                Notwithstanding any other provision of law, including 
                section 9 of title 44, Code of Federal Regulations (or 
                any corresponding similar regulation or ruling), any 
                permanent, semi-permanent, or temporary housing 
                provided under this section, including any readily 
                fabricated dwelling, manufactured housing, or 
                manufactured modular housing, may be located in any 
                area identified by the Director as an area having 
                special flood hazards under section 102 of the Flood 
                Disaster Protection Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 4012a)).
                    ``(D) Individual sites for manufactured modular 
                housing.--Manufactured modular housing made available 
                under this section--
                            ``(i) shall, whenever practicable, be 
                        located on a site that is a discrete and 
                        separate parcel of land; and
                            ``(ii) may not be located on a site that--
                                    ``(I) is managed by the Director; 
                                and
                                    ``(II) contains 3 or more other 
                                manufactured modular housing units.''; 
                                and
            (4) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(j) Evacuation Plans.--The Director, in consultation with the 
Governor of each State and the heads of such units of local government 
as the Director may determine, shall develop and maintain detailed and 
comprehensive mass evacuation plans for individuals or households 
receiving assistance under this section for the 18-month period 
beginning on the date of the declaration of the disaster for which such 
assistance is provided.''.
                                 <all>