[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6916 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6916

     To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
  Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide assistance to 
individuals and households that are required to evacuate their primary 
              residences as a result of a major disaster.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 16, 2008

 Mr. Jefferson (for himself and Mr. Melancon) 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 authorize the President to provide assistance to 
individuals and households that are required to evacuate their primary 
              residences as a result of a major disaster.

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

SECTION 1. EVACUATION ASSISTANCE TO INDIVIDUALS AND HOUSEHOLDS.

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

``SEC. 426. EVACUATION ASSISTANCE TO INDIVIDUALS AND HOUSEHOLDS.

    ``(a) In General.--The President may provide assistance to 
individuals and households that, pursuant to a mandatory evacuation 
order issued by a State or local government as a result of a major 
disaster, are required to evacuate their primary residences for a 
period of 2 or more days.
    ``(b) Form of Assistance.--Assistance authorized under this section 
shall be provided in the form of reimbursement for subsistence expenses 
incurred by an individual or household during the period of a mandatory 
evacuation. Assistance provided under this section for the members of a 
household shall be provided to the head of the household.
    ``(c) Limitations.--
            ``(1) Maximum period of assistance.--Assistance authorized 
        under this section may be provided for expenses incurred during 
        a period of not more than 7 days.
            ``(2) Maximum amount of assistance.--Assistance authorized 
        under this section for individuals and households evacuated to 
        a locality may not exceed the amount of the per diem allowance 
        established for the locality under subchapter I of chapter 57 
        of title 5, United States Code.
    ``(d) Date of Eligibility.--Assistance authorized under this 
section with respect to a major disaster may be provided for expenses 
incurred before the date of the declaration of the disaster.
    ``(e) Subsistence Defined.--In this section, the term `subsistence' 
has the meaning given that term in section 5701 of title 5, United 
States Code.''.
    (b) Applicability.--The amendment made by this section shall apply 
with respect to a major disaster declared by the President on or after 
September 1, 2008.
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