[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 127 (Thursday, July 27, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S4430]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. CORNYN (for himself and Mr. Kaine):
  S. 1664. A bill to amend section 5307 of title 49, United States 
Code, with respect to the treatment of communities as urbanized areas 
following a major disaster; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 
Urban Affairs.
  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of 
the bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 1664

       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 ``Relief for Recovering 
     Communities Act''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITION OF URBANIZED AREAS FOLLOWING A MAJOR 
                   DISASTER.

       Section 5307 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by 
     adding at the end the following:
       ``(i) Urbanized Areas Following a Major Disaster.--
       ``(1) Defined term.--In this section, the term `major 
     disaster' has the meaning given such term in section 102(2) 
     of the Disaster Relief Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5122(2)).
       ``(2) Urbanized area major disaster population criteria.--
     Notwithstanding section 5302, the Secretary shall treat an 
     area as an `urbanized area' for purposes of this section 
     until the second decennial census conducted after a major 
     disaster in such area if--
       ``(A) the area was defined and designated as an `urbanized 
     area' by the Secretary of Commerce in the decennial census 
     immediately preceding such major disaster, effective with the 
     2000 decennial census; and
       ``(B) the population of the area fell below 50,000 as a 
     result of such major disaster.
       ``(3) Population calculation.--An area treated as an 
     `urbanized area' under this subsection shall be assigned the 
     population and square miles of the urban cluster designated 
     by the Secretary of Commerce in the most recent decennial 
     census.
       ``(4) Savings provision.--Nothing in this subsection may be 
     construed to affect apportionments made under this chapter 
     before the date of the enactment of this subsection.''.
                                 ______