[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 4874-4875]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




INTRODUCTION OF THE ``MORTGAGE AND RENTAL ASSISTANCE RESOTRATION ACT OF 
                                 2008''

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 2, 2008

  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, today, along with 
Representative Melancon, I am re-introducing ``The Mortgage and Rental 
Assistance Restoration Act of 2008.''
  My bill would reauthorize the Mortgage and Rental Assistance Act, 
MRA, which was discontinued by the Disaster Mitigation Act, effective 
May 2002. The MRA provides mortgage or rental payments to people who 
suffer a loss of income due to a federally declared disaster such as a 
hurricane or terrorist attack. Without a job, most people would be 
unable to keep their homes due to the financial burdens of mortgages or 
rents. The MRA provides cover for both homeowners and renters.
  After the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, individuals who 
required temporary housing assistance relied upon the MRA, included in 
the Stafford Act, for aid. Under the MRA program, many were eligible 
for grants to repair homes to a habitable condition, or to obtain 
mortgage or rental payment assistance to prevent foreclosures or 
evictions.
  The MRA program was a crucial component to help victims of the 
September 11 attack in my home State of New York. However, in 2005, in 
the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the MRA was not available for mortgage 
or rental assistance. As a result many people who would have been 
eligible for mortgage or rental assistance were unable to receive it. 
This was unfair and detrimental to the recovery process.
  The United States Government has a responsibility to help communities 
recover from unpredictable disasters and help citizens keep from losing 
their homes. The MRA program

[[Page 4875]]

helps provide stability during unstable times, and that is why it must 
be reauthorized.

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