Duplications of Benefits Victims Relief Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2341 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2341

     To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency
    Assistance Act to waive certain prohibitions on duplication of
                   benefits, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 25, 2025

  Mr. Rouzer (for himself and Mr. Carter of Louisiana) 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 waive certain prohibitions on duplication of
                   benefits, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Duplications of Benefits Victims
Relief Act''.

SEC. 2. DUPLICATION OF BENEFITS.

    (a) In General.--
            (1) Authority.--Section 312(b) of the Robert T. Stafford
        Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C.
        5155(b)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4) Waiver of general prohibition.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The President may waive the
                general prohibition provided in subsection (a) upon
                request of a Governor on behalf of the State or on
                behalf of a person, business concern, or any other
                entity suffering losses as a result of a major disaster
                or emergency, if the President finds such waiver is in
                the public interest and will not result in waste,
                fraud, or abuse. In making this decision, the President
                may consider the following:
                            ``(i) The recommendations of the
                        Administrator of the Federal Emergency
                        Management Agency made in consultation with the
                        Federal agency or agencies administering the
                        duplicative program.
                            ``(ii) If a waiver is granted, the
                        assistance to be funded is cost effective.
                            ``(iii) Equity and good conscience.
                            ``(iv) Other matters of public policy
                        considered appropriate by the President.
                    ``(B) Grant or denial of waiver.--A request under
                subparagraph (A) shall be granted or denied not later
                than 45 days after submission of such request.
                    ``(C) Prohibition on determination that loan is a
                duplication.--Notwithstanding subsection (c), in
                carrying out subparagraph (A), the President may not
                determine that a loan is a duplication of assistance,
                provided that all Federal assistance is used toward a
                loss suffered as a result of the major disaster or
                emergency.
                    ``(D) Prohibition on income threshold.--In carrying
                out this paragraph, no income threshold may be applied
                to limit the eligibility of a recipient from qualifying
                for a waiver under this paragraph.
                    ``(E) Applicability.--This paragraph shall apply to
                any major disaster or emergency declared by the
                President under section 401 or 501, respectively, on or
                after January 1, 2016.''.
            (2) Statutory construction.--This subsection, including the
        amendment made by paragraph (1), shall not be construed to
        apply to section 406 or 408 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster
        Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5172, 5174).
            (3) Report.--
                    (A) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the
                date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the
                Federal Emergency Management Agency, in coordination
                with other relevant Federal agencies, shall submit to
                the congressional committees of jurisdiction a report
                conducted by all relevant Federal agencies to improve
                the comprehensive delivery of disaster assistance to
                individuals following a major disaster or emergency
                declaration under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster
                Relief and Emergency Assistance Act.
                    (B) Contents.--The report required under
                subparagraph (A) shall include both administrative
                actions taken, or planned to be taken, by the agencies
                as well as legislative proposals, where appropriate, of
                the following:
                            (i) Efforts to improve coordination between
                        the Agency and other relevant Federal agencies
                        when delivering disaster assistance to
                        individuals.
                            (ii) Clarify the sequence of delivery of
                        disaster assistance to individuals from the
                        Agency, and other relevant Federal agencies.
                            (iii) Clarify the interpretation and
                        implementation of section 312 of the Robert T.
                        Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency
                        Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5155) when providing
                        disaster assistance to individuals, including
                        providing a common interpretation across the
                        Agency, and other relevant Federal agencies, of
                        the definitions and requirements under such
                        section 312.
                            (iv) Increase the effectiveness of
                        communication to applicants for assistance
                        programs for individuals after a disaster
                        declaration, including the breadth of programs
                        available and the potential impacts of
                        utilizing one program versus another.
                    (C) Report update.--Not later than 4 years after
                the date of enactment of this subsection, the
                Administrator, in coordination with other relevant
                Federal agencies, shall submit to the congressional
                committees of jurisdiction an update to the report
                required under subparagraph (A).
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