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H.R. 5474: Housing Victims of Major Disasters Act of 2018

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H.R. 5474: Housing Victims of Major Disasters Act of 2018

115th Congress · introduced 2018-04-11 · Emergency Management · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2018-04-11 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. Espaillat, Adriano [D-NY-13] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Housing Victims of Major Disasters Act of 2018

Plain summary

Housing Victims of Major Disasters Act of 2018 This bill makes a family eligible for housing assistance in connection with a major disaster, including Hurricane Maria of 2017, if it: (1) is occupying an otherwise unused or uninhabited property located in the area for which the major disaster was declared but does not have documented ownership rights to, and is not renting, the property; or (2) is renting a property located in the area for which the major disaster was declared but does not have a written lease for such rental. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) shall consider a wide range of evidence in determining the eligibility of a family for housing assistance. FEMA shall enter into agreements with the Department of Housing and Urban Development to implement a Disaster Housing Assistance Program to provide temporary rental assistance to families displaced by any major disaster during 2017, and shall consult on the implementation of the program for future disasters.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Housing Victims of Major Disasters Act of 2018

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Espaillat, Adriano [D-NY-13] · 26 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Darren Soto (D-FL), Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), Juan Vargas (D-CA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Frederica S. Wilson (D-FL), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Richard E. Neal (D-MA), Seth Moulton (D-MA), Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY), Donald S. Beyer, Jr. (D-VA), Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Espaillat, Adriano [D-NY-13] reported raising $2.9 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (1)
Bill
A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong115-hr5474 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115