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H.R. 426: Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act
119th Congress · introduced 2025-01-15 · Emergency Management · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.
federal
Official title
Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act
Plain summary
Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act This bill expands eligibility for disaster housing assistance under the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Individuals and Households Program (IHP) with respect to property damage, availability of housing resources, and constructive (i.e., implied) ownership. Specifically, the bill lowers the level of damage required to be eligible for IHP housing assistance, so the residence must be damaged by a major disaster instead of rendered uninhabitable. Also, under current law, FEMA is authorized to provide IHP assistance for permanent housing construction where (1) no alternative housing resources are available; and (2) other types of temporary housing assistance are unavailable, infeasible, or not cost-effective. The bill authorizes IHP permanent housing construction where FEMA determines such assistance is a cost-effective alternative to other housing solutions, such as providing for temporary housing costs. Additionally, the bill requires FEMA to consider an individual's or household’s claim of constructive ownership, where evidence supports such ownership is more likely than not, when determining eligibility for IHP financial assistance for home repair or replacement for a residence without documented ownership rights. FEMA must consider all evidence provided (e.g., deeds, tax receipts, insurance documents) when determining whether constructive ownership more likely than not exists. If FEMA determines the evidence is insufficient, FEMA may require a signed declarative statement describing the constructive ownership.
Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.
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Official text
Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act
Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
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Officials and money
Sponsor: Rep. Espaillat, Adriano [D-NY-13] · 3 cosponsors
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- 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).
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Sources
- Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
- Congress.gov
- Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-119hr426.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/119/hr>
Record fed-us-cong119-hr426 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong119 · updated 2026-11-03 by psicol fed-bills