,i  #aaeth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #deeg  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,december #e1        
#bjag,mrs4 ,wagner introduced the       
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on ,financial ,services  
,a ,,bill  ,to authorize the ,secretary 
of ,housing and ,urban ,development to  
provide disaster assistance to ,states  
and units of general government under a 
community development block grant       
disaster recovery program1 and for other
 purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act 
may be cited as the ,reforming ,disaster
 ,recovery ,act of #bjag4  #b4          
,community development block grant      
disaster recovery program  7a7 ,in      
general ,title ,i of the ,housing and   
,community ,development ,act of #aigd   
7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #ecja et seq47 is amended
 by adding at the end the following new 
section3  #abc4 ,,cdbg-,disaster        
recovery assistance  7a7 ,authority2 use
 ,the ,secretary may provide assistance 
under this section to ,states and units 

of general local government for         
necessary expenses for activities       
authorized under this title related to  
disaster relief1 long-term recovery1    
restoration of infrastructure and       
housing1 and economic revitalization in 
the most impacted and distressed areas  
resulting from a major disaster declared
 pursuant to the ,robert ,t4 ,stafford  
,disaster ,relief and ,emergency        
,assistance ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #eaba et
 seq474  7b7 ,direct assistance         
,assistance shall be awarded directly to
 ,states and units of general local     
government at the discretion of the     
,secretary4  7c7 ,plan for use of       
assistance  7#a7 ,requirement ,before   
obligating any funds made available     
under this section1 a grantee shall     
submit a plan to the ,secretary for     
approval detailing the proposed use of  
all funds1 which shall include--  7,a7  
criteria for eligibility and how the use
 of such funds will address long-term   
recovery and restoration of             

infrastructure and housing and economic 
revitalization in the most impacted and 
distressed areas2  7,b7 identification  
of officials and offices responsible for
 identifying and recovering duplicate   
benefits2 and  7,c7 an agreement to     
share data with ,federal agencies and   
other providers of disaster relief4     
7#b7 ,approval2 disapproval ,the        
,secretary shall1 by regulations issued 
under section #b7;b7 of the ,reforming  
,disaster ,recovery ,act of #bjag1      
specify criteria for approval of plans  
under paragraph 7#a71 and1 if the       
,secretary determines that a plan does  
not meet such criteria1 the ,secretary  
shall disapprove the plan4  7d7 ,timing 
7#a7 ,deadline for allocation of amounts
 ,within #fj days after the enactment of
 an ,act making funds available for     
assistance under this section1 the      
,secretary shall allocate to grantees   
all funds provided for assistance under 
this section based on the best available
 data4  7#b7 ,coordination with ,,sba   

assistance ,the ,secretary may not      
allocate any amounts made available for 
assistance under this section for1 or   
provide any grant amounts to1 any ,state
 or unit of general local government    
that does not provide such assurances as
 the ,secretary may require that such   
,state or unit of general local         
government has required its grantees of 
assistance received under this section  
to apply to the ,small ,business        
,administration for disaster loan       
programs administered by such           
,administration for which such grantee  
is eligible4 ,the ,secretary shall      
consult with the ,administrator of the  
,small ,business ,administration in     
carrying out this paragraph4  7e7       
,financial controls  7#a7 ,certification
 ,as a condition of making any grant1   
the ,secretary shall certify in advance 
that the grantee has in place proficient
 financial controls and procurement     
processes and has established adequate  
procedures to prevent any duplication of

 benefits as defined by section #cab of 
the ,robert ,t4 ,stafford ,disaster     
,relief and ,emergency ,assistance ,act 
7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #eaee71 to ensure timely 
expenditure of funds1 to maintain       
comprehensive websites regarding all    
disaster recovery activities assisted   
with such funds1 and to detect and      
prevent waste1 fraud1 and abuse of      
funds4  7#b7 ,review of performance ,in 
exercising the ,secretary's obligation  
and responsibility to review a          
grantees's performance1 the maximum     
feasible deference standard under       
section #egj4dhj7;c7 of the ,secretary's
 regulations 7#bd ,c4,f4,r4             
#egj4dhj7;c77 shall not apply to a      
grantee's interpretation of the         
statutory and regulatory requirements4  
7f7 ,use of funds  7#a7 ,grantee and    
subgrantee administrative costs ,a      
,state or unit of general local         
government receiving a grant under this 
section1 and a grantee or subgrantee of 
such a ,state or unit of general local  

government1 may use not more than #e    
percent of the amount of grant funds    
received for administrative costs4  7#b7
 ,limitation on use ,amounts from a     
grant under this section may not be used
 for activities reimbursable by1 or for 
which funds are made available by1 the  
,federal ,emergency ,management ,agency1
 the ,army ,corps of ,engineers1 or the 
,small ,business ,administration4  7#c7 
,,hud administrative costs ,of any funds
 made available for use under this      
section1 #e percent may be used1 in     
aggregate1 by the ,secretary for        
necessary costs1 including information  
technology costs1 of administering and  
overseeing the obligation and           
expenditure of amounts made available   
for use under this section4  7#d7       
,inspector general ,of any funds made   
available for use under this section1   
#j4e percent shall be transferred to the
 ,office of the ,inspector ,general for 
necessary costs of audits1 reviews1     
oversight1 evaluation1 and              

investigations relating to amounts made 
available for use under this section4   
7#e7 ,independent monitors ,the         
,secretary shall require each grantee   
and subgrantee that receives #aj1jjj1jjj
 or more1 in the aggregate1 of          
assistance made available under this    
section to maintain an independent party
 to monitor compliance with this section
 and the regulations issued to carry out
 this section and any applicable ,state 
laws1 regulations1 and requirements4    
,the costs of providing such an         
independent monitor shall be considered 
administrative costs for purposes of    
this section4  7g7 ,administration ,in  
administering any amounts made available
 for assistance under this section1 the 
,secretary-- 7#a7 may not allow a       
grantee to use any such amounts for any 
purpose other than the purpose          
originally approved by the ,secretary in
 the plan submitted under subsection    
7c77#a7 to the ,secretary for use of    
such amounts1 including by any change to

 the grant agreement2  7#b7 shall       
require each grantee to notify the      
,secretary in writing1 immediately upon 
completion of all activities identified 
in the grantee's plan for use of such   
amounts that was approved by the        
,secretary in connection with such      
grant1 that all such activities have    
been completed2  7#c7 shall not make the
 full amount allocated for a grantee    
available to such grantee in a single   
grant1 but shall make such amount       
available through drawdowns from an     
account established on behalf of the    
grantee by the ,secretary2  7#d7 shall  
require each grantee to administer grant
 funds in accordance with all applicable
 laws and regulations2 and  7#e7 shall  
prohibit a grantee from delegating1 by  
contract or otherwise1 the              
responsibility for administering grant  
funds4  7h7 ,subgrantees  7#a7          
,applicability of grantee standards and 
procedures ,the ,secretary shall apply  
to subgrantees of grantees of assistance

 under this section the same standards  
and procedures for contracting1         
procurement1 and oversight that apply to
 such grantees4  7#b7 ,training for     
grant management ,the ,secretary shall--
 7,a7 require each grantee to provide   
training to all subgrantees regarding   
requirements for grant management1      
including eligibility standards1        
financial management1 procurement and   
recordkeeping2 and  7,b7 require each   
subgrantee to certify1 upon execution of
 the subgrant agreement1 that the       
subgrantee has received such training4  
7i7 ,procurement  7#a7 ,standards and   
procedures ,notwithstanding section     
#bjj4cag of title #b1 ,code of ,federal 
,regulations 7#b ,c4,f4,r4 #bjj4cag71   
each ,state or unit of general          
government that receives a grant under  
this section shall adopt and comply with
 sections #bjj4cah through #bjj4cbf of  
title #b1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations
 7#b ,c4,f4,r4 #bjj4cah-bjj4cbf71 and   
each such ,state or unit of general     

government shall require subgrantees to 
comply with such sections4  7#b7        
,cost_/price analysis ,in procurement of
 products and services using amounts    
from a grant under this section1        
including through modification of a     
contract1 the ,secretary shall require  
each ,state and unit of general         
government receiving a grant under this 
section to perform a cost or price      
analysis1 which shall involve conducting
 an independent cost estimate before any
 bids or proposals are received4  7#c7  
,technical assistance ,the ,secretary   
shall provide grantees with technical   
assistance on contracting and           
procurement processes and shall require 
grantees1 in contracting or procuring   
these funds1 to incorporate performance 
requirements and penalties into any such
 contracts or agreements4  7j7          
,treatment of ,,cdbg allocations        
,amounts made available for use under   
this section shall not be considered    
relevant to the non-disaster formula    

allocations made pursuant to section    
#ajf 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #ecjf74  7k7        
,waivers  7#a7 ,authority ,subject to   
the other provisions of this section1 in
 administering amounts made available   
for use under this section1 the         
,secretary may waive1 or specify        
alternative requirements for1 any       
provision of any statute or regulation  
that the ,secretary administers in      
connection with the obligation by the   
,secretary or the use by the recipient  
of such funds 7except for requirements  
related to fair housing1                
nondiscrimination1 labor standards1 and 
the environment7 if the ,secretary finds
 that good cause exists for the waiver  
or alternative requirement and such     
waiver or alternative requirement would 
not be inconsistent with the overall    
purpose of this title4  7#b7 ,notice and
 publication ,any waiver of or          
alternative requirement pursuant to     
paragraph 7#a7 shall not take effect    
before the expiration of the #cj-;day   

period beginning upon the later of--    
7,a7 the provision of written           
notification of such waiver or          
alternative requirement to the          
,congress2 or  7,b7 the publication of  
notice in the ,federal ,register of such
 waiver or alternative requirement4     
7#c7 ,low- and moderate-income use ,a   
waiver pursuant to paragraph 7#a7 may   
not reduce the percentage of funds that 
must be used for activities that benefit
 persons of low and moderate income to  
less than #ej percent1 unless the       
,secretary specifically finds that there
 is compelling need to further reduce   
the percentage requirement4  7#d7       
,prohibition ,the ,secretary may not    
waive any provision of this section     
pursuant to the authority under         
paragraph 7#a74  7l7 ,environmental     
review  7#a7 ,adoption ,notwithstanding 
subsection 7l77#a71 recipients of funds 
provided under this heading that use    
such funds to supplement ,federal       
assistance provided under section #djb1 

#djc1 #djd1 #djf1 #djg1 or #ejb of the  
,robert ,t4 ,stafford ,disaster ,relief 
and ,emergency ,assistance ,act 7#db    
,u4,s4,c4 #eaba et seq47 may adopt1     
without review or public comment1 any   
environmental review1 approval1 or      
permit performed by a ,federal agency1  
and such adoption shall satisfy the     
responsibilities of the recipient with  
respect to such environmental review1   
approval1 or permit under section       
#ajd7;g77#a7 of this ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4
 #ecjd7;g77#a774  7#b7 ,release of funds
 ,notwithstanding section #ajd7;g77#b7  
of this ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4             
#ecjd7;g77#b771 the ,secretary may1 upon
 receipt of a request for release of    
funds and certification1 immediately    
approve the release of funds for an     
activity or project assisted with       
amounts made available for use under    
this section if the recipient has       
adopted an environmental review1        
approval or permit under paragraph 7#a7 
or the activity or project is           

categorically excluded from review under
 the ,national ,environmental ,policy   
,act of #aifi 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #dcba et   
seq474  7m7 ,deposit of unused amounts  
in ,fund  7#a7 ,in general ,except as   
provided in paragraph 7#c71 if any      
amounts made available for assistance   
under this section remain unobligated   
upon the earlier of--  7,a7 the date    
that the grantee of such amounts        
notifies the ,secretary1 pursuant to    
subsection 7g77#b7 of this section1 that
 the grantee has completed all          
activities identified in the grantee's  
plan for use of such amounts that was   
approved by the ,secretary in connection
 with such grant2 or  7,b7 the          
expiration of the #e-year period        
beginning upon the enactment of the ,act
 making such amounts available1 as such 
period may be extended pursuant to      
paragraph 7#b71  upon such date or      
expiration1 as applicable1 the          
,secretary shall transfer such          
unobligated amounts to the ,secretary of

 the ,treasury and the ,secretary of the
 ,treasury shall cover any such amounts 
into the ,community ,development ,block 
,grant ,disaster ,recovery ,reserve     
,fund established under section #abd4   
7#b7 ,extension of period for use of    
funds ,the period under paragraph       
7#a77;,b7-- 7,a7 shall be extended by #b
 years if1 before the expiration of such
 #e-year period1 the ,secretary causes  
to be published in the ,federal         
,register notification that such #b-year
 extension is necessary to allow the    
grantee to complete all activities      
identified in the grantee's plan for use
 of such amounts that was approved by   
the ,secretary in connection with such  
grant2 and  7,b7 as extended pursuant to
 subparagraph 7,a71 may be extended for 
an additional period not to exceed #c   
years if1 before the expiration of such 
#b-year period under subparagraph 7,a71 
the ,director of the ,office of         
,management and ,budget1 upon a request 
by the ,secretary1 causes to be         

published in the ,federal ,register     
notification that such additional       
extension period is necessary to allow  
the grantee to complete all such        
activities4  7#c7 ,exemption for amounts
 for ,,hud ,,ig ,paragraphs 7#a7 and    
7#b7 shall not apply to amounts made    
available to the ,inspector ,general of 
the ,department of ,housing and ,urban  
,development4  #abd4 ,community         
,development ,block ,grant ,disaster    
,recovery ,reserve ,fund  7a7           
,establishment ,there is established in 
the ,treasury of the ,united ,states an 
account to be known as the ,community   
,development ,block ,grant ,disaster    
,recovery ,reserve ,fund 7in this       
section referred to as the ,fund74  7b7 
,amounts ,the ,fund shall consist of any
 amounts appropriated to or credited to 
the ,fund1 including amounts credited to
 the ,fund pursuant to section #abc7n74 
7c7 ,use ,amounts in the ,fund shall be 
available only for providing assistance 
under section #abc1 but only to the     

extent provided in advance in           
appropriations ,acts4  4  7b7           
,regulations  7#a7 ,in general ,not     
later than the expiration of the        
#ab-month period beginning on the date  
of the enactment of this ,act1 the      
,secretary of ,housing and ,urban       
,development shall issue regulations to 
carry out sections #abc and #abd of the 
,housing and ,community ,development    
,act of #aigd1 as added by the amendment
 made by subsection 7a7 of this section4
  7#b7 ,interim regulations  7,a7       
,applicability of ,,cdbg entitlement    
community regulations ,until the        
regulations issued pursuant to paragraph
 7#a7 take effect1 the ,secretary of    
,housing and ,urban ,development shall  
require each ,state grantee of          
assistance from community development   
block grant disaster recovery funds to  
comply with the requirements under part 
#egj of the ,secretary's regulations    
7#bd ,c4,f4,r4 #egj7 applicable to      
entitlement communities4  7,b7 ,waiver  

,the authority under section #abc7k7 of 
the ,housing and ,community ,development
 ,act of #aigd 7relating to waiver of1  
and alternative requirements for        
provisions of statutes and regulations71
 as added by the amendment made by      
subsection 7a7 of this section1 shall   
not apply with respect to the           
requirement under subparagraph 7,a7 of  
this paragraph1 except that the         
,secretary may use such authority with  
respect to regulations specified in     
subparagraph 7,a7 7only to the extent of
 the applicability of such regulations  
pursuant to subparagraph 7,a771 on a    
case-by-case and disaster-by-disaster   
basis4  7#c7 ,definition ,for purposes  
of this subsection1 the term community  
development block grant disaster        
recovery funds means any amounts made   
available in any fiscal year-- 7,a7 for 
assistance under section #abc of the    
,housing and ,community ,development    
,act of #aigd1 as added by the amendment
 made by subsection 7a7 of this section2

 or  7,b7 under the account entitled    
,department of ,housing and ,urban      
,development--,community ,planning and  
,development--,community ,development   
,fund for activities authorized under   
title ,i of the ,housing and ,community 
,development ,act of #aigd 7#db         
,u4,s4,c4 #ecja et seq47 related to     
disaster relief1 long-term recovery1    
restoration of infrastructure and       
housing1 or economic revitalization in  
areas affected by a major disaster      
declared pursuant to the ,robert ,t4    
,stafford ,disaster ,relief and         
,emergency ,assistance ,act 7#db        
,u4,s4,c4 #eaba et seq474