,i  #aaith ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #bcfd  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,march #bf1 #bjbe,mr4
 ,edwards 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,davis of  
,north ,carolina1 and ,ms4 ,foxx7       
introduced the following bill2 which was
 referred to the ,committee on          
,transportation and ,infrastructure  ,a 
,,bill  ,to provide for a waiver of     
duplication of benefits for certain     
assistance under the ,robert ,t4        
,stafford ,disaster ,relief and         
,emergency ,assistance ,act as a result 
of a major disaster or emergency1 and   
for other purposes4  #a4 ,short title   
,this ,act may be cited as the ,helene  
,small ,business ,recovery ,act4  #b4   
,waiver of duplication of benefits  7a7 
,waiver of general prohibition  7#a7 ,in
 general ,the ,president may waive the  
general prohibition provided in section 
#cab7;a7 of the ,robert ,t4 ,stafford   
,disaster ,relief and ,emergency        
,assistance ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4         
#eaee7;a77 upon request of a ,governor  

on behalf of the ,state or on behalf of 
a person1 business concern1 or any other
 entity suffering losses as a result of 
a major disaster or emergency1 if the   
,president finds such waiver is in the  
public interest and will not result in  
waste1 fraud1 or abuse4 ,in making this 
decision1 the ,president may consider   
the following3  7,a7 ,the               
recommendations of the ,administration  
of the ,federal ,emergency ,management  
,agency made in consultation with the   
,federal agency or agencies             
administering the duplicative program4  
7,b7 ,if a wavier is granted1 the       
assistance to be funded is cost         
effective4  7,c7 ,equity and good       
conscience4  7,d7 ,other matters of     
public policy considered appropriate by 
the ,president4  7#b7 ,grant or denial  
of waiver ,a request under paragraph    
7#a7 shall be granted or denied not     
later than #de days after submission of 
such request4  7#c7 ,prohibition on     
determination that loan is a duplication

 ,notwithstanding section #cab7;c7 of   
the ,robert ,t4 ,stafford ,disaster     
,relief and ,emergency ,assistance ,act 
7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #eaee7;c771 in carrying  
out paragraph 7#a71 the ,president may  
not determine that a loan is a          
duplication of assistance1 provided that
 all ,federal assistance is used toward 
a loss suffered as a result of the major
 disaster or emergency4  7#d7           
,prohibition on income threshold ,in    
carrying out this subsection1 no income 
threshold may be applied to limit the   
eligibility of a recipient from         
qualifying for a waiver4  7b7           
,applicability ,subsection 7a7 shall    
apply to the provision of assistance in 
response to a major disaster declared by
 the ,president under the ,robert ,t4   
,stafford ,disaster ,relief and         
,emergency ,assistance ,act that        
occurred in calendar year #bjbc or      
#bjbd4