Baton Rouge Reporter

BATON ROUGE, LA – U.S. Representatives Garret Graves and Troy Carter have introduced legislation aimed at providing assistance to the remaining victims of the devastating 2016 flood. The bill seeks to extend the Duplication of Benefits (DoB) relief provision in the Disaster Recovery Reform Act (DRRA) of 2018 for an additional five years, preventing current and future disaster victims from being left vulnerable. Additionally, the legislation ensures that the fix applies to all 2016 flood victims, preventing federal agencies from imposing new eligibility requirements for victims who became eligible for federal assistance after the implementation of Graves's DoB fix in 2018.

Representative Graves expressed frustration with the federal government's handling of the recovery process, stating, "The federal government has spent less time expediting the recovery process for our community than they have developing reasons why we shouldn’t receive recovery assistance at all. Their crazy policies have made it nearly impossible for families to recover, and our bill changes this trajectory." He emphasized the commitment to supporting the remaining flood victims, stating, "We promised the 2016 Flood victims that we would not give up – and the majority of Duplication of benefits victims were promised relief through our previous efforts. We aren’t going to stop until the remaining flood victims receive the relief that they deserve."

Echoing Graves's sentiments, Representative Carter highlighted the equalizing impact of natural disasters, stating, "Storms don’t discriminate. They affect us all, regardless of race, political party, or socioeconomic status." He emphasized the need for flexibility in the federal government's approach to aid, stating, "Our bipartisan bill would allow governors to ask the federal government not to consider a loan a duplication of a grant following a disaster. It’s wrong to tell someone desperate to return home after a storm that because they took out a loan, they will be unable to benefit from future federal programs. A loan is not a grant, and I’ll happily provide a copy of the dictionary to anyone who thinks otherwise."

The legislation stems from a flawed federal policy that resulted in reduced or eliminated recovery funds for flood victims who had qualified for a federal disaster recovery loan from the Small Business Administration (SBA). The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) deemed it a "duplication of benefits" for these homeowners to also receive a federal recovery grant from the Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program. Unlike SBA loans, CDBG-DR grants do not require repayment.

In 2018, Representative Graves worked with the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to address this issue through the inclusion of language in the DRRA. The provision clarified that a loan is not duplicative of a grant, as they are different forms of assistance provided by the federal government at different times after a disaster. However, when HUD implemented Graves's DoB fix, an additional income test was introduced, disqualifying many remaining homeowners from accessing the grant funds. Representative Graves and Carter's legislation aims to rectify this, stating that HUD cannot use an income test to determine eligibility for duplication of benefits relief.

The introduction of this legislation is a crucial step towards providing the much-needed rebuilding funds to the remaining victims of the 2016 flood. It is a bipartisan effort to ensure that those affected by disasters receive the support they deserve, regardless of their income or loan status.

To learn more, click on this link: https://garretgraves.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/graves-and-carter-introduce-legislation-help-remaining-2016-flood