The House passed a recovery package of $1.68 billion in Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding to help with recovery efforts for Hurricane Florence. This money is intended to be a “down-payment,” with possible future funding once damage assessments are completed and available. This funding – in addition to several other disaster provisions – was attached to the “Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2018” (H.R. 4), which must pass before the previous FAA authorization expires on October 1. Given the tight timeframe, Congress also passed on Friday a short-term extension of the existing FAA authorization through October 7 to give the Senate more time to consider the full legislative package.
On behalf of the Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC) – a group of over 800 organizations and individuals dedicated to equitable disaster housing recovery – NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel sent a letter to Congressional leadership expressing concerns about several disaster provisions included in and omitted from the FAA Reauthorization bill. The letter urged Congress to activate the Disaster Housing Assistance Program to provide stable, affordable homes and wrap-around services to low income survivors as they get back on their feet, a program proven to be successful in previous disasters. The DHRC also expressed concerns regarding provisions that would authorize states to administer disaster housing assistance programs and divert funds from helping the lowest income people. The governor of Louisiana has already reopened a homeowner assistance program in anticipation of these changes.
Read DHRC’s letter at: http://bit.ly/2DAJZxD
Read more about the bill at: http://bit.ly/2IolG4G