Graves’ amendment to help LA flood victims approved by House committee

The U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee recently approved an amendment sponsored by U.S. Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA) to his bipartisan bill that seeks to provide federal relief to the remaining Duplications of Benefits (DoB) victims of the historic 2016 flood that ravaged the congressman’s home state.

“We’ve worked to get every last DoB victim the relief they deserve, and this effort is another way to reach that goal,” said Rep. Graves. 

Specifically, the committee’s approval amends the bipartisan Expediting Disaster Recovery Act, H.R. 5774, which Rep. Graves sponsored in October 2021 with lead original cosponsor U.S. Rep. Stacey Plaskett (D-VI). The bill would authorize the president, after the declaration of a major disaster, to direct the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide the assistance necessary for meeting unmet needs as a result of such disaster, according to the congressional record summary of the bill. 

Following the flood of 2016, Congress approved $1.7 billion in grant funding for flood victims to rebuild their homes, according to information provided by Rep. Graves’ office, but the funds were reduced or eliminated if homeowners had qualified for a federal disaster recovery loan, which must be paid back.

“I want to be clear – we fixed this federal law in the Disaster Reform and Recovery Act of 2018,” the congressman said. “As a result of our legislation, the vast majority of DoB victims have gotten help. Unfortunately, HUD butchered the law and is sandbagging the solution for a number of families across south Louisiana.” 

The law change made in 2018, he added, resulted in an estimated 80 percent of 2016 flood victims receiving recovery assistance but left behind 20 percent of victims.

“We were able to secure $1.7 billion in funding for disaster victims. Here we are over five years later, and less than 40 percent of the money has been given to flooded homeowners,” said Rep. Graves. “That is unacceptable. We didn’t fight for these dollars to create a slush fund to enrich contractors. The singular purpose of the money is to help get people back on their feet and our economy restored.”

Lawmakers are continuing to work until every last victim receives help, he added. “It is ridiculous they continue to penalize flood victims for stepping up to be more proactive, and we will keep working every opportunity to make sure SBA complies with the law and that SBA considers the factors before unfairly and wrongfully punishing the remaining victims,” the congressman said.

Rep. Graves’ amendment, which states that the president may not impose additional income criteria on a potential grant recipient who has accepted a qualified disaster loan in determining eligibility for duplications of benefit relief, received approval from the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee during its June 15 markup session.