{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://garbarino.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-garbarino-helps-introduce-disaster-assistance-equity-act-wake-hurricane", "Rep. Garbarino Helps Introduce Disaster Assistance Equity Act in the Wake of Hurricane Ida", "2021-09-17", "2021", "2021-09", "Republican", "House", "NY", "Andrew R. Garbarino", "G000597", "garbarino.house.gov", "garbarino", "https://garbarino.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2014 Today, Congressman Andrew R. Garbarino (NY-2) helped introduce the Disaster Assistance Equity Act of 2021. The bill is sponsored by Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-10) and cosponsored by Rep. Garbarino, along with Reps. David Rouzer (NC-7), John Garamendi (CA-3), Lee Zeldin (NY-1), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23), Nancy Mace (SC-1), and Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36).\n\nUnder current law, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) inconsistently interprets regulations in a way that prohibits homeowners\u2019 associations from qualifying for federal disaster response and recovery programs. This bipartisan, common-sense legislation will ensure that housing cooperatives, condominiums, and other homeowners\u2019 associations are eligible for the same FEMA assistance available to other homeowners.\n\nThe bill accomplishes this by making two key changes to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief Act:\n\nMakes essential common elements of a homeowners\u2019 association (such as a roof, exterior wall, heating and cooling equipment, elevator, stairwell, utility access, plumbing, and electricity) eligible under FEMA\u2019s Federal Assistance to Individuals and Households Program;\n\nMakes homeowners\u2019 associations eligible under FEMA\u2019s requirements for the removal of debris in the aftermath of a major disaster.\n\n\u201cLong Islanders know all too well the devastation natural disasters can leave in their wake. Residents of condominiums and cooperatives should not be denied FEMA assistance simply because they do not live in a single-family home. This legislation will ensure FEMA Individual Assistance is available to everyone who is impacted by a disaster, regardless of homeownership status,\u201d said Representative Garbarino.\n\n\u201cIn the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, thousands of New Yorkers and other Americans were shocked to learn that FEMA's eligibility rules left them with no way of restoring their homes simply because they shared walls and floors with neighbors and lived in a homeowners\u2019 association,\" said Representative Nadler. \"Some housing cooperatives in New York City were left without working utilities for months after the storm. Since that time, homeowners\u2019 associations across the country have faced similar hardships. This inequity must be corrected. A natural disaster doesn't care what type of home you live in, and FEMA should treat all homeowners fairly when helping them rebuild. I am proud to join Representative\u2019s Rouzer, Garamendi, Zeldin, Wasserman Schultz, Mace, Ruiz, and Garbarino in re-introducing this important bill, which will ensure that all Americans, regardless of the form of housing, have the right to benefit from the agency's response, recovery, and mitigation resources.\"\n\n\u201cNorth Carolinians know too well that natural disasters do not discriminate among neighborhoods or housing. Yet under FEMA\u2019s current eligibility rules, condos, co-ops, and homeowners\u2019 associations don\u2019t have the same access to FEMA Individual Assistance as single-family homeowners. I\u2019m proud to re-introduce this bipartisan legislation to ensure all citizens and communities affected by disasters can receive the same access to federal disaster assistance other homeowners receive,\u201d said Representative Rouzer.\n\n\u201cCalifornians are far too familiar with the impacts that natural disasters can inflict on a community. The federal government should do everything in its power to support every American impacted by natural disasters. Sadly, that\u2019s not the case for the millions of Americans who live in common interest communities. Disasters won\u2019t discriminate against the communities they impact, and the federal government shouldn\u2019t when it distributes aid. I\u2019m a proud co-sponsor of Congressman Nadler\u2019s \u2018Disaster Assistance Equity Act\u2019 because it will right this wrong and ensure common interest communities are entitled to the same FEMA assistance as other homeowners,\u201d said Representative Garamendi.\n\n\u201cNearly 10 years ago, Superstorm Sandy devastated New York\u2019s coastal communities and businesses, and so many New Yorkers learned the hard way that FEMA was unable to help everyone it should have. We are seeing this issue arise again as the remnants of Hurricane Ida have caused flooding and severe damage to homes and property in New York. Condos, co-ops, and homeowner\u2019s associations don\u2019t have the same access to federal disaster assistance as single-family homeowners, which makes it difficult for many New Yorkers to rebuild their homes and lives. I\u2019m proud to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to make necessary reforms to ensure all New Yorkers are able to recover post-natural disaster,\u201d said Representative Zeldin.\n\nMy home state sits in Hurricane Alley, and it is essential that FEMA treats all homeowners there and across the nation equally when it comes to restoring communities and picking up the pieces from the aftermath of an extreme storm,\u201d said Representative Wasserman Schultz. \u201cThe coasts and all of Florida abounds with common interest communities, and anyone living in a condominium must have access to the same assistance that other homeowners are eligible to receive.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs a lifelong Lowcountry resident, I know hurricanes, tropical storms, and natural disasters do not discriminate,\u201d said Representative Nancy Mace. \u201cNo matter the community or background, FEMA should respond equally with federal disaster assistance to all communities impacted. This is a great example of real bipartisan cooperation on common-sense legislation to ensure equitable disaster response for our communities in the Lowcountry and beyond.\u201d\n\nOutside Support for the Proposal:\n\nThe National Association of Housing Coo\u00acperatives (NAHC)\n\nCommunity Association\u2019s Institute\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:17:01Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://garbarino.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-garbarino-helps-introduce-disaster-assistance-equity-act-wake-hurricane"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.858604907989502, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}