{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.menendez.senate.gov/news-and-events/press/menendez-pallone-unveil-legislation-to-help-residents-recovering-from-superstorm-sandy", "Menendez, Pallone Unveil Legislation to Help Residents Recovering from Superstorm Sandy", "2017-12-07", "2017", "2017-12", "Democrat", "House", "NJ", "Robert Menendez", "M000639", "www.menendez.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Menendez, Pallone Unveil Legislation to Help Residents Recovering from Superstorm Sandy \n\t\t\t\n\t Menendez, Pallone Unveil Legislation to Help Residents Recovering from Superstorm Sandy \n\t\n\t\t Builds on ongoing efforts to ensure fairness, expedite NJ recovery \n\t\n\t\n\tThursday, December 7, 2017\n\t\n\t\r\n\r\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Bob Menendez and Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (N.J.-06) today reintroduced legislation to prevent so-called clawbacks of federal disaster assistance from victims of Superstorm Sandy.\u00a0 These efforts to retake money distributed after Sandy re-victimize those who suffered the most when Sandy struck just over five years ago.\u00a0\r\nThe Congressional leaders originally introduced this legislation in 2015 in response to recoupment letters sent by the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) to recover what it considered overpayments. FEMA alone has clawed back almost $3 million from more than 750 Sandy victims\r\n \r\n\u201cDisaster victims should never have to pay for someone else\u2019s mistake,\u201d said Sen. Menendez.\u00a0 \u201cThese families have suffered enough, many are barely holding on financially\u2014emotionally\u2014and can\u2019t afford to pay back money they thought all along was rightfully theirs to use towards their recovery.\u201d\r\n\u201cHomeowners still struggling to rebuild from the devastation of Sandy should not be forced to repay grants that were awarded because of mistakes made by FEMA,\u201d said Rep. Pallone.\u00a0 \u201cWhile I understand the importance of reducing waste, fraud, and abuse in the system, the efforts to do so should not be made on the back end of this process in a way that punishes disaster victims with an unaffordable bill.\u00a0 I\u2019m proud to join Senator Menendez in reintroducing this legislation that will protect New Jersey homeowners from FEMA\u2019s misguided efforts.\u201d\r\n \r\nThe proposed legislation would require FEMA to forgive debts for Sandy victims if the funds were awarded as a result of the government\u2019s mistake.\u00a0 It would not apply to cases of fraud.\r\nIn the years following Sandy, FEMA sent hundreds of debt notice letters to New Jersey disaster victims demanding they pay back money FEMA erroneously gave them.\u00a0 The letters threatened legal action, negative reports to credit agencies, property liens and their future eligibility for federal disaster assistance.\u00a0 Many of the people targeted had already spent the money they got making necessary repairs to their damaged homes and did not have the means to make restitution payments.\r\nCongress passed similar legislation following Katrina in response to comparable action taken by FEMA against innocent disaster victims.\u00a0\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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://www.menendez.senate.gov/news-and-events/press/menendez-pallone-unveil-legislation-to-help-residents-recovering-from-superstorm-sandy"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6638487577438354, "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"}