{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.rubio.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=7BF01B81-D8A6-435E-B3DA-07BEDAD45D36", "Rubio, Kennedy, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Simplify Disaster Assistance for Hurricane Victims", "2017-12-14", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "FL", "Marco Rubio", "R000595", "www.rubio.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Press Releases \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHome\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNewsroom\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPress Releases\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tWashington D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), John Kennedy (R-LA), John Cornyn (R-TX), Bill Nelson (D-FL), and Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced S. 2226, the Disaster Assistance Simplification Act, legislation that would prohibit the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from penalizing victims of natural disasters who apply for, but decline, Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loans.\u00a0Survivors of natural disasters who apply for, but do not accept, SBA disaster loans are currently penalized when Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) disaster relief funds are awarded. Every dollar of SBA loan money they are approved for is a dollar less that can be awarded in CDBG disaster relief grants. This bill would prevent HUD from penalizing those applicants.\u00a0In September, Rubio urged HUD Secretary Ben Carson to address this issue by not penalizing those impacted in Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.\u00a0\u201cHurricane Irma caused catastrophic destruction throughout Florida, and disrupted the lives of millions of Americans,\u201d said Rubio. \u201cThe current disaster assistance process is unsynchronized and burdensome for victims of natural disasters. By penalizing victims who don\u2019t take assistance, our laws discourage victims from applying for SBA disaster loans. As many Americans continue to rebuild and recover from the storm, removing bureaucratic hurdles is imperative to ensuring that no victim is penalized for weighing their hurricane recovery options.\u201d\u00a0\u201cHurricane victims need help when disaster strikes, not roadblocks that hinder their recovery.\u00a0 Under the current rules, homeowners who apply for an SBA loan but don\u2019t accept it are penalized. That\u2019s incredibly unfair.\u00a0 It\u2019s like charging someone for window shopping,\u201d said Kennedy. \u201cAs we\u2019ve had the misfortune to see in Louisiana, hurricanes destroy homes and upend lives.\u00a0 Hurricane victims need simplicity, clarity and fairness as they rebuild. \u00a0This bill will give them that.\u201d\u00a0\u201cWhen people are struggling to recover in the wake of a massive storm, time is of the essence,\u201d said Nelson. \u201cThis bill will make it easier for people to get the help they need, when they need it - without having to worry about government red tape.\u201d\u00a0\u201cI am pleased to sponsor this important legislation which will be critical to the state of Texas in our Harvey recovery efforts,\u201d said Cruz. \u201cRebuilding after a hurricane is\u00a0a monumental and complicated task so it is imperative that there is clarity in the process and that disaster survivors aren\u2019t unknowingly penalized from receiving future aid by simply applying for certain disaster-relief.\u201d", 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.rubio.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=7BF01B81-D8A6-435E-B3DA-07BEDAD45D36"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.2765200226567686, "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"}