H.R. 592: Federal Disaster Assistance Nonprofit Fairness Act of 2013

Introduced:
Feb 08, 2013 (113th Congress, 2013–2015)
Sponsor:
Rep. Christopher “Chris” Smith [R-NJ4]
Status:
Passed House

The bill’s title was written by the bill’s sponsor. H.R. stands for House of Representatives bill.

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Status

This bill passed in the House on February 13, 2013 and goes to the Senate next for consideration.

Progress
Introduced Feb 08, 2013
Referred to Committee Feb 08, 2013
Passed House Feb 13, 2013
Passed Senate ...
Signed by the President ...
Votes

House Vote on Passage
Feb 13, 2013 1:34 p.m.
Passed 354/72

Prognosis

22% chance of being enacted.

Only 28% of House bills that made it past committee in 2011–2013 were enacted. [show factors | methodology]

Cosponsors
9 cosponsors (5D, 4R) (show)
Committees

House Transportation and Infrastructure

↪ Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

The committee chair determines whether a bill will move past the committee stage.

Full Title

To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to clarify that houses of worship are eligible for certain disaster relief and emergency assistance on terms equal to other eligible private nonprofit facilities, and for other purposes.

Summary

No summaries available.

Text

Read Bill Text »

Last updated Mar 13, 2013.
5 pages

Primary Source

View on THOMAS (The Library of Congress)

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Citation

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GovTrack’s Bill Summary

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Library of Congress Summary

The summary below was written by the Congressional Research Service, which is a nonpartisan division of the Library of Congress.

2/13/2013--Passed House without amendment.
Federal Disaster Assistance Nonprofit Fairness Act of 2013 - Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to include community centers, including tax-exempt houses of worship, as "private nonprofit facilities" for purposes of disaster relief and emergency assistance eligibility under such Act. Makes a church, synagogue, mosque, temple, or other house of worship, and a private nonprofit facility operated by a religious organization, eligible for federal contributions for the repair, restoration, and replacement of facilities damaged or destroyed by a major disaster, without regard to the religious character of the facility or the primary religious use of the facility.
Makes this Act applicable to the provision of assistance in response to a major disaster or emergency declared on or after October 28, 2012.

House Republican Conference Summary

The summary below was written by the House Republican Conference, which is the caucus of Republicans in the House of Representatives.

This summary can be found at http://www.gop.gov/bill/113/1/hr592.

Background

Unlike previous disasters, Congress did not clarify that religious nonprofits, including houses of worship, are eligible to receive disaster funding when providing aid for victims and communities impacted by Hurricane Sandy.  As a result, the Administration is interpreting current law to preclude houses of worship from being eligible for funding on the same terms as similarly impacted nonprofits. H.R. 592 clarifies that houses of worship are eligible. 

H.R. 592 is supported by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, among others.

For more information, see Wall Street Journal on January 24, 2013, located here.

Summary

H.R. 592 clarifies that houses of worship are eligible for certain disaster relief and emergency assistance on terms equal to other eligible private nonprofit facilities.

Cost

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House Democratic Caucus Summary

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So, yes, we display the House Republican Conference’s summaries when available even if we do not have a Democratic summary available. That’s because we feel it is better to give you as much information as possible, even if we cannot provide every viewpoint.

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The bill contains the following citations to other parts of U.S. law:

United States Code

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