Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Transparent Disaster Relief Act of 2018”.
Transparent Disaster Relief Act of 2018
A BILL
To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to increase transparency with respect to duplication of benefits requirements, to amend the Small Business Act to notify disaster loan recipients of their ability to refuse assistance, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Duplication of benefits
Section 312 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5155) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(e) Transparency
“(1) Statement of acknowledgment—The President shall ensure that each person receiving Federal assistance for a major disaster or emergency signs a statement, as a condition of such assistance, that acknowledges the requirements under this section relating to duplication of benefits, including an acknowledgment of the types of assistance that may result in a duplication of benefits.
“(2) Recoupment—Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this subsection, the President shall ensure that any action to collect duplicative assistance from a recipient under this section includes the provision to the recipient of all documentation used to determine the relevant duplication of benefits.”
Sec. 3 Notification to disaster loan recipients
Section 7(b)(10) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 636(b)(10)) is amended—
by amending the paragraph heading to read as follows: “NOTIFICATION”;
by striking “loan.” and inserting “loan; and”;
by striking “the applicant may submit” and inserting
“(A) may submit”
by adding at the end the following:
“(B) is not required to accept the loan for which the applicant applied, including for any reason relating to eligibility for other Federal assistance.”