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1 1 (June 28, 2023)

handle is hein.crs/govemcv0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional .l SaResearch Service CDBG-DR Process Standardization: Recent HUD Actions and Selected Legislative Proposals June 28, 2023 Introduction Congress has periodically provided supplemental funding for long-term disaster recovery under the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program's statutory authority. This intermittently available Community Development Block Grant for Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding is intended to support needs that have not been met by other forms of federal disaster assistance. Since 1993, Congress has appropriated more than $99 billion in supplemental CDBG-DR related funds. Typically, CDBG-DR funds have been directed to the most impacted and distressed areas with major disaster declarations under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act). CDBG-DR activity is not structured by a standing authorization or by a set of regulations. Broadly, CDBG-DR funds are subject to the conventional CDBG program's statutory and regulatory requirements. However, each supplemental appropriation effectively establishes a new CDBG-DR program. The language accompanying each such appropriation may include different statutory directives and authorize the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-which administers CDBG and CDBG- DR-to establish various waivers and alternative requirements, as circumstances may require. This process provides flexibility and allows Congress and HUD to adapt program requirements to the specific needs of affected communities. Some analysis suggests that it may also contribute to protracted rulemaking periods, inconsistent administrative timeframes, and delayed funding, posing coordination and planning challenges. HUD's Office of Inspector General (HUD-OIG) and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) have recommended permanent authorization and regulatory codification of these or similar long-term disaster recovery investments. Recently, HUD has sought to standardize CDBG-DR processes to the extent practicable within the current framework. Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov IN12191 CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress