About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline

LOG IN
LOG IN


1 1 (February 7, 2025)

handle is hein.crs/goveskf0001 and id is 1 raw text is: CDBG-DR Process Standardization: Selected HUD Actions and Legislative Proposals Updated February 7, 2025 Introduction Periodically, Congress has provided supplemental appropriations for Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR), administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This funding is intended to support needs unmet by other forms of federal disaster assistance, such as Federal Emergency Management Agency grants and Small Business Administration loans. Since 1993, Congress has appropriated more than $100 billion in supplemental CDBG-DR 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). Broadly, CDBG-DR funds are subject to the conventional Community Development Block Grant program's statutory authority and regulatory requirements. However, the text of each CDBG-DR supplemental appropriation historically has included specific statutory directives and authorized HUD to establish waivers and alternative requirements as circumstances may require. The ad hoc nature of this process has allowed Congress and HUD to adapt CDBG-DR requirements to the specific needs of affected communities. Some analysis indicates that it has also contributed to recovery coordination and planning challenges. Reporting by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) provides evidence of protracted rulemaking periods, inconsistent administrative timeframes, and funding delays. Some grantees have also expressed concerns with the administrative burden of simultaneously managing multiple CDBG-DR grants with differing sets of requirements. GAO and HUD's Office of Inspector General (HUD-OIG) have recommended permanent authorization and regulatory codification ofthese (or similar) long-term disaster recovery investments. This Insight describes selected HUD actions and bills from the 118th Congress related to these recommendations. Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov IN12191 CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress