The Hurricane Sandy relief bill () is a law enacted by the

113th United States Congress The 113th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, from January 3, 2013, to January 3, 2015, during the fifth and sixth years of Barack Obama's presidency. It was composed of the ...

, in the aftermath of

Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as ''Superstorm Sandy'') was an extremely destructive and strong Atlantic hurricane, as well as the largest Atlantic hurricane on record as measured by diameter, with tropical-storm-force winds spann ...

. The Act amended the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to increase from $20.725 billion to $30.425 billion the total amount of notes and obligations (''i.e.'' federal borrowing authority) which may be issued by the Administrator of the

Federal Emergency Management Agency The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Ex ...

(FEMA), with the President's approval, for the

National Flood Insurance Program The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is a program created by the Congress of the United States in 1968 through the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (P.L. 90-448). The NFIP has two purposes: to share the risk of flood losses through flo ...

Procedural history

House of Representatives

The Bill was introduced into the House of Representatives on January 3, 2013 by Rep. Scott Garrett (R-N.J.), with 44 cosponsors. On January 4 the Bill was considered by the House. The vote was made under

suspension of the rules In parliamentary procedure, a suspension of the rules allows a deliberative assembly to set aside its normal rules to do something that it could not do otherwise. However, there are rules that cannot be suspended. Explanation of use Rules are ess ...

, so it required a two-thirds majority. It was passed 354-67.

Senate

The Bill was passed in the Senate by a

voice vote In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by responding vo ...

on January 4.

President

The Bill was presented to President

Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

on January 4 and signed into law on January 6.

Background

On December 28, 2012, the Senate passed H.R. 1 of the 112th Congress, with an amendment in nature of a substitute, by a vote of 62 – 32. The bill would have provided for $60.4 billion in supplemental disaster assistance. While it was not enacted by Congress as a whole, its Title VI (Section 601) became the Hurricane Sandy relief bill. The Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA) authorized two types of spending to exceed the established spending caps: disaster and emergency. While emergency spending is not subject to the caps in the BCA, spending for disaster relief is calculated by taking the average of the previous ten years' disaster relief spending (excluding the highest and lowest spending years).

Provisions

The Bill amended section 1309(a) of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to temporarily increase the borrowing authority of the

for the purpose of carrying out the National Flood Insurance Program from $20,725,000,000 to $30,425,000,000 (a difference of $9.7 billion). The bill also contains funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), intended for repairs and upgrades of its facilities and equipment.

Costs

This amount is designated as emergency spending, pursuant to section 4(g) of the

Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act The Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, Title I of , is a public law passed by the 111th United States Congress and signed by US President Barack Obama on February 12, 2010. The act reinstated pay-as-you-go budgeting rules used in Congress from 1 ...

of 2010 (). The amounts of new budget authority, outlays, or revenue that result from a provision designated as an emergency in a PAYGO measure are not included in CBO estimates.

Impact

Notes/References

External links

H.R. 41: Hurricane Sandy relief billbeta.congress.gov H.R. 41
{{USGovernment Acts of the 113th United States Congress 2013 in the environment United States federal environmental legislation Hurricane Sandy