DLARA

Summary

Requires the Small Business Administration to give Congress frequent, detailed reports and to fix forecasting and data problems tied to disaster loan costs. It forces new budget transparency for disaster lending (including COVID‑EIDL), creates an automatic 10% funding alert that can trigger limits on new loans when balances run low, and directs GAO and the SBA Inspector General to review disbursement, cost estimates, and a recent funding shortfall. Sets clear deadlines for reports and responses, adds new budget-line items and definitions, temporarily limits certain loan obligations if funds fall below a defined threshold, and ties some SBA travel spending to timely reporting.

• Requires the SBA to issue near‑term and recurring reports to Congress to improve disaster loan forecasting and data quality.
• Monthly reports must show when loan funding will hit 10% of recent appropriations and when funds will be depleted.
• Creates a 10% funding alert requiring 24‑hour notification and allows a temporary, limited authority to restrict new loans to collateralized amounts while balances remain low.
• Prohibits obligating funds for the SBA Administrator’s official travel until required monthly reports are submitted on time.
• Requires separate budget‑line disclosures for disaster loan costs and administrative costs, reported separately for SBA disaster loans and COVID‑EIDL loans with 10‑year averages and variance explanations.
• Directs GAO and the SBA Inspector General to produce multiple time‑bound studies and requires the SBA to respond with implementation plans.
• Adds statutory definitions to distinguish COVID‑EIDL loans from other SBA disaster loans for reporting and budget purposes.
• The temporary limitation authority sunsets after four years and GAO must evaluate if it was ever used and its impacts.