Sponsors (12)
The bill expands and standardizes a no‑notary, multi‑language affidavit to improve access to disaster recovery for informal‑title homeowners, trading off increased fraud risk and added local administrative burdens and reduced local input in exchange for faster, more equitable access to aid.
Homeowners without traditional title (including heir-property owners) — especially low-income, rural, and non‑English‑speaking households — can use a HUD‑standardized, no‑notary affidavit (available in English, Spanish, and other local languages) to apply for CDBG–DR and mitigation aid, increasing access to disaster recovery funds.
Grantees and applicants nationwide gain consistent proof‑of‑ownership procedures because HUD standardizes the affidavit, which should reduce administrative confusion and delays across jurisdictions during disaster recovery.
Removing notarization requirements and mandating multi‑language provision of the affidavit reduces practical and language barriers to applying for aid, promoting more equitable access for households in notary‑scarce areas and non‑English speakers.
Taxpayers and eligible low‑income homeowners: accepting affidavits and third‑party letters increases the risk of fraudulent ownership claims, which could divert limited CDBG–DR/MIT funds away from truly eligible households.
Grantees and local governments will face added administrative duties (outreach, translation, distribution) required by HUD, raising local administrative costs and potentially slowing other recovery activities if implementation is not funded.
State and local governments: exempting the affidavit from public comment to expedite use reduces local input on form design, which may overlook jurisdiction‑specific issues and create implementation problems.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires HUD to accept standardized affidavits and certain organizational letters as proof of homeownership for CDBG–DR and CDBG–MIT applicants who lack traditional title documents.
Requires the Department of Housing and Urban Development to change Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG–DR) and Mitigation (CDBG–MIT) rules so homeowners who lack traditional title documents — including heirs and others with nonstandard proof of ownership — can use alternative documentation to get disaster recovery or mitigation assistance. HUD must create a standardized, non-notarized affidavit of ownership and allow letters from schools, benefits providers, and social service organizations as acceptable proof; local grantees must inform applicants, provide the form, and offer it in English, Spanish, and other locally common languages. Also prevents grantees from requiring notarization of the affidavit and exempts the standardized form from certain public notice and comment steps in the existing CDBG rules, while placing procedural duties on grantees to distribute and accept the affidavit and alternative documents.
Introduced February 26, 2025 by Elizabeth Pannill Fletcher · Last progress February 26, 2025