H.R. 2405 Clarifies Religious Institute PA Program Eligibility

On May 11th, 2017, HR 2405 was introduced in an attempt to clarify that religious faculties are eligible for Post-Disaster Public Assistance Programs.

Representative Christopher Smith of New Jersey introduced HR 2405 “To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to clarify that houses of worship are eligible for certain disaster relief and emergency assistance on terms equal to other eligible private nonprofit facilities, and for other purposes. Currently facilities that benefit the membership of the religious organization are not included in PA Program Facility eligibility. The concept behind facility eligibility is that it benefits “the community at large.” The current thought process is that a sanctuary or other type of worship facility does not benefit the community at large.

The introduced legislation would bring the entire Private Non-Profit (“PNP” Religious facility into the eligibility matrix for consideration as a facility. The facility would still need to be eligible in other ways though. This legislation was just recently introduced and the exact contents should be available soon. It must still Pass the full House, Senate, and be signed by the President to become effective law.