Pub.L. 108-147 To increase, effective as of December 1, 2003, the rates of disablity ...

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[[Page 117 STAT. 1883]]

Public Law 108-146
108th Congress

                                 An Act


 
  To amend the Housing and Community Development  Act of 1974 to authorize 
communities to use community development block grant funds for construction 
of tornado-safe  shelters in manufactured home parks.
<<NOTE: Dec. 3, 2003 -  [H.R. 23]>>  


    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
the <<NOTE: Tornado Shelters Act.>> United States of America in Congress 
assembled,

SECTION 1. <<NOTE: 42 USC 5301 note.>> SHORT TITLE.

     This Act may be cited as the ``Tornado Shelters Act''.

SEC. 2. CDBG ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.

    Section 105(a) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 
(42 U.S.C. 5305(a)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (22), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in paragraph (23), by striking the period at the end and 
        inserting a semicolon; and
            (3) by inserting after paragraph (23) the following new 
        paragraph:
            ``(24) the construction or improvement of tornado-safe 
        shelters for residents of manufactured housing, and the 
        provision of assistance (including loans and grants) to 
        nonprofit and for-profit entities (including owners of 
        manufactured housing parks) for such construction or 
        improvement, except that--
                    ``(A) a shelter assisted with amounts provided 
                pursuant to this paragraph may be located only in a 
                neighborhood (including a manufactured housing park) 
                that--
                          ``(i) contains not less than 20 manufactured 
                      housing units that are within such proximity to 
                      the shelter that the shelter is available to the 
                      residents of such units in the event of a tornado;
                          ``(ii) consists predominantly of persons of 
                      low and moderate income; and
                          ``(iii) is located within a State in which a 
                      tornado has occurred during the fiscal year for 
                      which the amounts to be used under this paragraph 
                      were made available or any of the 3 preceding 
                      fiscal years, as determined by the Secretary after 
                      consultation with the Director of the Federal 
                      Emergency Management Agency;
                    ``(B) such a shelter shall comply with standards for 
                construction and safety as the Secretary, after 
                consultation with the Director of the Federal Emergency 
                Management Agency, shall provide to ensure protection 
                from tornadoes;

[[Page 117 STAT. 1884]]

                    ``(C) such a shelter shall be of a size sufficient 
                to accommodate, at a single time, all occupants of 
                manufactured housing units located within the 
                neighborhood in which the shelter is located; and
                    ``(D) amounts may not be used for a shelter as 
                provided under this paragraph unless there is located, 
                within the neighborhood in which the shelter is located 
                (or, in the case of a shelter located in a manufactured 
                housing park, within 1,500 feet of such park), a warning 
                siren that is operated in accordance with such local, 
                regional, or national disaster warning programs or 
                systems as the Secretary, after consultation with the 
                Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, 
                considers appropriate to ensure adequate notice of 
                occupants of manufactured housing located in such 
                neighborhood or park of a tornado; and''.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    In addition to any amounts otherwise made available for grants under 
title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 
5301 et seq.), there is authorized to be appropriated for assistance 
only for activities pursuant to section 105(a)(24) of such Act 
$5,000,000 for fiscal year 2004.

    Approved December 3, 2003.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--H.R. 23:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

HOUSE REPORTS: No. 108-151 (Comm. on Financial Services).
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 149 (2003):
            July 21, considered and passed House.
            Nov. 18, considered and passed Senate.

                                  <all>


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