Disaster relief finally reaches condo and co-op owners left behind

What it does

This bill amends federal disaster relief law to extend assistance to owners of condominiums, housing cooperatives, and manufactured housing communities when common areas (roofs, walls, utilities, elevators) are damaged by major disasters. Currently, the Stafford Act primarily covers single-family homes and rental properties; this bill ensures that condo and co-op owners whose buildings suffer disaster damage can access federal recovery funds for shared infrastructure repairs, provided their individual cost share is documented.

Why we flagged it

The bill's sole operative function is to extend existing federal disaster assistance (Stafford Act) to a previously excluded class of residential property owners—condo, co-op, and manufactured housing community residents. It does not create new programs, subsidies, or carve-outs; it equalizes access to an existing public benefit.

What the text implies

• Condo and co-op owners may face increased scrutiny or documentation requirements to prove 'pro rata share' of repair costs, potentially creating administrative burden and delaying relief.
• The bill's reliance on state/local government determination that debris 'constitutes a threat' may create inconsistent application across jurisdictions with different disaster-response capacity.
• Manufactured housing communities are included alongside condos and co-ops, but manufactured homes are often owned by lower-income residents; this bill may disproportionately benefit wealthier condo/co-op owners in higher-cost markets.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Condo and co-op owners currently face a gap in federal disaster assistance—they cannot access Stafford Act funds for common-area repairs even when those repairs are essential to habitability. This bill closes that gap, extending a public benefit (disaster relief) to a class of homeowners who have been excluded. The bill does not create new liabilities, shield private parties from accountability, or redirect public funds to narrow interests; it expands access to an existing public program.

Who stands to gain

• Condo and co-op owners (homeowners, not corporations)
• Manufactured housing community residents

Named in the bill

Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, Section 407 (debris removal), Section 408 (essential repairs), Condominium associations, Housing cooperatives, Manufactured housing communities, FEMA (implied administrator)

Where it stands

10 cosponsors: 8 Democrats, 2 Republicans.

• Jan 31, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Jan 31, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

3 lobbying clients named this bill on 5 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $90,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 7 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 61% of bills with at least one filing.

David Rouzer, the sponsor, reported $1,292,375 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• Community Associations Institute — $60,000 on 2 filings
• Community Associations Institute — $30,000 on 1 filing
• Cornerstone Government Affairs Obo Community Associations Institute — $0 on 2 filings

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.