PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Apr 3, 2017
Disaster Assistance Recoupment Fairness Act of 2017
This bill authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to waive a debt owed to the United States related to disaster assistance provided to an individual or household if:
such assistance was distributed based on an error by FEMA,
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
there was no fault on behalf of the debtor, and
the collection of the debt would be against equity and good conscience.
The Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security shall: (1) monitor federal disaster assistance to determine the percentage that is distributed based on a FEMA error; and (2) upon determining that such percentage exceeds 4% for any 12-month period, notify the FEMA Administrator and publish such determination. The waiver authority under this bill shall not apply to debts owed in relation to assistance provided for a disaster or emergency declared after the date such a determination is published.
Unless there is evidence of fraud, FEMA shall not initiate any action to recover: (1) disaster assistance for an individual or household later than three years after the last date the assistance was provided, or (2) amounts owed by an individual or household in relation to such assistance later than three years after the date the amounts were determined to be owed.
People & committees
Rep. Meeks, Gregory W. [D-NY-5] · D–NY
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management.
Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Aug 11, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
AI Conversation Starters
Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.
Analyze H.R.1860 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
Examine H.R.1860 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.
Examine H.R.1860 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.
Examine H.R.1860 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.