Earlier this year, California’s Representatives in the House and Senate sent a letter to President Biden urging him to grant California a major disaster declaration in response to the series of extreme storms seen across the Golden State. More recently, the trend of devastating storms has continued, with communities across Southern California feeling the impact of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Hilary. 

Major disaster declarations free up FEMA funding and resources for states to use to supplement their own responses and recovery efforts in the wake of these ever-increasing extreme weather events. However, these federal resources, which are funded by taxpayers like yourself, currently cannot be used to assist all community associations. Representatives Rouzer (North Carolina) and Nadler (New York) reintroduced the H.R. 3777 Disaster Assistance Fairness Act (DAFA), bipartisan legislation which will make FEMA disaster recovery resources available for California homeowners associations, condominiums, and housing cooperatives. Already, this bill has been co-sponsored by Representatives Diaz-Balart (Florida), Garamendi (California), Mace (South Carolina), Nadler (New York), and Steube (Florida).

The DAFA reduces public health and safety concerns by allowing immediate recovery efforts from a catastrophic event. This includes repair or replacement of major common elements in condominiums and housing cooperatives, and debris removal in homeowners associations. As taxpaying Americans, community association homeowners deserve the same access to federal resources that other communities receive.

Please contact your Member of the House of Representatives today to help Californians living in community associations by co-sponsoring H.R. 3777 the Disaster Assistance Fairness Act. Please contact your Senator and ask them to introduce a companion to H.R. 3777, and help Californians living in community associations.