Pub. L. 109-148, div. B, tit. I, ch. 1, sec. 105

Sec. 105. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, with respect to the counties affected by hurricanes in the 2005 calendar year and for any individuals who resided in such counties at the time of the disaster the Secretary of Agriculture may, for a 6-month period that begins upon the date of the enactment of this Act—(1) convert rental assistance under section 521 of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1490a) allocated for a property that is not decent, safe, and sanitary because of the disaster into rural housing vouchers authorized under title V of the Housing Act of 1949;(2) guarantee loans under section 502(h) of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1472(h)) to—(A) repair and rehabilitate single-family residences; and(B) refinance any loan made to a single-family resident used to acquire or construct the single-family residence if such residence meets the requirements of subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) of section 502(h)(4) of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1472(h)(4));(3) waive the application of the rural area or similar limitations under any program funded through an appropriations act and administered by the Rural Development Mission Area;(4) issue housing vouchers under section 542 of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1490r), except that—(A) notwithstanding the first sentence of subsection (a) of section 542 of such Act, the Secretary may assist low-income families and persons whose residence has 119 STAT. 2750 become uninhabitable or inaccessible as a result of a 2005 hurricane; and(B) subsection (b) of such section 542 of such Act shall not apply;(5) provide loans, loan guarantees and grants from the Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Improvements Program authorized in section 9006 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8106) to any rural business—(A) with a cost share requirement not to exceed 50 percent;(B) without regard to any limitation of the grant amount; and(C) which may include businesses processing unsegregated solid waste and paper, as determined by the Secretary;(6) provide grants under the Value-added Agricultural Product Market Development Grant Program and Rural Cooperative Development Grant Program without regard to any grant amount limitations or matching requirements; and(7) provide grants under the Community Facilities Grant Program without regard to any graduated funding requirements, grant amount limitations or matching requirements.(b) The funds made available under this section are designated as an emergency requirement pursuant to section 402 of H. Con. Res. 95 (109th Congress), the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2006.