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Rebuilding Small Businesses After Disasters Act

Public Law 116-70 · S. 862 · 116th Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Nov 22, 2019 · Commerce

Sponsor: Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA)

Cosponsors (3): Sen. Cory Booker,

Passage votes

  • HouseUnanimous consent
  • SenateVoice vote
Data notes

The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

This bill extends by three years the increased threshold for the minimum major-disaster loan amount for which the Small Business Administration may require collateral. It also requires the Government Accountability Office to report on the performance of such loans.

Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

Data notes

A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.

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Related bills

The record lists no related bills.

Data notes

Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 19 actions.

  1. Nov 22, 2019Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 116-70.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Nov 21, 2019FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Nov 20, 2019FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  5. FloorFloor · On passage Passed without objection.
  6. FloorFloor · Considered by unanimous consent.
  7. FloorFloor · Ms. Craig asked unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table and consider.
  8. Aug 2, 2019FloorFloor · Held at the desk.
  9. FloorFloor · Received in the House.
  10. Aug 1, 2019FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  11. FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment and an amendment to the Title by Voice Vote.
  12. FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
  13. Jun 19, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Hearings held.
  14. CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee
  15. Apr 3, 2019CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 54.
  16. CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Reported by Senator Rubio without amendment. Without written report.
  17. Mar 27, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
  18. Mar 25, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
  19. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes

Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.

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Amendments

2 amendments offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.

  • S.Amdt. 937SenateSen. John KennedyR-LA· offered Aug 1, 2019Agreed to

    To amend the title.

    Aug 1, 2019: Amendment SA 937 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.

    Agreed to

  • S.Amdt. 936SenateSen. John KennedyR-LA· offered Aug 1, 2019Agreed to

    In the nature of a substitute.

    Aug 1, 2019: Amendment SA 936 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.

    Agreed to
Data notes

Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.