Emergency Housing Act of 1975
Public Law 94-50 · H.R. 5398 · 94th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Gerald Ford (R) on Jul 2, 1975 · Housing and Community Development
Sponsor: Rep. Thomas Ashley (D-OH-9)
Cosponsors (15): Rep. William Barrett, Rep. Leonor Sullivan,
Passage votes
- HouseMethod not stated
- SenateMethod not stated
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.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
(House agreed to Senate amendment with an amendment)
Emergency Homeowners' Relief Act - =Title I: Emergency Mortgage Relief= - Sets forth conditions to be met before assistance will be extended under this title, including that the mortgagee has indicated intent to foreclose, payments have been delinquent three months, and the mortgagor has incurred a substantial reduction in income as a result of involuntary unemployment or underemployment due to adverse economic conditions and is financially unable to make full mortgage payments.
Permits assistance under this title to be up to $250 per month for 12 months, renewable once for another 12 months.
Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to insure financial institutions against losses which they may sustain as a result of emergency loans or advances of credit made in accordance with the provisions of this title. Sets forth limitations on coverage of such insurance and prescribes premiums to be charged.
Authorizes the Secretary to make repayable emergency mortgage relief payments directly to mortgagees on behalf of homeowners whose mortgages are held by specified financial institutions and who are delinquent in their mortgage payments.
Authorizes the Secretary to establish in the Treasury of the United States an Emergency Homeowners' Relief Fund which shall be available to the Secretary without fiscal year limitation to carry out the purposes of this title.
Authorizes to be appropriated for purposes of this title such sums as may be necessary, except that the funds authorized to be appropriated for emergency mortgage relief payments shall not exceed $500,000,000.
Terminates extension of assistance under this title on June 30, 1976.
Provides that for one year each Federal supervisory agency with respect to financial institutions subject to its jurisdiction, and the Secretary, with respect to other approved mortgagees, shall take appropriate action to waive or relax limitations pertaining to the operations of such institutions or mortgagees with respect to mortgage delinquencies.
Requires reports to the Congress at 60-day intervals regarding specified provisions under this Act.
Authorizes the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to make such advances to any insured bank as the Corporation determines may be necessary or appropriate to facilitate participation by such bank in the program authorized by this title.
=Title II: Amendments to the Emergency Home Purchase Assistance Act of 1974= - Permits assistance under the Emergency Home Purchase Assistance Act of 1974 only when the interest rate on a mortgage does not exceed 7 1/2 percent or the rate set by the Secretary applicable to mortgages insured under section 203(b) of the National Housing Act.
Extends the provisions of such Act to cover the purchase, service, selling, and other dealing in a mortgage which covers more than four-family residences, including residences in a cooperative or condominium, or a single-family unit in a condominium.
Authorizes total assistance under such Act as is approved in an appropriation Act, but not to exceed $10,000,000,000.
Extends the provisions of such Act until July 1, 1976.
=Title III: Emergency Repair and Rehabilitation Authority= - Extends authority for emergency repair and rehabilitation assistance, and $100,000,000 in appropriations therefor, through fiscal year 1976.
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.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 13 actions.
- Jul 2, 1975Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public law 94-50.
- Jul 1, 1975PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
- Jun 30, 1975PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
- Jun 27, 1975Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to House amendments.
- Jun 26, 1975Resolving differencesResolving differences · House agreed to Senate amendment with an amendment.
- FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate, amended, roll call #255 (94-0).Senate roll call 255
- Jun 25, 1975FloorFloor · Measure called up by unanimous consent in Senate.
- Apr 14, 1975FloorFloor · Measure passed House, amended, roll call #118 (321-21).House roll call 118
- Apr 7, 1975CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Financial Services Committee
- Mar 24, 1975CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Financial Services Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the House
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.