The U.S. House Appropriations Committee released its fiscal year (FY) 2023 “Homeland Security Funding Bill,” which includes a proposal for FEMA’s FY23 budget. The bill proposes $25.89 billion in funding for FEMA – $771.3 million more than was requested in the Biden administration’s request. The bill also proposes $740 million for firefighter grants, an increase of $20 million from FY22-enacted levels; $370 million in Emergency Management Performance Grants, an increase of $15 million from FY22-enacted levels; $40 million for the Next Generation Warning System; and $19.5 billion for the Disaster Relief Fund, an increase of $1.15 billion from FY22-enacted levels and $205 million above the amount requested. (These proposed amounts are subject to substantive revision by the U.S. Senate.)
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a vote on June 15 that included a piece of disaster recovery reform legislation. The committee unanimously passed the “Expediting Disaster Recovery Act.” The bill, introduced by Representatives Garret Graves (R-LA) and Stacey Plaskett (D-VI), would allow funds for FEMA’s Other Needs Assistance to quickly flow to disaster survivors within 30 days of a presidentially declared disaster. The amount of funding would equal 10% of the total estimated aggregate amount of funding that FEMA estimates is needed following an analysis of a disaster’s impact.
Under the bill, these new funds would be used by states or local governments to assist in home repair and rebuilding, meet the needs of disaster survivors, fund “services that alleviate human suffering and promote the well-being of disaster victims,” and support economic and business activities. The bill would also raise the standard governing FEMA repairs, which will help prepare homes to host disaster survivors throughout their recovery.
Find a readout of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee’s FY23 “Homeland Security Funding Bill” at: mmhttps://bit.ly/3xQXrpW
Read the text of the “Expediting Disaster Recovery Act” at: https://bit.ly/3xQXrpW