The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed five bills to reform the disaster recovery system at a session on October 27. The bills address separate elements of how FEMA responds and helps communities prepare for disasters, including wildfire recovery grants, case management for disaster survivors, disaster mitigation, and resiliency standards.
The “Wildfire Recovery Act” (H.R. 1066), introduced by Representative Joe Neguse (D-CO), addresses issues with FEMA’s Fire Management Assistance Grant program, which reimburses jurisdictions for the cost of fighting wildfires. The bill statutorily authorizes the program – which had been operated on an ad hoc basis by FEMA. The bill would require FEMA to set the federal share for reimbursement at 75% of an activity’s cost and directs FEMA to implement criteria for increasing that share when necessary. Similar language already exists for FEMA’s Public Assistance (PA) program.
The “Small Project Efficient and Effective Disaster (SPEED) Recovery Act” (H.R.5641) addresses when a project reimbursed under FEMA’s PA program is considered a “small project,” permitting the use of simplified applications and allowing such projects to begin more quickly. The legislation would change the definition of “small project” to include any disaster or mitigation related project that costs less than $1 million. The bill was introduced by Committee Chair Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO), Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Subcommittee Chair Dina Titus (D-NV), and Subcommittee Ranking Member Webster (D-FL).
The “Resilient AMERICA Act” (H.R. 5689), also introduced by Committee Chair DeFazio, Ranking Member Graves, Subcommittee Chair Titus, and Subcommittee Ranking Member Webster, would enhance the mitigation and resilience activities FEMA is authorized to conduct, improving state, local, tribal, and territorial governments’ access to funding for such activities. The bill would double funding dedicated to FEMA’s Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) program, allow eligible non-profits to receive PDM funds, and expand the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program to cover utility system repairs and the “hardening” of homes to make them more resilient in future disasters.
The “Safeguarding Tomorrow Through Ongoing Risk Mitigation Technical Corrections Act” (H.R. 5673), introduced by Subcommittee Chair Titus and Subcommittee Ranking Member Webster, would make corrections to the resilience revolving loan fund created by the STORM Act passed last year.
The “FEMA Caseworker Accountability Act” (H.R. 5343), introduced by Representative Tom Rice (R-SC), would direct FEMA to provide a report to Congress regarding the amount of staff turnover and other workforce issues that FEMA has experienced among its casework staff. The bill would require the report to detail any agency plans designed to reduce such turnover.
Read the text of the “Wildfire Recovery Act” at: https://bit.ly/2ZHgohN
Read more about the “Small Project Efficient and Effective Disaster (SPEED) Recovery Act” at: https://bit.ly/3boNd5o
Read more about the “Resilient AMERICA Act” at: https://bit.ly/31efycS
Read the text of the “Safeguarding Tomorrow Through Ongoing Risk Mitigation Technical Corrections Act” at: https://bit.ly/3CERoG0
Read the text of the “FEMA Caseworker Accountability Act” at: https://bit.ly/2ZJrfb5