I 112th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 2455 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 7, 2011 Mr. Richmond introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Rules, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To prohibit any requirement of a budgetary offset for emergency disaster assistance during 2011 and 2012.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Humanitarian Aid for Americans Act.

2.

Congressional findings

The Congress finds the following: (1)Presidential emergency declarations trigger aid that protects property, public health, and safety and lessens or averts the threat of an incident becoming a catastrophic event. (2)The number of disasters has grown on a bipartisan basis and is a reflection of the weather events of the period: in the 1980s (1980–1989) there were 237 Presidential major disaster declarations; in the 1990s (1990–1999) there were 460 Presidential major disaster declarations; and in the 2000s (2000–2009) there were 561 declared disasters, an average of 56 per year during the 2000s. (3)In 2011 alone, there have already been 48 major disaster declarations in Texas, Iowa, Indiana, Montana, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York, Alaska, Illinois, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, California, Hawaii, Wisconsin, Oregon, Washington, New Mexico, Connecticut, New York, Utah, New Jersey, and Maine. (4)Historically, the Congress has recognized the importance of retaining flexibility to provide immediate disaster assistance, understanding that limiting its flexibility to respond would impede the ability of the Congress to address constituents’ needs and limit its ability to fund disaster relief, thus forcing State and local governments to face the insurmountable challenges of rebuilding alone. (5)Despite this history, some members of the 112th Congress have called for offsets to any emergency aid package. (6)Timely disaster aid allows for a humanitarian response and a comprehensive recovery, and should not be slowed while the Congress considers additional cuts to infrastructure, homeland security, Medicare, education, and infant nutrition before responding to an unforeseen disaster. (7)For these reasons, this Act allows the Congress to be responsive to its constituents, removing any requirement that emergency disaster funding be offset by spending cuts.

3.

Prohibition of requirement of budgetary offsets for emergency disaster assistance during 2011 and 2012

Any appropriation during calendar year 2011 or 2012 for disaster assistance pursuant to a declaration by the President of a major disaster or emergency under section 401 or 501 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170 or 5191) shall not be counted for any budgetary purpose of title III or IV of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 631 et seq.) or of any rule of the House of Representatives or the Senate, and shall not be required to be accompanied by any budgetary offset.