[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2109 Reported in Senate (RS)]

<DOC>





                                                       Calendar No. 313
114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2109

                          [Report No. 114-173]

To direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency 
to develop an integrated plan to reduce administrative costs under the 
 Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 30, 2015

  Mr. Johnson introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

                            December 7, 2015

               Reported by Mr. Johnson, with an amendment
 [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency 
to develop an integrated plan to reduce administrative costs under the 
 Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, and 
                          for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    This Act may be cited as the ``Directing Dollars to 
Disaster Relief Act of 2015''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    In this Act--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) the term ``administrative cost'' means a cost 
        incurred by the Agency in support of the delivery of disaster 
        assistance for a major disaster;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) the term ``Administrator'' means the 
        Administrator of the Agency;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) the term ``Agency'' means the Federal 
        Emergency Management Agency;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) the term ``direct administrative cost'' means 
        a cost incurred by a grantee or subgrantee of a program 
        authorized by the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
        Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) that can be 
        identified separately and assigned to a specific 
        project;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) the term ``hazard mitigation program'' means 
        the hazard mitigation grant program authorized under section 
        404 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
        Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170c);</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (6) the term ``individual assistance program'' 
        means the individual assistance grant program authorized under 
        sections 408, 410, 415, 416, 426, and 502(a) of the Robert T. 
        Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 
        U.S.C. 5174, 5177, 5182, 5183, 5189d, and 5192(a));</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (7) the term ``major disaster'' means a major 
        disaster declared by the President under section 401 of the 
        Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 
        (42 U.S.C. 5170);</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (8) the term ``mission assignment'' has the 
        meaning given the term in section 641 of the Post-Katrina 
        Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 (6 U.S.C. 741); 
        and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (9) the term ``public assistance program'' means 
        the public assistance grant program authorized under sections 
        403(a)(3), 406, 418, 419, 428, and 502(a) of the Robert T. 
        Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 
        U.S.C. 5170b(a)(3), 5172, 5185, 5186, 5189f, and 
        5192(a)).</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 3. INTEGRATED PLAN FOR ADMINISTRATIVE COST 
              REDUCTION.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) In General.--Not later than 365 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) develop and implement an integrated plan to 
        control and reduce administrative costs for major disasters, 
        which shall include--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) steps the Agency will take to reduce 
                administrative costs;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) milestones needed for accomplishing 
                the reduction of administrative costs;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) the assignment of clear roles and 
                responsibilities, including the designation of 
                officials responsible for monitoring and measuring 
                performance; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (D) a timetable for 
                implementation;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) compare the costs and benefits of tracking the 
        administrative cost data for major disasters by the public 
        assistance, individual assistance, hazard mitigation, and 
        mission assignment programs, and if feasible, track this 
        information; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) clarify Agency guidance and minimum 
        documentation requirements for a direct administrative cost 
        claimed by a grantee or subgrantee of a public assistance grant 
        program.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Congressional Update.--Not later than 90 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall brief the 
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate 
and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
Representatives on the plan required to be developed under subsection 
(a)(1).</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (c) Updates.--If the Administrator modifies the plan or 
the timetable under subsection (a), the Administrator shall submit to 
Congress a report notifying Congress of the modification, which shall 
include the details of the modification.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 4. LIMITATIONS FOR ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) In General.--Except as provided in subsection (b), of 
the total amount obligated for major disasters by the Agency from the 
Disaster Relief Fund for a fiscal year, the amount obligated for 
administrative costs shall not exceed the milestones set by the Agency 
in the plan developed under section 3(a)(1).</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Waiver.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) In general.--The Administrator may waive a 
        requirement described in subsection (a) if the Administrator--
        </DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) has completed an assessment described 
                in paragraph (3); and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) submits to the appropriate committees 
                of Congress a written explanation as to why the Agency 
                exceeded the milestones set by the Agency in the plan 
                developed under section 3(a)(1) for administrative 
                costs of major disasters for the specified fiscal 
                year.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Public availability.--Not later than 30 days 
        after the date on which the Administrator submits the written 
        explanation to Congress under paragraph (1), the Administrator 
        shall make the explanation publicly available on the website of 
        the Agency.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) Assessment.--Not later than 60 days after the 
        last day of a fiscal year, the Administrator shall conduct an 
        assessment of the administrative costs of major disasters for 
        the fiscal year in order to determine whether a waiver is 
        needed under this subsection.</DELETED>

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Directing Dollars to Disaster Relief 
Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act--
            (1) the term ``administrative cost''--
                    (A) means a cost incurred by the Agency in support 
                of the delivery of disaster assistance for a major 
                disaster; and
                    (B) does not include a cost incurred by a grantee 
                or subgrantee;
            (2) the term ``Administrator'' means the Administrator of 
        the Agency;
            (3) the term ``Agency'' means the Federal Emergency 
        Management Agency;
            (4) the term ``direct administrative cost'' means a cost 
        incurred by a grantee or subgrantee of a program authorized by 
        the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 
        Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) that can be identified separately 
        and assigned to a specific project;
            (5) the term ``hazard mitigation program'' means the hazard 
        mitigation grant program authorized under section 404 of the 
        Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 
        (42 U.S.C. 5170c);
            (6) the term ``individual assistance program'' means the 
        individual assistance grant program authorized under sections 
        408, 410, 415, 416, 426, and 502(a) of the Robert T. Stafford 
        Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174, 
        5177, 5182, 5183, 5189d, and 5192(a));
            (7) the term ``major disaster'' means a major disaster 
        declared by the President under section 401 of the Robert T. 
        Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 
        U.S.C. 5170);
            (8) the term ``mission assignment'' has the meaning given 
        the term in section 641 of the Post-Katrina Emergency 
        Management Reform Act of 2006 (6 U.S.C. 741); and
            (9) the term ``public assistance program'' means the public 
        assistance grant program authorized under sections 403(a)(3), 
        406, 418, 419, 428, and 502(a) of the Robert T. Stafford 
        Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 
        5170b(a)(3), 5172, 5185, 5186, 5189f, and 5192(a)).

SEC. 3. INTEGRATED PLAN FOR ADMINISTRATIVE COST REDUCTION.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 365 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall--
            (1) develop and implement an integrated plan to control and 
        reduce administrative costs for major disasters, which shall 
        include--
                    (A) steps the Agency will take to reduce 
                administrative costs;
                    (B) milestones needed for accomplishing the 
                reduction of administrative costs;
                    (C) strategic goals for the average annual 
                percentage of administrative costs of major disasters 
                for each fiscal year;
                    (D) the assignment of clear roles and 
                responsibilities, including the designation of 
                officials responsible for monitoring and measuring 
                performance; and
                    (E) a timetable for implementation;
            (2) compare the costs and benefits of tracking the 
        administrative cost data for major disasters by the public 
        assistance, individual assistance, hazard mitigation, and 
        mission assignment programs, and if feasible, track this 
        information; and
            (3) clarify Agency guidance and minimum documentation 
        requirements for a direct administrative cost claimed by a 
        grantee or subgrantee of a public assistance grant program.
    (b) Congressional Update.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall brief the Committee on 
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
Representatives on the plan required to be developed under subsection 
(a)(1).
    (c) Updates.--If the Administrator modifies the plan or the 
timetable under subsection (a), the Administrator shall submit to the 
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate 
and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
Representatives a report notifying Congress of the modification, which 
shall include the details of the modification.

SEC. 4. REPORTING REQUIREMENT.

    (a) Annual Report.--Not later than November 30 of each year, the 
Administrator shall submit to Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation 
and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a report on the 
development and implementation of the integrated plan required under 
section 3 for the previous fiscal year.
    (b) Report Updates.--
            (1) Three year update.--Not later than 3 years after the 
        date on which the Administrator submits a report under 
        subsection (a), the Administrator shall submit an updated 
        report for the previous 3-fiscal-year period.
            (2) Five year update.--Not later than 5 years after the 
        date on which the Administrator submits a report under 
        subsection (a), the Administrator shall submit an updated 
        report for the previous 5-fiscal-year period.
    (c) Contents of Reports.--Each report required under subsections 
(a) and (b) shall contain, at a minimum--
            (1) the total amount spent on administrative costs for the 
        fiscal year period for which the report is being submitted;
            (2) the average annual percentage of administrative costs 
        for the fiscal year period for which the report is being 
        submitted;
            (3) an assessment of the effectiveness of the plan 
        developed under section 3(a)(1);
            (4) an analysis of--
                    (A) whether the Agency is achieving the strategic 
                goals established under section 3(a)(1)(C); and
                    (B) in the case of the Agency not achieving such 
                strategic goals, what is preventing the Agency from 
                doing so;
            (5) any actions the Agency has identified as useful in 
        improving upon and reaching the goals for administrative costs 
        established under section 3(a)(1)(C); and
            (6) any data described in section 3(a)(2), if the Agency 
        determines it is feasible to track such data.
    (d) Public Availability.--Not later than 30 days after the date on 
which the Administrator submits a report to Congress under this 
section, the Administrator shall make the report publicly available on 
the website of the Agency.
                                                       Calendar No. 313

114th CONGRESS

  1st Session

                                S. 2109

                          [Report No. 114-173]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

To direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency 
to develop an integrated plan to reduce administrative costs under the 
 Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, and 
                          for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                            December 7, 2015

                       Reported with an amendment