[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2458 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2458

     To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act to establish an emergency preparedness grant program for 
         higher education institutions, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 3, 2023

   Mr. Carter of Louisiana introduced the following bill; which was 
     referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act to establish an emergency preparedness grant program for 
         higher education institutions, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Emergency Preparedness in Higher 
Education Act''.

SEC. 2. HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS GRANT 
              PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator of FEMA shall establish a 
grant program within FEMA to create or expand programs at higher 
education institutions that foster, promote, and increase programs, 
initiatives, and opportunities for higher education institutions and 
emergency management and preparedness among higher education 
institutions.
    (b) Applications.--A higher education institution seeking a grant 
under this section shall submit to the Administrator an application 
that contains a description of--
            (1) the need for and proposed use of grant funds to promote 
        emergency management and preparedness among students, 
        administrators, and faculty at such higher education 
        institution;
            (2) how the programs, initiatives, or opportunities created 
        or expanded with the grant funds will provide support to 
        students, administrators, and faculty at such higher education 
        institution who--
                    (A) seek support for an established emergency 
                management concern; or
                    (B) need assistance in establishing an emergency 
                management concern; and
            (3) how the higher education institution will create or 
        expand programs, initiatives, or opportunities that--
                    (A) increase higher education institutions recovery 
                efforts to disasters or emergencies;
                    (B) expand access to construction, replacement, 
                renovation, and operations costs resulting from the 
                disaster or emergency;
                    (C) assist enrolled students displaced from 
                disasters and emergencies which operations were 
                disrupted by a disaster or emergency; and
                    (D) assist for activities replacing instructional 
                materials and equipment, paying educator and staff 
                incentives, modernizing, renovating, or repairing 
                school buildings.
    (c) Selection.--In making grants under this section, the 
Administrator shall evaluate applications from among the same type of 
higher education institution.
    (d) Amount of Grant.--A grant awarded under this section shall be 
not less than $250,000.
    (e) Use of Grant Funds.--A higher education institution that 
receives a grant under the Program shall use grant amounts to support 
the creation or expansion of program initiatives, or opportunities that 
offer emergency preparedness resources that support students enrolled 
at the higher education institution, such as--
            (1) increasing higher education institutions recovery 
        efforts to disasters or emergencies;
            (2) expanding access to construction, replacement, 
        renovation, and operations costs resulting from the disaster or 
        emergency;
            (3) assisting enrolled students displaced from disasters 
        and emergencies which operations were disrupted by a disaster 
        or emergency; and
            (4) assisting for activities replacing instructional 
        materials and equipment; paying educator and staff incentives; 
        modernizing, renovating, or repairing school buildings.
    (f) Submission Requirement.--A higher education institution awarded 
a grant under this section shall, not less than 6 months and not more 
than 12 months after the receipt of a grant, submit to the 
Administrator a report that contains, for the period covered by the 
report, the number of--
            (1) students enrolled at the higher education institution 
        who were impacted by an emergency and were assisted with the 
        grant funds; and
            (2) emergency and disaster relief concerns created through 
        the expenditure of the grant funds, including, with respect to 
        each such concern--
                    (A) the name of such concern;
                    (B) a description of the emergency or disaster of 
                the concern; and
                    (C) the amount of grant funds expended in creating 
                the concern.
    (g) Report to Congress.--Not later than 18 months after the date on 
which the first grant is awarded under the program under this section, 
and annually thereafter, the Administrator shall submit to Congress a 
report that contains information regarding the higher education 
institutions to which grants were made under the program for the period 
covered by the report, which shall include--
            (1) the name of each such higher education institution and 
        the amount of each such grant;
            (2) the number of students assisted with grant funds--
                    (A) at each higher education institution to which a 
                grant was made under the program; and
                    (B) in total under the program;
            (3) the number of emergency and disaster concerns created 
        through the expenditure of grant funds--
                    (A) at each higher education institution to which a 
                grant was made under the program; and
                    (B) in total under the program;
            (4) the number of students impacted by emergency or 
        disaster concerns created through the expenditure of grant 
        funds--
                    (A) at each higher education institution to which a 
                grant was made under the program; and
                    (B) in total under the program;
            (5) the number of students referred to resources of FEMA--
                    (A) at each higher education institution to which a 
                grant was made under the program; and
                    (B) in total under the program;
            (6) the number of students participating in the programs, 
        initiatives, or opportunities created or expanded through the 
        expenditure of grant funds, disaggregated, to the maximum 
        extent possible, by sex, race, and ethnicity--
                    (A) at each higher education institution to which a 
                grant was made under the program; and
                    (B) in total under the program;
            (7) a statement regarding whether any amounts made 
        available to carry out this section remain unexpended, as of 
        the date on which the report is submitted.
    (h) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) FEMA.--The term ``FEMA'' means the Federal Emergency 
        Management Agency.
            (2) Higher education institution.--The term ``higher 
        education institution'' means any of the following types of 
        institutions:
                    (A) A historically Black college or university.
                    (B) A Hispanic-serving institution, as that term is 
                defined in section 502(a) of the Higher Education Act 
                of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1101a(a)).
                    (C) A Tribal College or University, as that term is 
                defined in section 316(b) of the Higher Education Act 
                of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c(b)).
                    (D) An Alaska Native-serving institution, as that 
                term is defined in section 317(b) of the Higher 
                Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059d(b)).
                    (E) A Native Hawaiian-serving institution, as that 
                term is defined in section 317(b) of the Higher 
                Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059d(b)).
                    (F) A Predominantly Black Institution, as that term 
                is defined in section 318(b) of the Higher Education 
                Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059e(b)).
                    (G) A Native American-serving, nontribal 
                institution, as that term is defined in section 319(b) 
                of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
                1059f(b)).
                    (H) An Asian-American and Native American Pacific 
                Islander-serving institution, as that term is defined 
                in section 320(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
                (20 U.S.C. 1059g(b)).
                    (I) An institution of higher education, as such 
                term is defined in section 101(a) of the Higher 
                Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)).
                    (J) A vocational-technical college or university.
                    (K) A career college or university.
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