[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3468 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 3468

  To require rulemaking by the Administrator of the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency to address considerations in evaluating the need for 
   public and individual disaster assistance, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           December 12, 2023

  Mr. Durbin (for himself and Ms. Duckworth) introduced the following 
 bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland 
                   Security and Governmental Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require rulemaking by the Administrator of the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency to address considerations in evaluating the need for 
   public and individual disaster assistance, 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 ``Fairness in Federal Disaster 
Declarations Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. REGULATORY ACTION REQUIRED.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 120 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency (in this Act referred to as the ``Administrator'') 
shall amend the rules of the Administrator under section 206.48 of 
title 44, Code of Federal Regulations, as in effect on the date of 
enactment of this Act, in accordance with the provisions of this Act.
    (b) New Criteria Required.--The amended rules issued under 
subsection (a) shall provide for the following:
            (1) Public assistance program.--Such rules shall provide 
        that, with respect to the evaluation of the need for public 
        assistance--
                    (A) specific weighted valuations shall be assigned 
                to each criterion, including--
                            (i) estimated cost of the assistance, 10 
                        percent;
                            (ii) localized impacts, 40 percent;
                            (iii) insurance coverage in force, 10 
                        percent;
                            (iv) hazard mitigation, 10 percent;
                            (v) recent multiple disasters, 10 percent;
                            (vi) programs of other Federal assistance, 
                        10 percent; and
                            (vii) economic circumstances described in 
                        subparagraph (B), 10 percent; and
                    (B) the Administrator shall consider the economic 
                circumstances of--
                            (i) the local economy of the area affected 
                        by the disaster, including factors such as the 
                        local assessable tax base and local sales tax, 
                        the median income as it compares to that of the 
                        State, and the poverty rate as it compares to 
                        that of the State; and
                            (ii) the economy of the State, including 
                        factors such as the unemployment rate of the 
                        State, as compared to the national unemployment 
                        rate.
            (2) Individual assistance program.--Such rules shall 
        provide that, with respect to the evaluation of the severity, 
        magnitude, and impact of the disaster and the evaluation of the 
        need for assistance to individuals--
                    (A) specific weighted valuations shall be assigned 
                to each criterion, including--
                            (i) concentration of damages, 20 percent;
                            (ii) trauma, 20 percent;
                            (iii) special populations, 20 percent;
                            (iv) voluntary agency assistance, 10 
                        percent;
                            (v) insurance, 20 percent;
                            (vi) average amount of individual 
                        assistance by State, 5 percent; and
                            (vii) economic considerations described in 
                        subparagraph (B), 5 percent; and
                    (B) the Administrator shall consider the economic 
                circumstances of the area affected by the disaster, 
                including factors such as the local assessable tax base 
                and local sales tax, the median income as it compares 
                to that of the State, and the poverty rate as it 
                compares to that of the State.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amended rules issued under subsection (a) 
shall apply to any disaster for which a Governor requested a major 
disaster declaration under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) that was denied on or 
after January 1, 2012.
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