[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3683 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3683

To ensure that a declaration for a major disaster or emergency is made 
   on a timely basis, rural areas receive assistance, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 30, 2024

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To ensure that a declaration for a major disaster or emergency is made 
   on a timely basis, rural areas receive 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 ``Making Aid for Local Disasters Equal 
Now Act'' or the ``MALDEN Act''.

SEC. 2. RURAL ASSISTANCE.

    Section 326(c) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5165d(c)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (3)(D) by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) by redesignating paragraph (4) as paragraph (6); and
            (3) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following:
            ``(4) with respect to a rural area impacted by a wildfire, 
        work in coordination with the State or Tribal emergency 
        management agency to provide guidance to the emergency manager 
        of the rural area on developing a recovery team, including--
                    ``(A) by providing resources to help prevent 
                flooding, mudslides, rockslides or any other natural 
                disaster that could result after a wildfire; and
                    ``(B) by identifying available resources for both 
                short-term and long-term recovery, including resources 
                to help prevent a future natural disaster within the 
                burned area;
            ``(5) in a case in which a request for assistance to an 
        individual or household in a rural area under section 408 is 
        denied, work in coordination with the affected State or Tribal 
        emergency management agency to make case workers available to 
        the residents impacted by the major disaster or emergency; 
        and''.
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