[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 58 (Thursday, May 11, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3916-S3917]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. JEFFORDS (for himself and Mr. Schumer):
  S. 2543. A bill to amend the Robert R. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act to include airplane and rail accidents within 
the meaning of the term ``major disaster''; to the Committee on 
Environment and Public Works.


     amendment to stafford act to cover airline and rail accidents

  Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, today I am introducing legislation to 
amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 
Act. Senator Stafford, my Vermont colleague whose seat in this body I 
am honored to hold today, authored the legislation creating FEMA more 
than 25 years a go. Thanks to his foresight and leadership in this 
area, the federal government has helped thousands of ordinary citizens 
recover from disasters and other incidents beyond their control.
  Today we have a chance to build on the legacy of Senator Stafford by 
adding airline and rail accidents to the list of ``major disasters'' 
defined in the act that governs the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency.
  While extremely rare occurrences, major airline and rail disasters 
place an incredible burden on the states and municipalities in which 
they occur. Due in part to the extraordinary level of national 
attention these accidents receive, states and municipalities face 
millions of dollars in unexpected and unbudgeted expenditures that 
often cripple local finances. Fees associated with initial response, 
security, and other health and safety measures often cost several 
million dollars.
  This legislation standardizes procedure for federal reimbursement of 
affected communities. While the federal government has regularly 
reimbursed states and municipalities during the 1990s for their role in 
these most national of disasters, the process is an ad hoc one. This 
body has considered and approved at least three special line item 
appropriations for areas affected by the recent ValueJet, TWA, and 
COMAIR accidents. A bill to reimburse Rhode Island for its costs 
associated with last fall's Egypt Air disaster is currently working its 
way through the Congress as part of the appropriation for the National 
Transportation Safety Board.
  This process causes needless headache and anxiety for local 
communities, as well as unnecessary chores for the NTSB and Congress. 
It forces states and municipalities to wait as reimbursement requests 
find their way through the complicated appropriations process while 
creating more work for our overburdened appropriators.
  The numbers speak for themselves. States and local communities spend 
millions of dollars to respond to these accidents. While they are 
ultimately reimbursed by the federal government, the uncertainty and 
slow pace of the process often places affected communities in a 
financial bind. Money that could be spent on education, health care, or 
public safety is lost in an unnecessary limbo.
  Under this bill, airline and rail accidents will be treated like any 
other disaster under the Stafford Act. Like an earthquake, blizzard or 
any other disaster, FEMA, upon the request of a governor, will examine 
the scene of such an accident and advise the President on whether 
federal reimbursement is appropriate.
  Mr. President, this bill simply standardizes procedure for a 
commitment already made by the federal government. It requires to new 
costs or expenses

[[Page S3917]]

and actually saves money by streamlining a bureaucratic and complicated 
process. The International Association of Emergency Managers and the 
NTSB supports this legislation.
  I urge my colleagues to join these groups in supporting this bill 
that will bring standardization to an ad hoc process that has the 
potential to cause so much harm to our states and communities.
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