[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 28 (Tuesday, February 23, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H823-H824]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
DIRECTING DOLLARS TO DISASTER RELIEF ACT OF 2015
Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(S. 2109) 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.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
S. 2109
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 ``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
for 7 years beginning on the date of enactment of this Act,
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.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Katko) and the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Carson) each will
control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.
General Leave
Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous materials on S. 2109.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New York?
There was no objection.
Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
In the last 12 years, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or
FEMA, has provided almost $100 billion in disaster relief and disaster
assistance. However, a significant and increasing amount of these funds
have gone to cover FEMA's administrative costs that support the
delivery of disaster assistance.
The Government Accountability Office, or GAO, has been looking into
this for some time and found that, between fiscal year 1989 and fiscal
year 2011, the percentage of disaster assistance spent on
administrative costs doubled from 9 to 18 percent.
While FEMA has tried to implement internal controls to keep these
costs to a minimum, GAO has found that FEMA's administrative costs have
not decreased. In fact, GAO estimates that internal controls could save
hundreds of millions of dollars in administrative costs.
S. 2109, the Directing Dollars to Disaster Relief Act of 2015, seeks
to control and reduce rising administrative costs from major disasters
by requiring the administrator of FEMA to develop and implement a plan
to control and reduce its internal administrative costs.
I would like to commend and thank the chairman of the Senate
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs for introducing
this important oversight measure, which will save taxpayer dollars.
I would also like to thank the Senate chairman for working with us to
ensure that the legislation includes a sunset provision and is
consistent with our House protocols.
As disasters become more frequent and severe, it will become critical
to keep administrative costs in FEMA to a minimum, increase
efficiencies, and ensure that resources are directed toward disaster
victims and the restoration of infrastructure.
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation.
[[Page H824]]
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, S. 2109, the Directing Dollars to Disaster Relief Act of
2015, requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, to
develop a plan to control and reduce its disaster-related
administrative costs and other activities.
The GAO has noted that FEMA's costs incurred in administering
disaster-related activities have increased substantially. FEMA has
acknowledged the increase and has struggled to address this issue.
Most recently, in 2014, the GAO recommended that FEMA develop an
integrated plan to control and reduce disaster-related administrative
costs.
GAO also recommended that FEMA assess the feasibility of tracking
administrative costs by disaster program, such as public assistance and
individual assistance.
Finally, GAO recommended that FEMA clarify its guidance and minimum
documentation requirements for State and local governments with respect
to their direct administrative costs.
This bill, Mr. Speaker, will codify these recommendations and
statutorily require FEMA to take these actions.
I appreciate the improvements this bill will make toward reducing
overall disaster costs and losses, but this is not enough. We must do
more to reduce these costs and losses, Mr. Speaker. There is no better
way than to invest in predisaster mitigation.
I introduced H.R. 830 to reauthorize the predisaster hazard
mitigation program. We consistently talk about the potential to reduce
disaster costs and save taxpayers money through predisaster mitigation.
In fact, our subcommittee has noted the reports by the Congressional
Budget Office and the National Institute of Building Sciences
Multihazard Mitigation Council, which found that predisaster mitigation
saves $3 to $4 for every dollar spent on mitigation activities.
But there is more. Predisaster mitigation activities save lives and
reduce injuries. It is time to stop talking and do more. Let us, Mr.
Speaker, reauthorize the predisaster mitigation program at levels
sufficient to significantly reduce disaster costs and save lives. Our
citizens deserve this.
I look forward to working with my good colleagues on the other side
of the aisle to make sure that these strides will come to fruition.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from New York (Mr. Katko) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, S. 2109.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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