[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 39 (Thursday, March 10, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E291]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              FEMA DISASTER ASSISTANCE REFORM ACT OF 2015

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 10, 2016

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my strong support for 
H.R. 1471, the ``FEMA Disaster Assistance Reform Act of 2015.''
  The Federal Emergency Management Act (FEMA), which was signed into 
law in 1979 by President Carter, provides support to improve our 
capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from 
and mitigate all hazards.
  Under the Clinton Administration FEMA became the premier emergency 
response organization in the world.
  Mr. Speaker, we all remember the disastrous response to Hurricane 
Katrina in New Orleans, Louisiana and the management mistakes that cost 
so many innocent Americans their lives.
  Since that time FEMA has vastly improved its organization and 
response protocols to disasters throughout the country.
  An example is FEMA's response to the 2015 historic floods in of 
Houston, Texas, which helped saved countless lives.
  H.R. 1471 reauthorizes FEMA through Fiscal Year 2018 authorizes 
millions per year up to $947 million in annual appropriations, and 
authorizes the National Urban Search and Rescue Response System.
  This legislation also contains several provisions intended to reduce 
future losses from disasters and to improve the recovery process for 
victims and affected communities.
  In addition the bill provides for a study of disaster costs and why 
they have continued to increase and gives greater weight to severe 
localized impact and adjusts disaster relief policies to reflect this 
change.
  To protect families and individuals H.R. 1471 prohibits FEMA from 
initiating new action to recover disaster assistance payments made to 
an individual or household more than three years after the payments 
were made, or to recover emergency assistance funds owed by an 
individual or household more than three years after the funds were 
determined to be owed.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1471, ``FEMA Disaster Assistance Reform Act of 
2015'' provides many changes that will allow this vital agency to 
operate effectively and respond quickly to the areas in this country 
where its services are needed most.

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