[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 171 (Tuesday, October 29, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1362]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              FEDERAL DISASTER ASSISTANCE COORDINATION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 28, 2019

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1306, 
the ``Federal Disaster Assistance Coordination Act.''
  H.R. 1306 amends the Disaster Recovery Reform Act to help federal 
agencies streamline and consolidate information collection and 
Preliminary Damage Assessments following disasters.
  H.R. 1306 also establishes a federal working group to identify areas 
of overlap in performing the assessments used to administer disaster 
assistance for individuals, households, states, tribes, and 
territories.
  It is critical for the United States Congress to stand with the women 
and men who have been affected by disasters across the United States.
  In 2017, Hurricane Harvey dumped a record 275 trillion pounds of rain 
on the Houston area.
  An estimated 13 million people were affected, nearly 135,000 homes 
damaged or destroyed in the historic flooding, and up to a million cars 
were wrecked.
  This year, Tropical Storm Imelda has dumped 10 inches of rain in 
Houston, and at least 40 inches of rain in other parts of southeast 
Texas, making it one of the wettest storms in history.
  These natural disasters represent the importance of H.R. 1306 to 
properly mitigate disaster relief services and provide appropriate 
assistance to impacted communities.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 1306 
to help federal agencies streamline information collection and damage 
assessments following disasters.

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