[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 193 (Wednesday, November 3, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H6143-H6144]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         PRELIMINARY DAMAGE ASSESSMENT IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2021

  Mr. PAPPAS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 3709) to direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency to submit to Congress a report on preliminary damage 
assessments and make necessary improvements to processes in the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 3709

       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 ``Preliminary Damage 
     Assessment Improvement Act of 2021''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) Preliminary damage assessments play a critical role in 
     assessing and validating the impact and magnitude of a 
     disaster.
       (2) Through the preliminary damage assessment process, 
     representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency 
     validate information gathered by State and local officials 
     that serves as the basis for disaster assistance requests.
       (3) Various factors can impact the duration of a 
     preliminary damage assessment and the corresponding 
     submission of a major disaster request, however, the average 
     time between when a disaster occurs, and the submission of a 
     corresponding disaster request has been found to be 
     approximately twenty days longer for flooding disasters.
       (4) With communities across the country facing increased 
     instances of catastrophic flooding and other extreme weather 
     events, accurate and efficient preliminary damage assessments 
     have become critically important to the relief process for 
     impacted States and municipalities.

     SEC. 3. REPORT TO CONGRESS.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal 
     Emergency Management Agency shall submit to Congress a report 
     describing the preliminary damage assessment process, as 
     supported by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the 5 
     years before the date of enactment of this Act.
       (b) Contents.--The report described in subsection (a) shall 
     contain the following:
       (1) The process of the Federal Emergency Management Agency 
     for deploying personnel to support preliminary damage 
     assessments.
       (2) The number of Agency staff participating on disaster 
     assessment teams.
       (3) The training and experience of such staff described in 
     paragraph (2).
       (4) A calculation of the average amount of time disaster 
     assessment teams described in paragraph (1) are deployed to a 
     disaster area.
       (5) The efforts of the Agency to maintain a consistent 
     liaison between the Agency and State, local, tribal, and 
     territorial officials within a disaster area.

     SEC. 4. PRELIMINARY DAMAGE ASSESSMENT.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 6 months after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal 
     Emergency Management Agency shall convene an advisory panel 
     consisting of emergency management personnel employed by 
     State, local, territorial, or tribal authorities, and the 
     representative organizations of such personnel to assist the 
     Agency in improving critical components of the preliminary 
     damage assessment process.
       (b) Membership.--
       (1) In general.--This advisory panel shall consist of at 
     least 2 representatives from national emergency management 
     organizations and at least 1 representative from each of the 
     10 regions of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, 
     selected from emergency management personnel employed by 
     State, local, territorial, or tribal authorities within each 
     region.
       (2) Inclusion on panel.--To the furthest extent 
     practicable, representation on the advisory panel shall 
     include emergency management personnel from both rural and 
     urban jurisdictions.
       (c) Considerations.--The advisory panel convened under 
     subsection (a) shall--
       (1) consider--
       (A) establishing a training regime to ensure preliminary 
     damage assessments are conducted and reviewed under 
     consistent guidelines;
       (B) utilizing a common technological platform to integrate 
     data collected by State and local governments with data 
     collected by the Agency; and
       (C) assessing instruction materials provided by the Agency 
     for omissions of pertinent information or language that 
     conflicts with other statutory requirements; and
       (2) identify opportunities for streamlining the 
     consideration of preliminary damage assessments by the 
     Agency, including eliminating duplicative paperwork 
     requirements and ensuring consistent communication and 
     decision making among Agency staff.
       (d) Interim Report.--Not later than 18 months after the 
     date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit 
     to Congress a report regarding the findings of the advisory 
     panel, steps that will be undertaken by the Agency to 
     implement the findings of the advisory panel, and additional 
     legislation that may be necessary to implement the findings 
     of the advisory panel.
       (e) Rulemaking and Final Report.--Not later than 2 years 
     after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator 
     shall issue such regulations as are necessary to implement 
     the recommendations of the advisory panel and submit to 
     Congress a report discussing--
       (1) the implementation of recommendations from the advisory 
     panel;
       (2) the identification of any additional challenges to the 
     preliminary damage assessment process, including whether 
     specific disasters result in longer preliminary damage 
     assessments; and
       (3) any additional legislative recommendations necessary to 
     improve the preliminary damage assessment process.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
Hampshire (Mr. Pappas) and the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Guest) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Hampshire.


                             General Leave

  Mr. PAPPAS. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on H.R. 3709.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New Hampshire?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. PAPPAS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3709, introduced and 
championed by Representatives Katko and Delgado, two colleagues of ours 
on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
  The Preliminary Damage Assessment, or PDA, Improvement Act would 
direct the Federal Emergency Management Agency to produce a report 
examining the PDA process and establish a more consistent training 
regime for FEMA personnel to effectively support State and local 
officials as they conduct these assessments in the wake of disaster.
  FEMA uses PDA findings to determine the extent of damage and the 
subsequent unmet needs of individuals, businesses, and the public 
sector in a disaster-impacted area.
  This bill will ensure greater consistency of PDAs across FEMA's 10 
regions by creating a training program with a goal of ensuring a more 
consistent process of data collection and analysis.
  As communities across the country experience more extreme weather 
events, consistent and timely PDAs are more important than ever to the 
recovery process.
  Madam Speaker, I support this legislation and ask my colleagues to do 
the same. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GUEST. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3709, the Preliminary Damage 
Assessment Improvement Act of 2021, introduced by the gentleman from 
New York (Mr. Katko).
  FEMA's preliminary disaster assessment is crucial when determining 
eligibility for disaster assistance. This bill will ensure State and 
local stakeholders are involved in reviewing and developing 
recommendations for improving this process. This bill will help reduce 
unnecessary delays and get assistance to disaster survivors more 
quickly so they can recover faster and move forward with their lives.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PAPPAS. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. GUEST. Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close.
  H.R. 3709 makes disaster recovery easier for victims by improving 
State and local communities' abilities to coordinate with FEMA when 
determining the impacts of major disasters.
  Madam Speaker, I urge support of this important bipartisan 
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

[[Page H6144]]

  

  Mr. PAPPAS. Madam Speaker, I want to commend again my fellow 
committee members for introducing this legislation. I urge my 
colleagues to support it, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Pappas) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3709.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. ROSENDALE. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution 
8, the yeas and nays are ordered.
  Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this motion 
are postponed.

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