[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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