[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 100 (Monday, June 13, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H5458-H5460]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    SMALL STATE AND RURAL RESCUE ACT

  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 7211) to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act, review a final rule of 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. 7211

       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 ``Small State and Rural Rescue 
     Act''.

     SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF SMALL STATE AND RURAL ADVOCATE.

       Section 326(c) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
     and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5165d) is amended--
       (1) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph (2);
       (2) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph (4); and
       (3) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
       ``(3) assist States in the collection and presentation of 
     material in the disaster or emergency declaration request 
     relevant to demonstrate severe localized impacts within the 
     State for a specific incident, including--
       ``(A) the per capita personal income by local area, as 
     calculated by the Bureau of Economic Analysis;
       ``(B) the disaster impacted population profile, as reported 
     by the Bureau of the Census, including--
       ``(i) the percentage of the population for whom poverty 
     status is determined;
       ``(ii) the percentage of the population already receiving 
     Government assistance such as Supplemental Security Income 
     and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits;
       ``(iii) the pre-disaster unemployment rate;
       ``(iv) the percentage of the population that is 65 years 
     old and older;
       ``(v) the percentage of the population 18 years old and 
     younger;
       ``(vi) the percentage of the population with a disability;
       ``(vii) the percentage of the population who speak a 
     language other than English and speak English less than `very 
     well'; and
       ``(viii) any unique considerations regarding American 
     Indian and Alaskan Native Tribal populations raised in the 
     State's request for a major disaster declaration that may not 
     be reflected in the data points referenced in this 
     subparagraph;
       ``(C) the impact to community infrastructure, including--
       ``(i) disruptions to community life-saving and life-
     sustaining services;
       ``(ii) disruptions or increased demand for essential 
     community services; and
       ``(iii) disruptions to transportation, infrastructure, and 
     utilities; and
       ``(D) any other information relevant to demonstrate severe 
     local impacts.''.

     SEC. 3. GAO REVIEW OF A FINAL RULE.

       (a) In General.--The Comptroller General shall conduct a 
     review of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's 
     implementation of its final rule, published on March 21, 
     2019, amending section 206.48(b) of title 44, Code of Federal 
     Regulations (regarding factors considered when evaluating a 
     Governor's request for a major disaster declaration), which 
     revised the factors that the Agency considers when evaluating 
     a Governor's request for a major disaster declaration 
     authorizing individual assistance under the Robert T. 
     Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 
     U.S.C. 5121 et seq).
       (b) Scope.--The review required under subsection (a) shall 
     include the following:
       (1) An assessment of the criteria used by the Agency to 
     assess individual assistance requests following a major 
     disaster declaration authorizing individual assistance.
       (2) An assessment of the consistency with which the Agency 
     uses the updated Individual Assistance Declaration Factors 
     when assessing the impact of individual communities after a 
     major disaster declaration.
       (3) An assessment of the impact, if any, of using the 
     updated Individual Assistance Declaration Factors has had on 
     equity in disaster recovery outcomes.
       (4) Recommendations to improve the use of the Individual 
     Assistance Declaration Factors to increase equity in disaster 
     recovery outcomes.
       (c) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the

[[Page H5459]]

     Comptroller General shall submit to the Committee on 
     Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
     Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and 
     Governmental Affairs of the Senate a report on the review 
     required under this section.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Oregon (Mr. DeFazio) and the gentleman from South Dakota (Mr. Johnson) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Oregon.


                             General Leave

  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 7211.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Oregon?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7211. This bill amends the 
Stafford Act to expand the responsibilities of the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency's Small State Rural Advocate so they can better 
assist smaller States and rural communities that have difficulty 
dealing with the forms and all the requirements to apply for disaster 
funding.
  When disaster strikes the heart of a small or rural community, a 
significant percentage of the overall infrastructure or housing stock 
is often damaged or destroyed. However, the community's size may make 
the total dollar amount of damage seem too low for FEMA to authorize 
Federal assistance.
  This legislation will enable the Small State Rural Advocate to better 
help States demonstrate localized impact when applying for Federal 
disaster aid. It also directs the advocate to consider factors such as 
the impacted jurisdiction's per capita income and poverty status, among 
other factors.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a good bill. I urge my colleagues on both sides 
of the aisle to join me in support of this legislation, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Katko).
  Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Small 
State and Rural Rescue Act. I thank my friends, Chairman DeFazio and 
Ranking Member Graves, for their efforts to bring this bill to the 
floor today.
  My constituents in central New York are all too familiar with the 
significant challenges that come with accessing Federal aid in the wake 
of a disaster.
  Rural communities along Lake Ontario's southern shore in my district 
have seen historic flooding in recent years, and in the aftermath, 
local authorities have struggled to navigate the complex bureaucratic 
malaise which is the Federal disaster declaration process.
  Similarly, across the country, rural communities and relatively small 
States are forced to grapple with red tape and often struggle to 
demonstrate the severe localized impact of these disasters. In these 
instances, FEMA's Small State and Rural Advocate plays a critical role 
in helping underserved communities access disaster relief.
  The Small State and Rural Advocate's office is intended to help 
ensure fair access to FEMA assistance for all disaster-impacted areas, 
and it is essential that Congress reinforce its role in facilitating 
the delivery of essential aid.
  That is why I was proud to introduce the Small State and Rural Rescue 
Act alongside Chairwoman Titus and Representatives Gimenez, Pappas, 
Guest, and Delgado--a bipartisan bunch.
  This legislation takes important steps to expand and codify the 
responsibilities of FEMA's Small State and Rural Advocate when it comes 
to helping State and local officials respond to a disaster. 
Additionally, this legislation directs GAO to conduct a review of how 
FEMA mobilizes individual assistance to disaster zones, an essential 
part of the disaster relief process.
  Legislation like this will go a long way in providing support for the 
rural communities and small States that many of us represent. This is 
especially important for any of my colleagues on this side of the aisle 
who may be concerned about their districts not receiving a fair share 
or an equitable share of the Federal disaster aid programs they pay 
into.
  Mr. Speaker, the Small State and Rural Rescue Act is about fairness 
for rural communities. I firmly believe we should pass it into law, and 
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 7211.

                              {time}  1530

  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as 
I may consume. I don't have any other speakers, so I would view this as 
my closing.
  When you see a small community get hit by disaster, it just breaks 
your heart. I remember, as chief of staff to Governor Daugaard, being 
on the ground in Wessington Springs just hours after a tornado ripped 
up that town. I was struck by this young mayor, Melissa Mebius, a part-
time mayor, as small-town mayors are. She was not an expert in disaster 
recovery. She didn't know how to navigate the FEMA process.
  I was reminded of her strength and her persistence just a couple of 
weeks ago when I was in Castlewood and was able to meet with that 
mayor, Brian Ries, and get his sense of how their town had been 
devastated by a tornado.
  Mr. Speaker, these are not big towns. To be specific, Castlewood is 
627 people, and Wessington Springs has 956. These are good mayors. 
These are good public works directors. These are good city councilors. 
These are able leaders, but this is not an area of their expertise.
  The gentleman from New York says it right when he says that this is 
about fairness. H.R. 7211 makes sure that FEMA will have an advocate 
who will help these small communities better collect and present the 
information that is vital to a disaster declaration.
  We all get it. If the information that is filed with FEMA is 
deficient, if it does not prove a certain amount of damage, then you 
are not going to get the declaration that is needed by these 
communities so that they can move forward with the recovery that these 
small and rural communities need every bit as the larger, more 
sophisticated communities do.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentleman from New York for his leadership 
on this issue, and I ask my colleagues to support this legislation.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I, too, thank the gentleman from New York for his 
leadership on this issue and his friendship on the committee. We are 
both moving on to maybe greener pastures, but this is an important 
piece of legislation as part of his legacy. There is much more to it, 
but at this point, this will be something that will help people around 
the country.
  I lost the entire town of Blue River in my district in the Labor Day 
fires just 2 years ago. We had winds that we had never experienced 
before, gusting up to hurricane force down and out of the Cascade 
Mountains. A power line broke and started an inferno that moved at an 
incredible pace down the valley.
  We are lucky a lot of people didn't die. The evacuation--there is 
only one way in and one way out of that town, and it is a miracle that 
more people weren't trapped. It was an extraordinary effort.
  The town, except for the high school, which was a little way out of 
town, was totally devastated. They are now struggling back. They didn't 
have any technical expertise, in terms of a professional city manager 
or a grant writer or anything like that.
  The State has rendered a lot of assistance to them, as has the county 
and as has the regional FEMA office. So, they are beginning to rebuild. 
This legislation will make it a lot easier for communities like that in 
the future.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 7211.
  The question was taken.

[[Page H5460]]

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. GOOD of Virginia. Mr. 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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