[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 147 (Tuesday, September 13, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H7753-H7755]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    EXPEDITING DISASTER RECOVERY ACT

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 5774) to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act to ensure that unmet needs after a major 
disaster are met, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5774

       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 ``Expediting Disaster Recovery 
     Act''.

     SEC. 2. UNMET NEED ASSISTANCE.

       (a) In General.--Title IV of the Robert T. Stafford 
     Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act is amended by 
     adding at the end the following:

     ``SEC. 431. UNMET NEEDS ASSISTANCE.

       ``(a) In General.--After the declaration of a major 
     disaster, the President may direct the Administrator of the 
     Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide to the State, 
     subject to amounts made available from appropriations, 
     assistance necessary for meeting unmet needs as a result of 
     such disaster.
       ``(b) Funding.--
       ``(1) Amount of funding.--Subject to appropriations and not 
     later than 30 days after a declaration is made under section 
     401, the President acting through the Administrator may 
     allocate an amount that equals up to 10 percent of the 
     estimated aggregate amount of the grants to be made pursuant 
     to sections 406 and 408 for the major disaster in order to 
     provide technical and financial assistance under this section 
     and such set aside shall be deemed to be related to 
     activities carried out pursuant to major disasters under this 
     Act.
       ``(2) Estimated aggregate amount.--Not later than 180 days 
     after each major disaster declaration pursuant to this Act, 
     the estimated aggregate amount of grants for purposes of 
     paragraph (1) shall be determined by the President and such 
     estimated amount need not be reduced, increased, or changed 
     due to variations in estimates.
       ``(3) No reduction in amounts.--The amount set aside 
     pursuant to paragraph (1) shall not reduce the amounts 
     otherwise made available for sections 403, 404, 406, 407, 
     408, 410, 416, and 428 under this Act.
       ``(c) Unmet Needs.--Financial assistance provided under 
     this section may be used to provide assistance, in addition 
     to other amounts made available under this Act, for the 
     following unmet needs:
       ``(1) Disaster-related home repair and rebuilding 
     assistance to families for permanent housing purposes, 
     including in conjunction with eligible expenditures under 
     section 408.
       ``(2) Disaster-related unmet needs of families who are 
     unable to obtain adequate assistance from other sources.
       ``(3) Other services that alleviate human suffering and 
     promote the well-being of disaster victims.
       ``(4) Economic and business activities (including food and 
     agriculture) after a disaster to implement post-disaster 
     economic recovery measures, including planning and technical 
     assistance for long-term economic recovery plans, 
     infrastructure improvements, business or infrastructure 
     financing, market or industry research, and other activities 
     authorized under a comprehensive economic development 
     strategy.
       ``(d) Accounting and Fiscal Controls.--
       ``(1) In general.--Not later than 6 months after receipt of 
     funds and every 6 months thereafter until all such funds are 
     expended, a State shall submit a report to the Administrator 
     that includes--
       ``(A) the criteria established for determining how the 
     funds are spent;

[[Page H7754]]

       ``(B) the allocation of those funds; and
       ``(C) the process for public notice and comment.
       ``(2) Compliance.--Any individual who receives assistance 
     pursuant to this section shall comply with section 312(b).
       ``(3) Administrative costs.--A State that receives funds 
     under this section may expend not more than 5 percent of the 
     amount of such funds for the administrative costs of 
     providing financial assistance to individuals and households 
     in the State.''.
       (b) Applicability.--This section and the amendments made by 
     this section shall apply to funds appropriated on or after 
     the date of enactment of this Act.

     SEC. 3. REPAIR AND REBUILDING.

       (a) In General.--Section 408(c) of the Robert T. Stafford 
     Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174) 
     is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (2)--
       (A) in subparagraph (A)(i) by striking ``to a safe and 
     sanitary living or functioning condition'';
       (B) in subparagraph (B) by striking ``A recipient of'' and 
     inserting ``(i) Evidence of other means of assistance.--A 
     recipient of''; and
       (C) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(ii) Coordination with other assistance.--Assistance 
     allowed under this paragraph may be used in coordination with 
     other sources for the repair and rebuilding of an owner-
     occupied residence.''; and
       (2) in paragraph (4) by striking ``in cases in which'' and 
     all that follows through the end of the paragraph and 
     inserting ``if the President considers it a cost effective 
     alternative to other housing solutions, including the costs 
     associated with temporary housing provided under this 
     section, and long-term rebuilding costs associated with 
     section 431.''.
       (b) Applicability.--This section and the amendments made by 
     this section shall apply to funds appropriated on or after 
     the date of enactment of this Act.

     SEC. 4. REVIEW BY COMPTROLLER GENERAL.

       Not later than 5 years after the date of enactment of this 
     Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall 
     conduct a review on the fiscal controls by States that 
     receive funds under section 431 of the Robert T. Stafford 
     Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act and shall make 
     recommendations to the Committee on Homeland Security and 
     Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on 
     Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
     Representatives.

     SEC. 5. DUPLICATION OF BENEFITS.

       Section 312(b)(4) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
     and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5155(b)(4)) is 
     amended by adding at the end the following:
       ``(D) Limitation on use of income criteria.--In carrying 
     out subparagraph (A), the President may not impose additional 
     income criteria on a potential grant recipient who has 
     accepted a qualified disaster loan in determining eligibility 
     for duplications of benefit relief.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) and the gentleman from Louisiana 
(Mr. Graves) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia.


                             General Leave

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. 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. 5774, as amended.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from the District of Columbia?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 5774, the Expediting Disaster Recovery 
Act, legislation introduced by Mr. Graves of Louisiana.
  This legislation is designed to expedite the delivery of Federal 
disaster assistance and address the unpaid, unmet needs of disaster 
survivors.
  The authorizations in this bill allow the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency to estimate the total cost of disaster recovery and 
provide States up to 10 percent of this estimate when a major disaster 
is declared.
  States would be able to use these funds to administer a broad range 
of recovery solutions not covered by FEMA's individual assistance 
program. Such activities could include home repair and support for 
business activities.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support this legislation, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5774 is designed to do two primary things. Number 
one, it is to prevent the Federal Government from revictimizing 
disaster victims. Number two, it is designed to save money.
  In the aftermath of a disaster, we watch as countless Federal 
agencies, the alphabet soup of Federal agencies, come rushing to the 
aid of these disaster victims, offering everything from food 
assistance, housing assistance, and you will see them having 
organizations coming in and offering clothes, offering loans. You see 
all of these uncoordinated activities.
  Yet, we have one Federal agency that is responsible for disasters, 
and that is FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA comes 
in, and what happens with all of these other programs? You see 
disjointed responses.
  Let me give you an example, Mr. Speaker. In the aftermath of the 2016 
1,000-year flood that we had in my hometown, FEMA came in and started 
offering assistance. We saw disparate aid offered to different folks.
  You had another recovery program come in and provide $1.7 billion, 
Mr. Speaker. Here we are, 6 years after this disaster, and of the $1.7 
billion, less than $700 million has actually been granted to flood 
victims, granted to disaster victims.
  Mr. Speaker, I know your home State of Texas got pounded by Hurricane 
Harvey, some areas experiencing 42 inches of rain in 36 hours.
  You have recovery and assistance programs that are disjointed among 
the Federal agencies. They cause a bureaucracy. They actually 
revictimize these people who have lost everything in these disasters.
  This is designed to get recovery dollars where they are needed, to 
expedite recovery, to save money because you are saving funds that are 
being spent on long-term shelters; saving funds that are being spent, 
in some cases, approaching $300,000 to provide a trailer for someone to 
temporarily live in; saving money, again, on hotel rooms and getting 
people back in their homes faster.
  We still have people from our disaster 6 years ago who have homes 
that have been mucked and gutted, stripped down to the studs, without 
any additional recovery because they can't connect the dots.
  So, as the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia said, this is 
designed to, within 30 days of a disaster, estimate the impacts and 
provide an initial payment to where States and local governments can 
lead the charge in directing and prioritizing recovery dollars where 
they need to go. This, importantly, has a 5 percent administrative cap.
  Mr. Speaker, 2 years after the disaster I mentioned in my home State, 
we had more money that was paid to the program managers 2 years later 
than we had actually given to the disaster victims. These programs 
aren't designed to enrich contractors, to enrich program managers, to 
enrich people that are running these programs. These dollars are 
designed by Congress to get to the victims, to expedite recovery, to 
allow for the community and the economy to recover as quickly as 
possible.
  I want to be very clear. My cosponsor, the cosponsor who worked very 
closely with us on this legislation, Congresswoman Plaskett from the 
Virgin Islands, who in 2018 was incredibly affected by Hurricanes Irma 
and Maria, hosted us down there to see the devastation. Years later, 
again, she still has her constituents that are adversely impacted, 
unable to recover, and requiring additional Federal funds.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to be very clear: This legislation is intended to 
reduce the expenditure of Federal funds. It is designed to expedite 
recovery. It is designed to cap the bureaucracy and ensure no more than 
5 percent of these funds are actually going to program management.
  That way, the dollars can get immediately to the disaster victims, so 
we stop seeing years and years of Federal Government dollars being 
shelled out for temporary housing and temporary recovery efforts. We 
need long-term recovery. We need our economy restored. We need our 
communities restored.
  There are two types of Members who are in this House: people who have 
been through disasters, like the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands 
and I, and those that will. Those that will are going to want to ensure 
that they have supported legislation like this designed to reform, to 
modernize, to apply lessons learned from disasters and make sure that 
we are treating these victims

[[Page H7755]]

as true priorities, that we have Federal programs that reflect the 
urgency of the situation that they are in when their homes have been 
destroyed, when they have lost their vehicles, lost their clothes, lost 
their possessions, lost all of these family heirlooms, making sure that 
we are able to restore that family back in their community and, 
importantly, get the economies restored again as quickly as possible.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge support of the legislation, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.

                              {time}  1515

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I urge my colleagues to support 
this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5774, the 
``Expediting Disaster Recovery Act of 2022'' which promotes swift 
strategic implementation of resources by the president following 
natural disasters.
  After the declaration of a major disaster, the Expediting Disaster 
Recovery Act of 2022 authorizes the President to direct the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide assistance for unmet 
needs of those impacted by the disaster.
  The President may also provide financial or direct assistance to 
individuals or households to construct permanent or semi-permanent 
housing in areas outside the continental United States if the President 
deems it a more cost-effective solution.
  According to the National Center for Environmental Information, the 
U.S. spent approximately $152 Billion just last year from various 
environmental events such as the Deep Freeze in Texas and Hurricanes 
across the Gulf Coast.
  One of the most critical and unprecedented natural disaster 
emergencies was the Deep Freeze in Texas, resulting in a number of 
unforeseen complications for Texas residents.
  Millions of households lost power during the Deep Freeze, disrupting 
their heating, food and water supplies, and communication systems.
  Based on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission report for the Deep 
Freeze, estimated costs for damages in Texas reached a staggering $80 
Billion, with $35 Billion alone due to physical damages, of which 
insurance only covered $20 Billion.
  Texas residents will need to pay for a large portion of the damages, 
putting their own lives on hold until they are financially stabilized. 
Meanwhile, families who are unable to meet the expenses out of pocket 
are stuck in bleak living conditions.
  Alongside the unprecedented winter storms in Texas, were the 
devastating effects of Hurricane Ida, which ravaged many coastal cities 
and counties. The National Center for Environmental Information 
estimated that there were $75 Billion in damage costs.
  Unfortunately, most home insurance policies do not cover flood 
damages, including damages caused by Hurricane Ida, This means that 
individuals would have needed to purchase separate policies dedicated 
for flood damages on top of the already rising home insurance prices.
  Recent flood disasters, such as those in Kentucky, have once again 
highlighted the dangers of inadequate planning and the overall expenses 
incurred by its residents.
  Outdated federal flood zone maps underestimate the occurrence of 
floods within certain communities. Therefore, insurance companies, 
which base their policies on federal flood zone maps, end up paying for 
a small portion of damages to households.
  For residents of some of the poorest counties in the U.S., this means 
they will be forced to pay mostly out of pocket for all damage 
expenses, further hindering their chances of recovery from future 
disasters.
  H.R. 5774 can help families with unmet needs, easing financial 
burdens by distributing funds for the purpose of rebuilding homes and 
communities. This can provide these families the opportunity to 
dedicate their finances towards health concerns, exploring education, 
and other basic living expenses.
  Millions of families suffer from natural disaster events without the 
ability to recover effectively. With the help of the Expediting 
Disaster Recovery Act of 2022, families with unmet needs will be able 
to recover more fully and more rapidly, allowing them to reinvest 
themselves in their communities and return to their normal lifestyles.
  The Expediting Disaster Recovery Act of 2022 sets forth the 
requirements for the President to establish swift and effective 
financial and technical assistance to aid in the recovery of families 
who may be unable to cover financial costs for repair and rebuilding.
  I urge my colleagues to support this very helpful legislation.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5774, as amended.
  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. ROY. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

                          ____________________