[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 159 (Friday, September 30, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1007]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          PRESIDENT BIDEN SIGNING CREW ACT (S. 2293) INTO LAW

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. DINA TITUS

                               of nevada

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 30, 2022

  Ms. TITUS. Madam Speaker, this week I was proud to join President 
Biden at the White House for the signing ceremony of S. 2293, the 
Civilian Reservist Emergency Workforce (CREW) Act, which is the Senate 
companion to legislation I introduced to protect Federal Emergency 
Management Agency (FEMA) reservists from losing their fulltime 
employment when they are called to assist communities during disasters.
  Right now, we are continuing to see wildfires burning in the West and 
are in the middle of hurricane season which is causing tremendous 
damage on the East Coast with Hurricane Ian. These disasters are 
becoming deadlier and costlier due to climate change, and we need to 
have a FEMA reservist workforce ready to respond when communities need 
it most.
  Unlike military reserves, FEMA's workforce is not afforded employment 
protections during deployment. When these men and women are answering 
the call of duty, they shouldn't be worried about losing their means of 
income.
  That's why I introduced bipartisan legislation to guarantee these 
employment protections to the FEMA reservist workforce.
  This will not only give reservists peace of mind while they are 
responding to communities in need, but it will also bolster FEMA's 
long-term recruitment and retention efforts that will better prepare 
our country for future disasters.

                          ____________________