[Senate Report 117-144]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 482
117th Congress } { Report
SENATE
2d Session } { 117-144
_______________________________________________________________________
FEMA IMPROVEMENT, REFORM, AND EFFICIENCY ACT
__________
R E P O R T
of the
COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND
GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS
UNITED STATES SENATE
to accompany
S. 3092
TO AMEND THE ROBERT T. STAFFORD DISASTER RELIEF
AND EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE ACT TO IMPROVE THE
PROVISION OF CERTAIN DISASTER ASSISTANCE, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
September 12, 2022.--Ordered to be printed
_________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
29-010 WASHINGTON : 2022
COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS
GARY C. PETERS, Michigan, Chairman
THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware ROB PORTMAN, Ohio
MAGGIE HASSAN, New Hampshire RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin
KYRSTEN SINEMA, Arizona RAND PAUL, Kentucky
JACKY ROSEN, Nevada JAMES LANKFORD, Oklahoma
ALEX PADILLA, California MITT ROMNEY, Utah
JON OSSOFF, Georgia RICK SCOTT, Florida
JOSH HAWLEY, Missouri
David M. Weinberg, Staff Director
Zachary I. Schram, Chief Counsel
Christopher J. Mulkins, Director of Homeland Security
Naveed Jazayeri, Senior Professional Staff Member
Pamela Thiessen, Minority Staff Director
Sam J. Mulopulos, Minority Deputy Staff Director
Clyde E. Hicks Jr., Minority Director of Homeland Security
Laura W. Kilbride, Chief Clerk
Calendar No. 482
117th Congress } { Report
SENATE
2d Session } { 117-144
======================================================================
FEMA IMPROVEMENT, REFORM, AND EFFICIENCY ACT
_______
September 12, 2022.--Ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Peters, from the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs, submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany S. 3092]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs, to which was referred the bill (S. 3092) to amend the
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act
to improve the provision of certain disaster assistance, and
for other purposes, having considered the same, reports
favorably thereon with an amendment in the nature of a
substitute and recommends that the bill, as amended, do pass.
CONTENTS
Page
I. Purpose and Summary.............................................. 1
II. Background and Need for the Legislation.......................... 2
III. Legislative History.............................................. 3
IV. Section-by-Section Analysis of the Bill, as Reported............. 4
V. Evaluation of Regulatory Impact.................................. 6
VI. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate........................ 6
VII. Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported............ 9
I. Purpose and Summary
S. 3092, the FEMA Improvement, Reform, and Efficiency
(FIRE) Act of 2022, makes changes to the Robert T. Stafford
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act) to
ensure that the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA)
disaster preparedness and response efforts are better
addressing wildfires and their impacts on communities. The FIRE
Act will require FEMA to study the use of red flag warnings to
pre-deploy resources before potential wildfire disasters occur,
report on the use of relocation assistance for wildfire risk,
and require FEMA to provide culturally competent crisis
counseling and case managers to ensure that underserved and
disadvantaged communities receive equity when accessing federal
disaster assistance. This bill would also require the
Government Accountability Office (GAO) to issue a report on any
gaps on responding to wildfires, ensure that tribal governments
can access assistance to upgrade their emergency operation
centers, require FEMA to prioritize survivors of disasters when
selling portable housing units, and direct FEMA to study how to
improve housing assistance for low-income residents who live in
multi-family housing or lack proof of ownership documentation.
It also requires FEMA to brief the appropriate Congressional
committees on multiple topics, including increasing the current
cap for emergency declarations, the Agency's work helping
communities recover from wildfires, and efforts to use state or
local housing solutions after a disaster. Finally, the FIRE Act
would require FEMA to work with the National Academy of
Sciences to study potential solutions to address the lack of
available and affordable wildfire insurance.
II. Background and the Need for Legislation
Since 2000, annual averages of 70,600 wildfires have burned
7 million acres of land across the United States per year. This
figure is more than double the average annual acreage burned in
the 1990s (3.3 million acres), although a greater number of
fires occurred annually in the 1990s (78,600 average).\1\
Multiple studies have found that climate change has already led
to an increase in wildfire season length, wildfire frequency,
and burned areas due to factors such as warmer springs, longer
summer dry seasons, and drier soils and vegetation.\2\
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\1\Congressional Research Service, Wildfire Statistics (IF10244)
(Oct. 4, 2021).
\2\Environmental Protection Agency, Climate Change Indicators:
Wildfires (Apr. 2021) (https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-
change-indicators-wildfires).
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In response to the increased wildfire severity across the
country, state, local, territorial, and tribal (SLTT)
governments have led efforts to manage and provide assistance
during and following a disaster. The role of the federal
government, as described in the Stafford Act, is to
``supplement the efforts and available resources of states,
local governments, and disaster relief organizations in
alleviating the damage, loss, hardship, or suffering.''\3\ As a
result, SLTT governments solely manage disaster response and
recovery, except in severe circumstances where federal
assistance is needed to supplement those efforts. As
devastating wildfires have affected communities more often in
recent years, the federal government has increasingly aided
SLTTs in responding to wildfires.
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\3\42 U.S.C. Sec. 5122(2).
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When a state faces a wildfire disaster, the governor of the
affected state must request that the President of the United
States formally invoke the Stafford Act in order to utilize the
resources and grants that FEMA is authorized to provide.\4\ A
major disaster or emergency declaration allows for a range of
federal assistance programs to be made available to state and
local governments, private nonprofit organizations, and
individuals through FEMA and other federal agencies. FEMA's
Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) Program makes limited
assistance available to SLTT governments for the mitigation,
management, and control of fires on publicly or privately owned
forests or grasslands, which threaten such destruction as would
constitute a major disaster.\5\ Although FEMA has primarily
responded to other types of disasters in the past, such as
hurricanes and floods, the rapidly increasing number of
wildfires that are affecting communities in the country has
forced FEMA to respond to more of these events.\ \
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\4\Ron Nixon, What FEMA Is Doing, and Not Doing, in Response to
California's Fires, New York Times (Nov. 22, 2018) (https://
www.nytimes.com/2018/11/22/us/politics/fema-california-wildfires.html)
\5\Federal Emergency Management Agency, Fire Management Assistance
Grants (https://www.fema.gov/assistance/public/fire-management-
assistance) (accessed Mar. 22, 2022).
\6\Federal Emergency Management Agency, Declared Disasters (https:/
/www.fema.gov/disaster/declarations) (accessed Feb. 25, 2022).
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In 2019, GAO issued a report that highlighted FEMA's
wildfire response performance and assessed where the Agency can
improve in its response to these disasters.\7\ Challenges
underscored by GAO included the onerous documentation
requirements for FEMA's Public Assistance grant program and
difficulties locating alternative housing for survivors whose
homes were completely destroyed.\8\ GAO also found that FEMA's
lack of experience with large-scale wildfires caused challenges
in identifying response and recovery needs.\9\ For example, GAO
testified in October 2019 before Congressional committees that
``the unique challenge of removing wildfire debris led to
confusion over soil excavation standards and led to over-
excavation of some homeowners'' lots, lengthening the recovery
process.''\10\ As a result, GAO recommended that FEMA assess
operations to identify any additional updates to its management
controls--such as policies, procedures, or training--that could
enhance future response and recovery from large-scale and
severe wildfires.\11\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\7\Government Accountability Office, Wildfire Disasters: FEMA Could
Take Additional Actions to Address Unique Response and Recovery
Challenges (GAO-20-5) (October 2019).
\8\Id. at 19-20; 21-23.
\9\Id. at 24-25.
\10\House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,
Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency
Management, Submitted for the Record of Chris P. Currie, Director,
Homeland Security and Justice, Government Accountability Office, FEMA
Priorities for 2022: Stakeholder Perspectives, 117th Cong. (Feb. 16,
2022) (H. Hrg. 117-XX) at 9.
\11\Id. at 9.
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S. 3092 helps address these shortfalls by ensuring that
FEMA's disaster preparedness and response efforts better
address the unique nature of wildfires and their impacts on
communities. Among other things, the bill would ensure cultural
competency for FEMA's counseling and case management services,
help to study the use of relocation assistance in fire prone
areas, and prioritize survivors' housing needs after disasters.
Finally, the bill would ensure equity of assistance for tribal
communities and tribal governments for grants to emergency
operation centers, and examine ways to speed up the federal
assistance process and improve the availability of fire
insurance.
III. Legislative History
Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) introduced S. 3092, the FEMA
Improvement, Reform, and Efficiency Act of 2022, on October 27,
2021, with Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR). The bill was referred to
the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Senators Merkley (D-OR), Feinstein (D-CA), Murray (D-WA), and
Rosen (D-NV) later joined as cosponsors.
The Committee considered S. 3092 at a business meeting on
February 2, 2022. During the business meeting, Senator Padilla
offered a substitute amendment that added a requirement that
the FEMA Administrator submit a report to Congress on the use
of relocation assistance required by sections 203, 204, and 406
of the Stafford Act. The substitute amendment was adopted by
voice vote en bloc. Senators present for the vote were: Peters,
Carper, Hassan, Sinema, Rosen, Padilla, Ossoff, Portman,
Lankford, Scott, and Hawley. Senator Scott offered an amendment
to strike the authorization of appropriations needed to carry
out the wildfire insurance study by the National Academy of
Sciences. Senator Scott's amendment was adopted by voice vote
en bloc. Senators present for the vote were: Peters, Carper,
Hassan, Sinema, Rosen, Padilla, Ossoff, Portman, Lankford,
Scott, and Hawley.
The bill, as amended, was ordered reported favorably by
voice vote en bloc. Senators Peters, Carper, Hassan, Sinema,
Rosen, Padilla, Ossoff, Portman, Lankford, Scott, and Hawley
were present for the vote. Consistent with Committee Rule 3(G),
the Committee reports the bill with a technical amendment by
mutual agreement of the Chairman and Ranking Member.
IV. Section-by-Section Analysis of the Bill, as Reported
Section 1. Short title
This section designates the name of the bill as the ``FEMA
Improvement, Reform, and Efficiency Act of 2022'' or the ``FIRE
Act.''
Section 2. Definitions
This section includes definitions of the terms
``administrator,'' ``agency,'' ``appropriate committees of
Congress,'' ``emergency,'' ``Indian tribal government,''
``local government,'' ``State,'' and ``major disaster.''
Section 3. Report on relocation assistance
This section requires the FEMA Administrator to submit a
report regarding the use of relocation assistance 180 days
after enactment of this bill. The report must include
information regarding fire risk-related projects, benefits or
disadvantages of relocation assistance, how FEMA may optimize
relocation assistance, the cost-effectiveness of mitigation
measures and relocation assistance when an applicant applies to
move from a high-risk to a medium or low-risk area with respect
to wildfires, the need for the federal government to produce
maps with wildfire zones, and the need for more data regarding
wildfires.
Section 4. Red flag warnings and predisaster actions
This section requires the FEMA Administrator to conduct a
study of, develop recommendations for, and initiate a process
for the use of Red Flag Warnings within one year of this bill's
enactment, and transmit the results of the study to Congress.
Section 5. Assistance for wildfire damage
This section requires the FEMA Administrator to brief
Congress 180 days after the enactment of the legislation about
the assistance FEMA provides in response to wildfires and the
damage that results from wildfires.
Section 6. GAO report on gaps
This section requires GAO to submit a report to Congress
regarding the gaps in FEMA's wildfire hazard policies and the
speed by which disaster response, including grants, is
initiated.
Section 7. Crisis counseling cultural competency
This section amends Section 416 of the Stafford Act to
require that individuals providing professional counseling
services to survivors of major disasters be trained to address
cultural competency, respectful care practices, and the impact
of major disasters on socio-economically disadvantaged
individuals and communities.
Section 8. Case management cultural competency
This section amends Section 426 of the Stafford Act to
require that the individual providing case management services
to survivors of major disasters be trained to address cultural
competency, respectful care practices, and the impact of major
disasters on socio-economically disadvantaged individuals and
communities.
Section 9. Study and plan for disaster housing assistance
This section requires the FEMA Administrator, within 180
days of the bill's enactment, to conduct a study and develop a
plan to address the unique housing challenges that are a result
of wildfire disasters. The FEMA Administrator must also make
recommendations for legislative changes to better meet the
housing needs of disaster survivors. 30 days after the
submission of the report and recommendations required by this
section, the FEMA Administrator is required to brief Congress
on the findings and recommendations required by this section.
Section 10. Reimbursement
This section requires the FEMA Administrator to brief
Congress 180 days after the enactment of this bill regarding
the extent to which FEMA is using housing solutions proposed by
a state or local government to reduce the time or cost required
to implement housing solutions after a major disaster.
Section 11. Wildfire insurance study by the national academies
This section requires the FEMA Administrator to work with
the National Academy of Sciences, State insurance regulations,
consumer organizations, representatives of the insurance
industry, policyholders, and other appropriate stakeholders to
conduct a study of insurance plans for wildfires, the ability
of states, communities, and individuals to mitigate wildfire
risks, the effects of land use policies and building codes on
solutions to wildfires, the role of wildfire insurance
providers, incentives for wildfire risk mitigation efforts, and
the state of modeling and mapping wildfire risks and solutions.
Section 12. Increased cap for emergency declaration based on regional
cost of living
This section requires the FEMA Administrator to brief
Congress no later than 180 days after enactment of this
legislation regarding the benefits and disadvantages of
establishing a maximum amount for assistance provided for an
emergency that is based on the cost of living in the region in
which the emergency occurs.
Section 13. Facilitating disposal of temporary transportable housing
units to survivors
This section amends Section 408(d)(2)(B)(i) of the Stafford
Act to give priority to disaster survivors who have suffered
significant property loss in the purchase of temporary
transportable housing units.
Section 14. Deadline on code enforcement and management cost
eligibility
This section amends Section 406(a)(2)(D) of the Stafford
Act by increasing the period during which base and overtime
wages for extra hires are implemented for code enforcement and
management cost eligibility from 180 days to one year after a
major disaster has been declared.
Section 15. Permit applications for tribal upgrades to emergency
operations centers
This section amends Section 614(a) of the Stafford Act by
inserting the phrase ``Indian tribal governments'' to the text
to ensure that tribal governments can also access assistance to
upgrade their emergency operation centers in equal standing
with state and local governments.
V. Evaluation of Regulatory Impact
Pursuant to the requirements of paragraph 11(b) of rule
XXVI of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee has
considered the regulatory impact of this bill and determined
that the bill will have no regulatory impact within the meaning
of the rules. The Committee agrees with the Congressional
Budget Office's statement that the bill contains no
intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) and would impose no costs
on state, local, or tribal governments.
VI. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate
U.S. Congress,
Congressional Budget Office,
Washington, DC, August 12, 2022.
Hon. Gary Peters,
Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, U.S.
Senate, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for S. 3092, the FIRE Act.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Jon Sperl.
Sincerely,
Phillip L. Swagel,
Director.
Enclosure.
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
The bill would:
Authorize the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) to reimburse local governments for costs
incurred to enforce building codes for up to one year
after a disaster is declared
Authorize FEMA to cover the costs of
emergency operations centers for tribal governments
Require FEMA and other federal agencies to
conduct several reports and studies, mostly related to
wildfires
Estimated budgetary effects would mainly stem from:
Providing additional assistance from the
Disaster Relief Fund for specified activities
Increasing administrative costs for FEMA and
other agencies to conduct studies and produce reports
Bill summary: S. 3092 would authorize the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) to use the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF)
to reimburse costs incurred by local governments to enforce
building codes, construct emergency operations centers for
tribal governments, and provide cultural competency training
for crisis counselors.
In addition, S. 3092 would require FEMA and other federal
agencies to conduct several reports and studies, mostly related
to wildfires.
Estimated Federal cost: The estimated budgetary effect of
S. 3092 is shown in Table 1. The costs of the legislation fall
within budget function 450 (community and regional
development).
TABLE 1.--ESTIMATED BUDGETARY EFFECTS OF S. 3092
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By fiscal year, millions of dollars--
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2022-2027 2022-2032
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Increases in Direct Spending
Estimated Budget Authority........................... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Estimated Outlays.................................... 0 4 5 6 6 7 7 8 8 9 9 28 69
Increases in Spending Subject to Appropriation
Estimated Authorization.............................. 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3
Estimated Outlays.................................... 0 2 1 * 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3
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* = between zero and $500,000.
Basis of estimate: For this estimate, CBO assumes that the
bill will be enacted late in fiscal year 2022 and that FEMA
will begin implementing its requirements in 2023. CBO's
estimate of outlays is based on historical patterns of spending
for similar FEMA programs, as well as information provided by
the agency.
Direct spending: Disaster assistance for programs
authorized under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and
Emergency Assistance Act is paid from the DRF. CBO expects that
enacting several provisions in the bill would expand the use of
previously appropriated balances from that fund, some of which
CBO estimates would be unspent over the 2022-2032 period. As a
result, those provisions would increase direct spending. In
total, CBO estimates that enacting S. 3092 would increase
direct spending by $69 million over the 2022-2032 period. That
higher spending would be offset by reductions in spending after
2032.
Expanded Period for Covering Code Enforcement. Section 14
would authorize FEMA to reimburse state and local governments
for the costs of implementing and enforcing building codes for
up to one year after a disaster is declared. Under current law,
those governments may only be reimbursed for costs incurred
during the first six months. In 2020 and 2021, FEMA reimbursed
about $4 million of such costs annually.
Using information from FEMA, CBO expects that increasing
the window to one year would roughly double the amount of
inspection costs that FEMA reimburses. On that basis, CBO
estimates that enacting section 14 would increase direct
spending by about $5 million annually, totaling $51 million
over the 2022-2032 period.
Emergency Operations Centers for Tribal Governments.
Section 15 would authorize FEMA to cover the costs of
equipping, upgrading, and constructing emergency operations
centers (EOCs) operated by tribal governments. Under current
law, FEMA may only cover such costs for state and local
governments.
In 2020 and 2021, FEMA awarded $50 million to state and
local governments to fund 77such centers, at an average cost of
about $650,000. CBO expects that, under S. 3092, FEMA would
gradually increase the number of awards provided for tribal
EOCs--from 2centers in 2023 to 5 centers by 2032. In total, CBO
estimates enacting that section would increase direct spending
by $17 million over the 2022-2032 period.
Training in Cultural Competency for Crisis Counselors.
Sections 7 and 8 would require FEMA to ensure that
professionals who provide crisis counseling and case management
services are trained in cultural competency when interacting
with victims of disasters. FEMA reimburses local governments
for the costs of providing those services, which are typically
delivered by mental health and social service agencies. CBO
expects that the additional costs of that training would
increase the eligible costs that local governments submit to
FEMA for reimbursement.
In 2021, FEMA provided about $30 million for crisis
counseling services. Using information from the agency, CBO
estimates that implementing the requirements would increase the
costs of providing counseling by less than $500,000 annually
and a total of $1 million over the 2022-2032 period.
Spending subject to appropriation: S. 3092 would require
FEMA and other federal agencies to publish several reports and
studies, mostly related to wildfires. Based on the cost of
similar reports and studies, CBO estimates that implementing
those requirements (discussed below) would cost $3 million over
the 2022-2027 period. Any spending would be subject to the
availability of appropriated funds.
The bill would require FEMA to contract with the National
Academies of Sciences (NAS) to study the availability of
wildfire insurance, the state of modeling and mapping wildfire
risk, and several other topics related to wildfires. Using
information about the cost of similar studies performed by NAS,
CBO estimates implementing that requirement would cost about $2
million over the 2022-2027 period.
In addition, S. 3092 would require:
The U.S. Fire Administration and the
National Weather Service to study the use of red flag
warnings and develop recommendations for improving
procedures to respond to wildfires;
FEMA to conduct a study and on how to
improve the administration of housing assistance to
disaster survivors who lack the ability to document
ownership of residences, and to develop a plan to meet
their needs;
FEMA to report on the use of relocation
assistance to mitigate the damages caused by wildfires,
analyze the cost-effectiveness of that assistance
relative to other mitigation options, and provide
policy recommendations; and
The Government Accountability Office to
report on gaps in FEMA's wildfire policies and
recommend how to improve the speed and effectiveness of
the agency's responses.
Based on information from those agencies about the costs of
similar studies and reports, CBO estimates implementing each
requirement would cost less than $500,000, and that those costs
would total about $1 million over the 2022-2027 period. CBO
expects most of those costs would be incurred in 2023 and 2024.
Pay-As-You-Go considerations: The Statutory Pay-As-You-Go
Act of 2010 establishes budget-reporting and enforcement
procedures for legislation affecting direct spending or
revenues. The net changes in outlays that are subject to those
pay-as-you-go procedures are shown in Table 1.
Increase in long-term deficits: CBO estimates that enacting
S. 3092 would not increase on-budget deficits by more than $5
billion in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods
beginning in 2033.
Mandates: None.
Estimate prepared by: Federal Costs: Jon Sperl; Mandates:
Rachel Austin.
Estimate reviewed by: Justin Humphrey, Chief, Finance,
Housing, and Education Cost Estimates Unit; H. Samuel
Papenfuss, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.
VII. Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported
In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, changes in existing law made by
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows: (existing law
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in brackets, new matter is
printed in italic, and existing law in which no change is
proposed is shown in roman):
UNITED STATES CODE
* * * * * * *
TITLE 42--THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE
* * * * * * *
CHAPTER 68--DISASTER RELIEF
* * * * * * *
Subchapter IV--Major Disaster Assistance Programs
* * * * * * *
SEC. 5172. REPAIR, RESTORATION, AND REPLACEMENT OF DAMAGED FACILITIES
(a) Contributions.--
(1) * * *
(2) Associated expenses.--For the purpose of this
section, associated expenses shall include--
(A) * * *
(B) * * *
(C) * * *
(D) base and overtime wages for extra hires
to facilitate the implementation and
enforcement of adopted building codes for a
period of not more than [180 days] 1 year after
the major disaster is declared.
* * * * * * *
SEC. 5174. FEDERAL ASSISTANCE TO INDIVIDUALS AND HOUSEHOLDS
(a) * * *
(b) * * *
(c) * * *
(d) Terms And Conditions Relating to Housing Assistance
(1) * * *
(2) Disposal of units.--
(A) * * *
(B) Other methods of disposal.--If not
disposed of under subparagraph (A), a temporary
housing unit purchased under this section by
the President for the purpose of housing
disaster victims--
(i) may be sold to any person, with
priority given to a survivor of a major
disaster who suffered a property loss
as a result of the major disaster; or
(ii) * * *
* * * * * * *
SEC. 5183. CRISIS COUNSELING ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING
(a) In General.--The President [The President] is
authorized to provide professional counseling services,
including financial assistance to State or local agencies or
private mental health organizations to provide such services or
training of disaster workers, to victims of major disasters in
order to relieve mental health problems caused or aggravated by
such major disaster or its aftermath.
(b) Cultural Competency.--The President shall, in
consultation with affected States, local governments, and
Indian tribal governments and cultural experts, ensure that any
individual providing professional counseling services to
victims of a major disaster as authorized under subsection (a),
including those working for nonprofit partners and recovery
organizations, is appropriately trained to address--
(1) cultural competency and respectful care
practices; and
(2) impacts from major disasters in communities, and
to individuals, with socio-economically disadvantaged
backgrounds.
* * * * * * *
SEC. 5189D. CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES
(a) In General.--The President [The President] is
authorized to provide case management services, including
financial assistance to State or local government agencies or
private organizations to provide such services or training of
disaster workers, to victims of major disasters to identify and
address unmet needs.
(b) Cultural Competency.-- The President shall, in
consultation with affected States, local governments, and
Indian tribal governments and cultural experts, ensure that any
individual providing professional counseling services to
victims of a major disaster as authorized under subsection (a),
including those working for nonprofit partners and recovery
organizations, is appropriately trained to address--
(1) cultural competency and respectful care
practices; and
(2) impacts from major disasters in communities, and
to individuals, with socio-economically disadvantaged
backgrounds.
* * * * * * *
Subchapter IV-B--Emergency Preparedness
* * * * * * *
PART A--POWERS AND DUTIES
* * * * * * *
SEC. 5196C. GRANTS FOR CONSTRUCTION OF EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTERS
(a) Grants.--The Administrator of the Federal Emergency
Management Agency may make grants to States and Indian tribal
governments under this subchapter for equipping, upgrading, and
constructing State and local emergency operations centers.
(b) * * *
* * * * * * *
[all]