[Senate Report 118-297]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 703
118th Congress } { Report
SENATE
2d Session } { 118-297
_______________________________________________________________________
Calendar No. 703
FEDERAL DISASTER ASSISTANCE COORDINATION ACT
__________
R E P O R T
of the
COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND
GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS
UNITED STATES SENATE
to accompany
H.R. 255
TO AMEND THE DISASTER RECOVERY REFORM ACT OF 2018
TO DEVELOP A STUDY REGARDING STREAMLINING AND
CONSOLIDATING INFORMATION COLLECTION AND PRELIMINARY
DAMAGE ASSESSMENTS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
December 16, 2024.--Ordered to be printed
_______
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
59-010 WASHINGTON : 2025
COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS
GARY C. PETERS, Michigan, Chairman
THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware RAND PAUL, Kentucky
MAGGIE HASSAN, New Hampshire RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin
KYRSTEN SINEMA, Arizona JAMES LANKFORD, Oklahoma
JACKY ROSEN, Nevada MITT ROMNEY, Utah
JON OSSOFF, Georgia RICK SCOTT, Florida
RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut JOSH HAWLEY, Missouri
ADAM SCHIFF, California ROGER MARSHALL, Kansas
David M. Weinberg, Staff Director
Alan S. Kahn, Chief Counsel
Christopher J. Mulkins, Director of Homeland Security
Naveed Jazayeri, Senior Professional Staff Member
William E. Henderson III, Minority Staff Director
Christina N. Salazar, Minority Chief Counsel
Andrew J. Hopkins, Minority Counsel
Megan M. Krynen, Minority Professional Staff Member
Laura W. Kilbride, Chief Clerk
Calendar No. 703
118th Congress } { Report
SENATE
2d Session } { 118-297
======================================================================
FEDERAL DISASTER ASSISTANCE COORDINATION ACT
_______
December 16, 2024.--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 H.R. 255]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs, to which was referred the bill (H.R. 255) to amend the
Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 to develop a study
regarding streamlining and consolidating information collection
and preliminary damage assessments, and for other purposes,
having considered the same, reports favorably without amendment
and recommends that the bill do pass.
CONTENTS
Page
I. Purpose and Summary..............................................1
II. Background and Need for the Legislation..........................2
III. Legislative History..............................................2
IV. Section-by-Section Analysis of the Bill, as Reported.............3
V. Evaluation of Regulatory Impact..................................3
VI. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate........................4
VII. Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported............6
I. Purpose and Summary
H.R. 255, the Federal Disaster Assistance Coordination Act,
extends the deadline for the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) to conduct a study and develop a plan to
streamline, consolidate, and expedite the collection of
information from disaster assistance applicants, which is often
duplicative and burdensome for applicants and grantees. The
study and plan, led by FEMA, must be in coordination with the
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Small
Business Administration (SBA), and the Disaster Assistance
Working Group of the Council of the Inspectors General on
Integrity and Efficiency. Additionally, the bill directs FEMA
to convene a working group to identify areas of fragmentation
and duplication in preliminary damage assessments (PDAs);
determine the feasibility of having one federal agency make the
assessments for all agencies; and identify emerging
technologies, such as unmanned aircraft systems, to aid in the
PDAs. The bill requires FEMA to submit one publicly-available,
comprehensive report to Congress on FEMA's plans and the
working group findings.
II. Background and Need for the Legislation
To evaluate a state or tribal government's need for
assistance following a major or emergency disaster declaration,
FEMA conducts a PDA to determine the impact and magnitude of
the disaster on individuals, businesses, and the public
sector.\1\ Multiple federal agencies participate in information
collection used in damage assessments with FEMA, including HUD
and SBA, leading to slow turnaround and a backlog of
applications.\2\ PDAs are necessary for the federal government
to decide what types of federal supplemental assistance should
be made available to impacted communities.\3\
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\1\Congressional Research Service, Preliminary Damage Assessments
for Major Disasters: Overview, Analysis, and Policy Observations
(R44977) (Oct. 4, 2017).
\2\H. Rept, 117-46.
\3\Supra, note 1.
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In 2018, the Disaster Recovery Reform Act (DRRA) was
enacted in response to numerous natural disasters, including
the 2017 hurricane season and wildfires in California, which
catalyzed changes in federal emergency management policy.\4\
Section 1223 of the DRRA required the FEMA Administrator to,
within one year, conduct a study and develop a plan to
streamline, consolidate, and expedite the collection of
information from disaster assistance applicants, in order to
reduce burdens on applicants, and issue a report to Congress on
that study and plan.\5\ FEMA has still not completed a formal
report implementing this section. This bill would extend that
deadline by two years after its enactment. In addition, this
bill would require a working group to examine whether emerging
technologies, such as unmanned aircraft systems, could be used
to expedite damage assessments.
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\4\Congressional Research Service, Disaster Recovery Reform Act of
2018 (DRRA): A Summary of Selected Statutory Provisions (R45819) (July
8, 2019); FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, Pub. L. No. 115-254.
\5\FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, Pub. L. No. 115-254.
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III. Legislative History
H.R. 255, the Federal Disaster Assistance Coordination Act,
was introduced on January 10, 2023, by Resident Commissioner
Jennifer Gonzalez-Colon (R-PR-At Large), with original
cosponsors Delegate Stacey Plaskett (D-VI-At Large) and
Representative Scott Peters (D-CA-50). Representative Neal Dunn
(R-FL-2) joined as a cosponsor on January 24, 2023. On January
25, 2023, the House of Representatives passed the bill under
suspension of the rules by voice vote. The bill was referred to
the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs.
The Committee considered H.R. 255 at a business meeting on
November 20, 2024. The bill was reported favorable by roll call
vote of 9 yeas to 0 nays, with Senators Peters, Hassan, Rosen,
Ossoff, Blumenthal, Butler, Lankford, Scott, and Hawley voting
in the affirmative. Senators Carper, Sinema, Johnson, Romney,
and Marshall voted yea by proxy, and Senator Paul voted nay by
proxy, for the record only.
IV. Section-by-Section Analysis of the bill, as Reported
Section 1. Short title
This section establishes the short title of the bill as the
``Federal Disaster Assistance Coordination Act.''
Section 2. Study to streamline and consolidate information collection
and preliminary damage assessments
Subsection (a) of the bill amends Section 1223 of the
Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 by adding specific
subsections related to information collection and damage
assessment. The new subsections would require the FEMA
Administrator to coordinate with the appropriate agency heads
to: (1) conduct a study and develop a plan to consolidate
federal disaster information collection, and (2) identify areas
of overlap and assess whether a single agency could produce
damage assessments for all agencies. The new subsections are as
follows:
Subsection (a) of Section 1223 would be updated to require
FEMA, within two years after enactment of this Act, to conduct
a study to conduct a study and develop a plan to streamline,
consolidate, and expedite the collection of information from
disaster assistance applicants. FEMA must develop the study and
plan in coordination with SBA, HUD, the Disaster Assistance
Working Group of the Council of the Inspectors General on
Integrity and Efficiency, and other appropriate agencies.
Subsection (b) of Section 1223 would be updated to require
FEMA to convene a working group to identify areas of
fragmentation and duplication in PDAs; determine the
feasibility of having one federal agency make PDAs for all
agencies; and identify emerging technologies, such as unmanned
aircraft systems, to aid in making PDAs. The bill requires FEMA
to submit one publicly-available, comprehensive report to
Congress on FEMA's plans and the working group findings.
Subsections (c) and (d) of Section 1223 would be updated to
require FEMA to submit a comprehensive, publicly-available
report to the House Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security
and Governmental Affairs, that includes the plans developed
under subsection (a), the findings of the working group under
subsection (b), and any recommendations.
Subsection (b) of the bill has technical amendments to the
title of the section in the table of contents of the FAA
Reauthorization Act of 2018 (Pub. L. No. 115-254).
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 Estimate
The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 requires the
Congressional Budget Office, to the extent practicable, to
prepare estimates of the budgetary effects of legislation
ordered reported by Congressional authorizing committees. In
order to provide the Congress with as much information as
possible, the attached table summarizes information about the
estimated direct spending and revenue effects of some of the
legislation that has been ordered reported by the Senate
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs during
the 118th Congress. The legislation listed in this table
generally would have small effects, if any, on direct spending
or revenues, CBO estimates. Where possible, the table also
provides information about the legislation's estimated effects
on spending subject to appropriation and on intergovernmental
and private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates
Reform Act.
ESTIMATED BUDGETARY EFFECTS AND MANDATES INFORMATION
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Spending subject
Last Budget Direct Revenues, to Pay-As-You-Go Budgetary
Bill Number Title Status action function spending, 2025-2034 appropriation, procedures effects Mandates Contact
2025-2034 2025-2029 apply? after 2034
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H.R. 255..................... Federal Disaster Ordered reported 11/20/24 450 0 0 Between zero and No No No Jon Sperl
Assistance $500,000.
Coordination
Act.
H.R. 255 would require the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to convene a working group with other federal agencies to improve preliminary damage
assessments following disasters. The working group would be required to report to the Congress and to post that report on FEMA's website. CBO estimates that
enacting H.R. 255 would not affect direct spending or revenues. CBO estimates that implementing the legislation would increase spending subject to appropriation
by less than $500,000 over the 2025-2029 period; any spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds. The legislation contains no
intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
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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):
FAA REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2018
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``FAA
Reauthorization Act of 2018''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act
is as follows:
* * * * * * *
DIVISION D--DISASTER RECOVERY REFORM
* * * * * * *
[Sec. 1223. Study to streamline and consolidate information collection.]
Sec. 1223. Study to streamline and consolidate information collection
and preliminary damage assessments.
* * * * * * *
DIVISION D--DISASTER RECOVERY REFORM
* * * * * * *
[SEC. 1223. STUDY TO STREAMLINE AND CONSOLIDATE INFORMATION COLLECTION.
[Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this
Act, the Administrator--
[(1) in coordination with the Small Business
Administration, the Department of Housing and Urban
Development, the Disaster Assistance Working Group of
the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and
Efficiency, and other appropriate agencies, conduct a
study and develop a plan, consistent with law, under
which the collection of information from disaster
assistance applicants and grantees will be modified,
streamlined, expedited, efficient, flexible,
consolidated, and simplified to be less burdensome,
duplicative, and time consuming for applicants and
grantees;
[(2) in coordination with the Small Business
Administration, the Department of Housing and Urban
Development, the Disaster Assistance Working Group of
the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and
Efficiency, and other appropriate agencies, develop a
plan for the regular collection and reporting of
information on Federal disaster assistance awarded,
including the establishment and maintenance of a
website for presenting the information to the public;
and
[(3) submit the plans developed under paragraphs (1)
and (2) to the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
of the Senate.]
SEC. 1223. STUDY TO STREAMLINE AND CONSOLIDATE INFORMATION COLLECTION
AND PRELIMINARY DAMAGE ASSESSMENTS.
(a) Information Collection.--Not later than 2 years after
the date of enactment of this section, the Administrator, in
coordination with the Small Business Administration, the
Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Disaster
Assistance Working Group of the Council of the Inspectors
General on Integrity and Efficiency, and other appropriate
agencies, shall--
(1) conduct a study and develop a plan, consistent
with law, under which the collection of information
from disaster assistance applicants and grantees will
be modified, streamlined, expedited, efficient,
flexible, consolidated, and simplified to be less
burdensome, duplicative, and time consuming for
applicants and grantees; and
(2) develop a plan for the regular collection and
reporting of information on Federal disaster assistance
awarded, including the establishment and maintenance of
a website for presenting the information to the public.
(b) Preliminary Damage Assessments.--Not later than 2 years
after the date of enactment of this section, the Administrator,
in consultation with the Council of the Inspectors General on
Integrity and Efficiency, shall convene a working group on a
regular basis with the Secretary of Labor, the Director of the
Office of Management and Budget, the Secretary of Health and
Human Services, the Administrator of the Small Business
Administration, the Secretary of Transportation, the Assistant
Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development, and other
appropriate agencies as the Administrator considers necessary,
to--
(1) identify and describe the potential areas of
duplication or fragmentation in preliminary damage
assessments after disaster declarations;
(2) determine the applicability of having one Federal
agency make the assessments for all agencies; and
(3) identify potential emerging technologies, such as
unmanned aircraft systems, consistent with the
requirements established in the FEMA Accountability,
Modernization and Transparency Act of 2017 (42 U.S.C.
5121 note), to expedite the administration of
preliminary damage assessments.
(c) Comprehensive Report.--The Administrator shall submit
one comprehensive report that comprises the plans developed
under subsections (a)(1) and (a)(2) and a report of the
findings of the working group convened under subsection (b),
which may include recommendations, to the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs of the Senate.
(d) Public Availability.--The comprehensive report
developed under subsection (c) shall be made available to the
public and posted on the website of the Federal Emergency
Management Agency--
(1) in pre-compressed, easily downloadable versions
that are made available in all appropriate formats; and
(2) in machine-readable format, if applicable.
(e) Sources of Information.--In preparing the comprehensive
report, any publication, database, or web-based resource, and
any information compiled by any government agency,
nongovernmental organization, or other entity that is made
available may be used.
(f) Briefing.--Not later than 180 days after submission of
the comprehensive report, the Administrator of the Federal
Emergency Management Agency, or a designee, and a member of the
Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency,
or a designee, shall brief, upon request, the appropriate
congressional committees on the findings and any
recommendations made in the comprehensive report.
* * * * * * *