[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 130, 114th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


Public Law 114-132
114th Congress

An Act


 
To direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
to develop an integrated plan to reduce administrative costs under the
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, and for
other purposes. <>

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 ``Directing Dollars to Disaster Relief
Act of 2015''.
SEC. 2. <>  DEFINITIONS.

In this Act--
(1) the term ``administrative cost''--
(A) means a cost incurred by the Agency in support
of the delivery of disaster assistance for a major
disaster; and
(B) does not include a cost incurred by a grantee or
subgrantee;
(2) the term ``Administrator'' means the Administrator of
the Agency;
(3) the term ``Agency'' means the Federal Emergency
Management Agency;
(4) the term ``direct administrative cost'' means a cost
incurred by a grantee or subgrantee of a program authorized by
the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance
Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) that can be identified separately
and assigned to a specific project;
(5) the term ``hazard mitigation program'' means the hazard
mitigation grant program authorized under section 404 of the
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act
(42 U.S.C. 5170c);
(6) the term ``individual assistance program'' means the
individual assistance grant program authorized under sections
408, 410, 415, 416, 426, and 502(a) of the Robert T. Stafford
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174,
5177, 5182, 5183, 5189d, and 5192(a));
(7) the term ``major disaster'' means a major disaster
declared by the President under section 401 of the Robert T.
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C.
5170);
(8) the term ``mission assignment'' has the meaning given
the term in section 641 of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management
Reform Act of 2006 (6 U.S.C. 741); and

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(9) the term ``public assistance program'' means the public
assistance grant program authorized under sections 403(a)(3),
406, 418, 419, 428, and 502(a) of the Robert T. Stafford
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C.
5170b(a)(3), 5172, 5185, 5186, 5189f, and 5192(a)).
SEC. 3. <>  INTEGRATED PLAN FOR
ADMINISTRATIVE COST REDUCTION.

(a) <>  In General.--Not later than 365 days after
the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall--
(1) develop and implement an integrated plan to control and
reduce administrative costs for major disasters, which shall
include--
(A) steps the Agency will take to reduce
administrative costs;
(B) milestones needed for accomplishing the
reduction of administrative costs;
(C) strategic goals for the average annual
percentage of administrative costs of major disasters
for each fiscal year;
(D) the assignment of clear roles and
responsibilities, including the designation of officials
responsible for monitoring and measuring performance;
and
(E) a timetable for implementation;
(2) compare the costs and benefits of tracking the
administrative cost data for major disasters by the public
assistance, individual assistance, hazard mitigation, and
mission assignment programs, and if feasible, track this
information; and
(3) clarify Agency guidance and minimum documentation
requirements for a direct administrative cost claimed by a
grantee or subgrantee of a public assistance grant program.

(b) <>  Congressional Update.--Not later than 90
days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall
brief the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the
Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the
House of Representatives on the plan required to be developed under
subsection (a)(1).

(c) <>  Updates.--If the Administrator
modifies the plan or the timetable under subsection (a), the
Administrator shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a report notifying
Congress of the modification, which shall include the details of the
modification.
SEC. 4. <>  REPORTING REQUIREMENT.

(a) Annual Report.--Not later than November 30 of each year for 7
years beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator
shall submit to Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of
the House of Representatives a report on the development and
implementation of the integrated plan required under section 3 for the
previous fiscal year.
(b) Report Updates.--
(1) Three year update.--Not later than 3 years after the
date on which the Administrator submits a report under
subsection (a), the Administrator shall submit an updated report
for the previous 3-fiscal-year period.

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(2) Five year update.--Not later than 5 years after the date
on which the Administrator submits a report under subsection
(a), the Administrator shall submit an updated report for the
previous 5-fiscal-year period.

(c) Contents of Reports.--Each report required under subsections (a)
and (b) shall contain, at a minimum--
(1) the total amount spent on administrative costs for the
fiscal year period for which the report is being submitted;
(2) the average annual percentage of administrative costs
for the fiscal year period for which the report is being
submitted;
(3) <>  an assessment of the
effectiveness of the plan developed under section 3(a)(1);
(4) <>  an analysis of--
(A) whether the Agency is achieving the strategic
goals established under section 3(a)(1)(C); and
(B) in the case of the Agency not achieving such
strategic goals, what is preventing the Agency from
doing so;
(5) any actions the Agency has identified as useful in
improving upon and reaching the goals for administrative costs
established under section 3(a)(1)(C); and
(6) any data described in section 3(a)(2), if the Agency
determines it is feasible to track such data.

(d) <>  Public Availability.--Not later than 30
days after the date on which the Administrator submits a report to
Congress under this section, the Administrator shall make the report
publicly available on the website of the Agency.

Approved February 29, 2016.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--S. 2109:
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SENATE REPORTS: No. 114-173 (Comm. on Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs).
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 162 (2016):
Feb. 9, considered and passed Senate.
Feb. 23, considered and passed House.