Federal Disaster Assistance Coordination Act
Officially: “Federal Disaster Assistance Coordination Act” Read the full text
What it does
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1Short title
This section would give the Act the short title "Federal Disaster Assistance Coordination Act."
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1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Federal Disaster Assistance Coordination Act .
2Study to streamline and consolidate information collection and preliminary damage assessments
This section would replace the current text of section 1223 of the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 with a new version. Under the new version, not later than 2 years after enactment, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, working 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, would have to study and develop a plan to make the collection of information from disaster assistance applicants and grantees less burdensome, duplicative, and time consuming, and to make it more streamlined, expedited, efficient, flexible, consolidated, and simplified. The Administrator would also have to develop a plan for regularly collecting and reporting information on federal disaster assistance that has been awarded, including setting up and maintaining a website that presents this information to the public. Also not later than 2 years after enactment, the Administrator, in consultation with the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, would have to regularly convene a working group 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 any other agencies the Administrator considers necessary. That working group would have to identify and describe potential duplication or fragmentation in preliminary damage assessments made after disaster declarations, determine whether it would work to have a single federal agency make these assessments for all agencies, and identify emerging technologies, such as unmanned aircraft systems, that could speed up preliminary damage assessments, consistent with the requirements of the FEMA Accountability, Modernization and Transparency Act of 2017. The Administrator would have to submit one comprehensive report that combines both plans and the working group's findings and any recommendations, to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. That report would have to be made available to the public and posted on FEMA's website in pre-compressed, easily downloadable versions in all appropriate formats, and in machine-readable format where applicable. In preparing the report, the Administrator could use any publication, database, or web-based resource, and any information compiled by any government agency, nongovernmental organization, or other entity that is made available. Not later than 180 days after the report is submitted, the FEMA Administrator (or a designee) and a member of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (or a designee) would have to brief the appropriate congressional committees, upon request, on the report's findings and any recommendations. This section would also update the table of contents entry for section 1223 in the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 to match the new section heading.
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2. Study to streamline and consolidate information collection and preliminary damage assessments (a) In general Section 1223 of the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 ( Public Law 115–254 ) is amended to read as follows: 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. . (b) Technical amendment The item relating to section 1223 in the table of contents of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 ( Public Law 115–254 ) is amended to read as follows: Sec. 1223. Study to streamline and consolidate information collection and preliminary damage assessments. . Passed the House of Representatives January 13, 2025. Kevin F. McCumber, Clerk.
Where it is
In the House.