House Again Passes Barletta Bill to Reform Disaster Recovery

WASHINGTON, April 27 -- Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Pennsylvania, issued the following news release:

The U.S. House of Representatives today passed H.R. 4, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, which included Congressman Lou Barletta's (PA-11) Disaster Recovery Reform Act (DRRA). DRRA implements broad reforms at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In particular, the legislation increases the federal emphasis on pre-disaster planning and mitigation, which will reduce the potential for future loss of life and address the rising costs of disasters throughout America. H.R. 4 passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 393 to 13.

"America needs a better system that saves lives and taxpayer dollars by building stronger, more resilient infrastructure before disaster strikes," Barletta said after passage. "We cannot afford to continue spending tens of billions of dollars on disasters like we did last year. It's time for us to help communities across the nation build better and build smarter by incentivizing pre-disaster mitigation. The Disaster Recovery Reform Act will do just that and will save the federal government $4 to $8 on the back end for every $1 spent on the front end."

A bipartisan effort led by Barletta to address disaster recovery in the U.S., DRRA passed the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee unanimously by voice vote in November 2017 and passed the House a month later. Despite passage in the House, the Senate has yet to take up these critical reforms.

Barletta, who is the Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Subcommittee, has long been an advocate for investing in pre-disaster mitigation. Mitigation can encompass a wide variety of activities, including proactive preparation and planning, elevating or moving structures prone to flooding, and hardening structures to mitigate effects of hurricanes or earthquakes. Local infrastructure projects like the flood wall in Bloomsburg demonstrate how investment made before disaster strikes is critical to saving lives and taxpayer dollars.

In addition to DRRA, H.R. 4 also includes an amendment offered by Barletta that creates a new grant program for infrastructure investments in small and medium sized airports.

"Infrastructure truly is the backbone of our economy," Barletta said, "and that means we must provide adequate funding for our transportation systems, including railways, highways, and of course, airports. For years, the airports in and around my district have talked about projects that they want to move forward with but could not fund. With my amendment, we will finally be able to put a dent in this infrastructure backlog."

More information about DRRA can be found here (https://transportation.house.gov/drra/).

To watch Barletta's remarks about DRRA on the House floor, click here (https://youtu.be/w50FIa59_rk). A full transcript is below:

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, which includes provisions of my bill, the Disaster Recovery Reform Act.

Unfortunately, this is the second time my bill has been considered on the House floor, because our colleagues on the other side of the Capitol refuse to take up these critical reforms. I find the failure to move in the Senate puzzling, especially given that many of those individuals represent states struggling to recover from recent disasters.

In fact, in 2017, eight percent of the U.S. population was affected by at least one disaster. This statistic highlights the importance of investing in mitigation infrastructure before tragedy strikes, which is exactly what my bill would do.

Studies have repeatedly shown that for every $1 invested up front, we can save $4 to $8 in avoided recovery costs. My bill would allow us to realize those savings by transforming how we approach disaster spending. It would provide FEMA with the tools to help our communities plan for, mitigate against, respond to, and recover from disasters.

Both Republicans and Democrats in this chamber already recognized the critical need for these reforms. The Disaster Recovery Reform Act passed out of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee by voice vote, and in December, passed on the House floor.

It is my hope that this time, our colleagues in the Senate will stop playing politics with people's lives and will act quickly to send this bill to the president's desk.

I know just how important disaster assistance is because in 2011, my own district was devastated by flooding from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. I visited with the families and employers affected by this tragedy, and it made me realize we need to do something to help communities build better and smarter before disaster strikes. My bill will do just that.

I thank Chairman Shuster and my House colleagues for their continued commitment to making resiliency a priority.

I would also like to thank the Chairman for including language I offered with my friend from Missouri, Mr. Graves, in the manager's amendment. Our amendment would create a new grant program for airport infrastructure investment. I believe it is critical we invest in our airports, which are some of the largest economic drivers in the country.

We have an obligation to ensure this entire system, including everything from large hubs to regional airports, is maintained and improved to better serve the American people.

While I was disappointed that our original committee-adopted amendment to increase funding levels for the Airport Improvement Program was not included in the final bill, I am hopeful that this grant will give airports a new infrastructure tool in their toolbox.

Again, I urge passage of H.R. 4, and I yield back the balance of my time.