House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Issues Report on Federal Disaster Assistance Coordination Act

WASHINGTON, June 3 -- The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee issued a report (H.Rpt. 117-46) on the Federal Disaster Assistance Coordination Act (H.R. 2016), which aims to amend the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 to develop a study regarding streamlining and consolidating information collection and preliminary damage assessments. The report was advanced by Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, on May 28, 2021.

Excerpts of the report follow (with changes to the law omitted, and available at https://www.congress.gov/congressional-report/117th-congress/house-report/46/1?s=2&r=5)

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Purpose of Legislation

The purpose of H.R. 2016 is to conduct a study on streamlining and consolidating federal information collection and preliminary damage assessments.

Background and Need for Legislation

Multiple federal agencies participate in information collection and damage assessments to grant federal funding requested following emergencies and disasters, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Small Business Administration (SBA). These tasks often need to be completed by more than one department or agency before an eligible applicant can receive federal assistance. This leads to slow turnaround times in assisting disaster survivors and impacted communities, and a backlog of applications for assistance following major disasters.

Section 1223 of the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 (DRRA, P.L. 115-254) broadly requires "an inter-agency study to streamline information collection from disaster assistance applicants and grantees, and the establishment of a public website to present the data." DRRA provides no timeline for when the study should occur, nor which federal departments and agencies should be involved.

H.R. 2016 would further the requirements of Section 1223 and address the inefficiencies associated with disaster funding disbursement by requiring a federal working group to identify areas of potential overlap and to make a recommendation to Congress as to whether a single agency could assume responsibility for information collection and damage assessments. The working group would also examine whether emerging technologies, such as unmanned aircraft systems, could be used to expedite the damage assessment process.

Hearings

For the purposes of rule XIII, clause 3(c)(6)(A) of the 117th Congress, the following hearing was used to develop or consider H.R. 2016:

On March 18, 2021, the Subcommittee held a hearing titled "Building Smarter: The Benefits of Investing in Resilience and Mitigation." The Subcommittee received testimony from Mr. Russell "Russ"' Strickland, Executive Director, Maryland Emergency Management Agency, State of Maryland, testifying on behalf of the National Emergency Management Association; Mr. Roy E. Wright, President and Chief Executive Officer, Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety; Ms. Velma Smith, Senior Government Relations Officer, Flood Prepared Communities Initiative, Pew Charitable Trusts; Mr. Ben Harper, Head of Corporate Sustainability, Zurich North America Insurance Company; and Mr. John "Chuck" Fowke, Chairman, National Association of Home Builders. This hearing examined the current and future capacities in emergency management, mitigation and resilience, insurance, and construction.

Legislative History and Consideration

H.R. 2016 was introduced in the House on March 18, 2021, by Miss Gonzalez-Colon of Puerto Rico, and one original cosponsor, and referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Within the Committee, H.R. 2016 was referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.

The Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management was discharged from further consideration of H.R. 2016 on March 24, 2021.

The Full Committee considered H.R. 2016 on March 24, 2021, and ordered the measure to be reported to the House with a favorable recommendation, by voice vote.

Committee Votes

Clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives requires each committee report to include the total number of votes cast for and against on each record vote on a motion to report and on any amendment offered to the measure or matter, and the names of those members voting for and against.

No record votes were requested during consideration of H.R. 2016.

Committee Oversight Findings

With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the Committee's oversight findings and recommendations are reflected in this report.

New Budget Authority and Tax Expenditures

Clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives does not apply where a cost estimate and comparison prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 has been timely submitted prior to the filing of the report and is included in the report. Such a cost estimate is included in this report.

Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate

With respect to the requirement of clause 3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has received the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 2016 from the Director of the Congressional Budget Office: U.S. Congress,

Congressional Budget Office, Washington, DC

April 15, 2021

Hon. Peter A. DeFazio, Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, House of Representatives, Washington, DC

Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 2016, the Federal Disaster Assistance Coordination 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]

H.R. 2016 would extend the deadline for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to complete certain activities required under the Disaster Recovery Reform Act. The bill also would require FEMA to convene a working group with other federal agencies to improve the preliminary damage assessment process following disasters. Specifically, the bill would direct the working group to identify potential areas of duplication, determine the feasibility of having one federal agency make damage assessments for all agencies, and identify new areas for the use of technology. The bill would require the working group to report to the Congress and make that report available on FEMA's website.

Using information from FEMA about the cost of similar reports, CBO estimates that implementing the additional requirements in the bill would cost less than $500,000 over the 2021-2026 period.

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Jon Sperl. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.

Performance Goals and Objectives

With respect to the requirement of clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the performance goal and objective of this legislation is to streamline information collection and damage assessments conducted by federal departments and agencies in response to applications for disaster assistance.

Duplication of Federal Programs

Pursuant to clause 3(c)(5) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the Committee finds that no provision of H.R. 2016 establishes or reauthorizes a program of the federal government known to be duplicative of another federal program, a program that was included in any report from the Government Accountability Office to Congress pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111-139, or a program related to a program identified in the most recent Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance.

Congressional Earmarks, Limited Tax Benefits, and Limited Tariff Benefits

In compliance with clause 9 of rule XXI of the Rules of the House of Representatives, this bill, as reported, contains no congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in clause 9(e), 9(f), or 9(g) of the rule XXI.

Federal Mandates Statement

The Committee adopts as its own the estimate of federal mandates prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (Public Law 104-4).

Preemption Clarification

Section 423 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 requires the report of any Committee on a bill or joint resolution to include a statement on the extent to which the bill or joint resolution is intended to preempt state, local, or tribal law. The Committee finds that H.R. 2016 does not preempt any state, local, or tribal law.

Advisory Committee Statement

No advisory committees within the meaning of section 5(b) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act were created by this legislation.

Applicability to Legislative Branch

The Committee finds that the legislation does not relate to the terms and conditions of employment or access to public services or accommodations within the meaning of section 102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act (Public Law 104-1).

Section-by-Section Analysis of the Legislation Section 1. Short title

This section provides that this bill may be cited as the "Federal Disaster Assistance Coordination Act".

Sec. 2. Study to streamline and consolidate information collection and preliminary damage assessments

This section amends Section 1223 of the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 by adding specific subsections related to information collection and damage assessment. The 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 section would also require production of a comprehensive, publicly-available report with findings and recommendations for the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

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