Rep. Culberson Issues Statement on FAA Reauthorization Becoming Law

WASHINGTON, Oct. 5 -- Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas, chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science, issued the following statement after President Trump signed into law the Federal Aviation Reauthorization Act (H.R. 302) and Disaster Recovery Reform Act:

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The House passed this bipartisan bill by a vote of 398-23 on September 26 and the Senate passed it by a vote of 93-6 on October 3.

"This bill becoming law is a giant step forward in making Houston, and every other community across the nation, more resilient to future natural disasters. The law reforms the Stafford Act and sets aside a percentage of federal relief dollars to help us plan smarter and build better so that when the next inevitable disaster strikes, our communities will be ready and will recover faster.

"I'm very pleased the Disaster Recovery Reform Act includes a legislative fix I spearheaded in the House-passed version of the disaster relief bill. This provision allows Governor Greg Abbott to request a waiver so that Harvey survivors who took out Small Business Association loans to repair their homes will no longer be prohibited from using Housing and Urban Development grant funding to repay these loans later. I urge Governor Abbott to request this waiver as soon as possible.

"For every dollar spent on better pre-disaster mitigation, we can save anywhere from $4 to $8 in future recovery costs. This bill is a bipartisan, bicameral compromise and I am hopeful that this bill will benefit many in our area who are still recovering from Harvey."

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Disaster Recovery Reform Act (DRRA):

The bipartisan FEMA reforms in DRRA will help communities lessen the impacts of future disasters of all types:

Focuses on building smarter and better before disaster strikes.

Recognizes the benefits of taking action before a catastrophe occurs, and reforms FEMA and the Stafford Act so that states and local governments can invest in pre-disaster hazard mitigation.

Clarifies what may be eligible for mitigation funding, making sure investments are cost effective to reduce the risk of future flooding.

Speeds recovery by creating efficiencies in FEMA's programs such as getting structures inspected faster.

The Federal Aviation Reauthorization Act (FAA) of 2018

Provides a five-year reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that:

Keeps America as the world leader in aviation by putting American jobs, American innovation, and the traveling public first.

Cuts Washington red tape so that our manufacturers can get products to market on time, stay competitive globally, and continue to employ millions of Americans.

Encourages American innovation in aviation technologies to promote a stronger American workforce.

Ensures that our airport infrastructure connects our businesses and the increasing number of air travelers to the world.

Ensures our system remains the safest in the world for air travelers.

Read the full text of H.R. 302 here (https://www.congress.gov/115/bills/hr302/BILLS-115hr302enr.pdf).