Rep. Laurel Lee Supports Disaster Aid Study Bill to Reduce Bureaucratic Hurdles
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Laurel Lee (FL-15) voted in favor of H.R. 152, the Federal Disaster Assistance Coordination Act, which amends the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 to develop a study regarding streamlining and consolidating information collection and preliminary damage assessments within 2 years of enactment of this bill.
“Given Florida’s vulnerability to hurricanes and need for swift disaster recovery resources to our communities, the Federal Disaster Assistance Coordination Act takes a critical step in ensuring that aid reaches communities more quickly and effectively. By streamlining the application process for disaster recovery and reducing unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles for disaster survivors, we are empowering both applicants and grantees with the tools they need to rebuild faster while maintaining transparency and accountability through publicly accessible data. This is a vital investment in the future of disaster recovery, especially with the fires in California and the hurricanes that devasted the south this fall,” said Rep. Laurel Lee.
Summary:
- The bill directs the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate with the Small Business Administration (SBA), Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and other appropriate agencies to conduct a study and develop a plan to collect information from disaster assistance applicants and grantees in a manner that is modified, streamlined, expedited, efficient, flexible, consolidated and simplified.
- Aims to ensure the process for disaster aid is less burdensome, duplicative, and time-consuming for applicants and grantees and requires the development of a plan to regularly collect and report information on assistance awarded, including creating and maintaining a publicly available website.
- Additionally, this legislation requires the establishment of a working group to identify duplications in preliminary damage assessments, 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 requires a comprehensive report to Congress with the developed plans and findings that will also be made publicly available and requires a briefing to Congress on the contents of the report.
Read the bill text here.