Floor Statement on H.R. 1471: FEMA Disaster Assistance Reform Act, February 29, 2016
Floor Script for
The Honorable André Carson
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
H.R. 1471: The FEMA Disaster Assistance Reform Act of 2015
Monday, February 29, 2016
Mr. Carson: Mr./Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the bipartisan measure before us today.
H.R. 1471, the “FEMA Disaster Assistance Reform Act of 2015,” as amended, contains several provisions important to state and local governments and emergency managers. I will only highlight a few of them.
In my opinion, the most important aspect of this bill is that it clarifies compensation and liability issues for Urban Search and Rescue team members. These members provide critical services and put themselves in harm’s way to help others involved in a disaster. Indianapolis’s own Urban Search and Rescue team, which consists of firefighters, paramedics, civilians and others, responded to Hurricane Sandy. They did so despite the uncertainty that they would be covered for any injuries. These protections are long overdue and team members can now rest assured that they will be taken care of when activated for Federal service if they are injured.
Another important provision grows out of individuals’, states’ and local governments’ need to know they can rely on FEMA’s decisions and reimbursement amounts. Local governments make major decisions during the disaster recovery phase in reliance on FEMA’s initial approval. There comes a time when FEMA should not be able to reverse its initial decision or award amounts. Statute of limitations protections for individuals, state and local governments will provide the peace of mind and certainty needed to go forward with the recovery process.
Climate change is causing more extreme weather patterns. In order to become more resilient, we must encourage more local communities to undertake mitigation measures. Some communities may forgo mitigation actions because they do not have the capacity to administer the funds. Ensuring that local governments will be reimbursed for management costs should help us obtain more resilient communities.
Finally, the Subcommittee has embarked on discussions related to the trends and causes of rising disaster costs and losses. In furtherance of this discussion, the bill requires FEMA’s National Advisory Council to study the issue and to make recommendations to Congress to address the causes and trends. Specifically, the bill requires the Council to examine mechanisms and incentives to promote mitigation and to make recommendations regarding the same.
For the last few years, I have introduced a bill to reauthorize the Pre-Disaster Mitigation program. Mitigation saves taxpayer funds over the long haul. I look forward to any recommendations the National Advisory Council may have on how to strengthen this valuable program.
I want to thank Chairman Barletta for his leadership on this measure. As an original co-sponsor of this measure, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 1471.