FEMA Disaster Assistance Reform Act of 2015
Latest action. Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
FEMA Disaster Assistance Reform Act of 2015
TITLE I--FEMA REAUTHORIZATION
(Sec. 101) This bill reauthorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) through FY2018.
TITLE II--COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF DISASTER COSTS AND LOSSES
(Sec. 201) FEMA shall commence, through the National Advisory Council, a comprehensive study related to disaster costs and losses. The Council shall evaluate, and report on, disaster losses and costs and develop recommendations for reducing such losses and costs.
TITLE III--STAFFORD ACT AND OTHER PROGRAMS
(Sec. 301) The bill amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act) to: (1) continue the administration of the National Urban Search and Rescue Response System (USAR Response System), and (2) reauthorize the USAR Response System through FY2018.
(Sec. 303) FEMA shall provide a plan for the development of consistent guidance to applicants on FEMA disaster funding, the maintenance of records and transfer of information, relieving administrative burdens, and the implementation of new technology tools during disaster response and recovery operations in the field.
(Sec. 304) The bill amends the Stafford Act to raise the public assistance small projects threshold from $35,000 to $1 million.
(Sec. 305) The bill amends the Stafford Act to establish fixed rates to reimburse states and local governments for direct and indirect administrative costs incurred to implement disaster recovery projects.
(Sec. 306) Debts owed to the United States for disaster assistance may be waived if such assistance was distributed based on an error by FEMA, there was no fault on behalf of the debtor, and the collection of the debt would be against equity and good conscience.
(Sec. 307) The statute of limitations for initiating a new administrative action to recover debts owed to the United States for disaster assistance is three years, unless there is evidence of civil or criminal fraud.
(Sec. 308) FEMA shall: (1) provide technical assistance to common interest communities that provide essential services of a governmental nature, and (2) provide recommendations on how common areas of condominiums and housing cooperatives may be eligible for disaster assistance.
The summary continues for 9 more paragraphs. Read it in full on Congress.gov
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Passed House amended" stage on February 29, 2016. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on March 1, 2016: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 114th Congress (2015-16), 329 of the 10,233 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.2 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Lou Barletta (R-PA) introduced it on March 19, 2015, and 3 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 2 Democrats, 1 Republican.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on March 19, 2015, 4193 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 3845 days ago, on March 1, 2016.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 114th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2017 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers