Directing Dollars to Disaster Relief Act of 2015

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
    This Act may be cited as the ``Directing Dollars to Disaster Relief 
Act of 2015''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
    In this Act--
        (1) the term ``administrative cost''--
            (A) means a cost incurred by the Agency in support of the 
        delivery of disaster assistance for a major disaster; and
            (B) does not include a cost incurred by a grantee or 
        subgrantee;
        (2) the term ``Administrator'' means the Administrator of the 
    Agency;
        (3) the term ``Agency'' means the Federal Emergency Management 
    Agency;
        (4) the term ``direct administrative cost'' means a cost 
    incurred by a grantee or subgrantee of a program authorized by the 
    Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 
    U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) that can be identified separately and assigned 
    to a specific project;
        (5) the term ``hazard mitigation program'' means the hazard 
    mitigation grant program authorized under section 404 of the Robert 
    T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 
    5170c);
        (6) the term ``individual assistance program'' means the 
    individual assistance grant program authorized under sections 408, 
    410, 415, 416, 426, and 502(a) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 
    Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174, 5177, 5182, 
    5183, 5189d, and 5192(a));
        (7) the term ``major disaster'' means a major disaster declared 
    by the President under section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford 
    Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170);
        (8) the term ``mission assignment'' has the meaning given the 
    term in section 641 of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform 
    Act of 2006 (6 U.S.C. 741); and
        (9) the term ``public assistance program'' means the public 
    assistance grant program authorized under sections 403(a)(3), 406, 
    418, 419, 428, and 502(a) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
    and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170b(a)(3), 5172, 5185, 
    5186, 5189f, and 5192(a)).
SEC. 3. INTEGRATED PLAN FOR ADMINISTRATIVE COST REDUCTION.
    (a) In General.--Not later than 365 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall--
        (1) develop and implement an integrated plan to control and 
    reduce administrative costs for major disasters, which shall 
    include--
            (A) steps the Agency will take to reduce administrative 
        costs;
            (B) milestones needed for accomplishing the reduction of 
        administrative costs;
            (C) strategic goals for the average annual percentage of 
        administrative costs of major disasters for each fiscal year;
            (D) the assignment of clear roles and responsibilities, 
        including the designation of officials responsible for 
        monitoring and measuring performance; and
            (E) a timetable for implementation;
        (2) compare the costs and benefits of tracking the 
    administrative cost data for major disasters by the public 
    assistance, individual assistance, hazard mitigation, and mission 
    assignment programs, and if feasible, track this information; and
        (3) clarify Agency guidance and minimum documentation 
    requirements for a direct administrative cost claimed by a grantee 
    or subgrantee of a public assistance grant program.
    (b) Congressional Update.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall brief the Committee on 
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
Representatives on the plan required to be developed under subsection 
(a)(1).
    (c) Updates.--If the Administrator modifies the plan or the 
timetable under subsection (a), the Administrator shall submit to the 
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate 
and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
Representatives a report notifying Congress of the modification, which 
shall include the details of the modification.
SEC. 4. REPORTING REQUIREMENT.
    (a) Annual Report.--Not later than November 30 of each year for 7 
years beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator 
shall submit to Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 
of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of 
the House of Representatives a report on the development and 
implementation of the integrated plan required under section 3 for the 
previous fiscal year.
    (b) Report Updates.--
        (1) Three year update.--Not later than 3 years after the date 
    on which the Administrator submits a report under subsection (a), 
    the Administrator shall submit an updated report for the previous 
    3-fiscal-year period.
        (2) Five year update.--Not later than 5 years after the date on 
    which the Administrator submits a report under subsection (a), the 
    Administrator shall submit an updated report for the previous 5-
    fiscal-year period.
    (c) Contents of Reports.--Each report required under subsections 
(a) and (b) shall contain, at a minimum--
        (1) the total amount spent on administrative costs for the 
    fiscal year period for which the report is being submitted;
        (2) the average annual percentage of administrative costs for 
    the fiscal year period for which the report is being submitted;
        (3) an assessment of the effectiveness of the plan developed 
    under section 3(a)(1);
        (4) an analysis of--
            (A) whether the Agency is achieving the strategic goals 
        established under section 3(a)(1)(C); and
            (B) in the case of the Agency not achieving such strategic 
        goals, what is preventing the Agency from doing so;
        (5) any actions the Agency has identified as useful in 
    improving upon and reaching the goals for administrative costs 
    established under section 3(a)(1)(C); and
        (6) any data described in section 3(a)(2), if the Agency 
    determines it is feasible to track such data.
    (d) Public Availability.--Not later than 30 days after the date on 
which the Administrator submits a report to Congress under this 
section, the Administrator shall make the report publicly available on 
the website of the Agency.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.

Summary: This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the Senate on February 9, 2016. Directing Dollars to Disaster Relief Act of 2015 This bill directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to: develop and implement an integrated plan to control and reduce administrative costs incurred by FEMA in support of the delivery of assistance for major disasters. Compare the costs and benefits of tracking the administrative cost data for major disasters by the public assistance, individual assistance, hazard mitigation, and mission assignment programs, track such information. And clarify FEMA guidance and minimum documentation requirements for a direct administrative cost claimed by a grantee or subgrantee of a public assistance grant program authorized by the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. FEMA must submit to Congress, by November 30 of each year for seven years beginning on the date of this Act's enactment, and make publicly available on its website, a report on the development and implementation of the plan for the previous fiscal year, with three-year and five-year updates. Each report shall contain: the total amount spent on administrative costs and the average annual percentage of administrative costs for the fiscal year period for which the report is being submitted, an assessment of the effectiveness of the plan. An analysis of whether FEMA is achieving its strategic goals for the average annual percentage of administrative costs of major disasters for each fiscal year and, in the case of it not achieving such goals, what is preventing it from doing so. Any actions FEMA has identified as useful in improving upon and reaching those goals. And any administrative cost data for major disasters, if FEMA determines it is feasible to track such data.