U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 

1 

69–010 

" ! SENATE 115TH CONGRESS

1st Session 

REPORT

2017

115–158 

Calendar No. 222 

TO REQUIRE THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE 

FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT 

AGENCY TO SUBMIT A REPORT REGARDING 

CERTAIN PLANS REGARDING ASSISTANCE 

TO APPLICANTS AND GRANTEES DURING 

THE RESPONSE TO THE EMERGENCY OR 

DISASTER 

R E P O R T 

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND 

GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS 

UNITED STATES SENATE 

TO ACCOMPANY

H.R. 1117 

SEPTEMBER 18, 2017.—Ordered to be printed 


E:\Seals\Congress.#13
(II) 

COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS 

RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin, Chairman 

JOHN MCCAIN, Arizona 

ROB PORTMAN, Ohio 

RAND PAUL, Kentucky 

JAMES LANKFORD, Oklahoma 

MICHAEL B. ENZI, Wyoming 

JOHN HOEVEN, North Dakota 

STEVE DAINES, Montana 

CLAIRE MCCASKILL, Missouri 

THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware 

JON TESTER, Montana 

HEIDI HEITKAMP, North Dakota 

GARY C. PETERS, Michigan 

MAGGIE HASSAN, New Hampshire 

KAMALA D. HARRIS, California 

CHRISTOPHER R. HIXON, Staff Director 

GABRIELLE D’ADAMO SINGER, Chief Counsel 

NATALIE F. ENCLADE, U.S. Department of Homeland Security 

Office of the Inspector General Detailee 

MARGARET E. DAUM, Minority Staff Director 

STACIA M. CARDILLE, Minority Chief Counsel 

CHARLES A. MOSKOWITZ, Minority Senior Legislative Counsel 

SUE RAMANATHAN, Minority Counsel 

DANIEL J. WEBB, Minority U.S. Government Accountability Office Detailee 

LAURA W. KILBRIDE, Chief Clerk 

Calendar No. 222 

115TH CONGRESS SENATE REPORT " ! 1st Session 115–158 

TO REQUIRE THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY TO SUBMIT A REPORT REGARDING CERTAIN PLANS 

REGARDING ASSISTANCE TO APPLICANTS AND GRANTEES DURING THE 

RESPONSE TO THE EMERGENCY OR DISASTER 

SEPTEMBER 18, 2017.—Ordered to be printed 

Mr. JOHNSON, from the Committee on Homeland Security and 

Governmental Affairs, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany H.R. 1117] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, 

to which was referred the bill (H.R. 1117) to require the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to submit a 

report regarding certain plans regarding assistance to applicants 

and grantees during the response to the emergency or disaster, 

having considered the same, reports favorably thereon without 

amendment and recommends that the bill do pass. 

CONTENTS 

Page 

I. Purpose and Summary .................................................................................. 1 

II. Background and Need for the Legislation ................................................... 2 

III. Legislative History ......................................................................................... 3 

IV. Section-by-Section Analysis .......................................................................... 3 

V. Evaluation of Regulatory Impact .................................................................. 3 

VI. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate ................................................ 4 

VII. Changes in Existing Law Made by the Act, as Reported ........................... 5 

I. PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

H.R. 1117 requires the Administrator of the Federal Emergency 

Management Agency (FEMA) to submit a report regarding certain 

plans to assist applicants and grantees during the response to an 

emergency or disaster. The legislation would require the report to 

include specific plans for providing applicants and grantees with 

consistent guidance on disaster funding procedures and accurate 

assistance to ease the administrative burden. Additionally, the legislation would require FEMA to include in the report a plan to efVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:51 Sep 20, 2017 Jkt 069010 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\SR158.XXX SR158
2 

1Federal Emergency Management Agency, Introduction to the Reservist Program, https:// 

www.fema.gov/reservist-program (last updated Apr. 28, 2017). 2Federal Emergency Management Agency, Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery, https://careers.fema.gov/cadre-call-responserecovery (last visited July 31, 2017). 3 Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, Pub. L. No. 100–707 

(1988). 4Federal Emergency Management Agency, Introduction to the Reservist Program, https:// 

www.fema.gov/reservist-program (last updated Apr. 28, 2017). 5Federal Emergency Management Agency, Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery, https://careers.fema.gov/cadre-call-responserecovery (last visited July 31, 2017). 6See, e.g., Dep’t. of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, OIG–16–127–D, FEMA 

Can Enhance Readiness of its Disaster Incident Workforce (Sept. 2, 2016), https:// 

www.oig.dhs.gov/assets/GrantReports/2016/OIG-16-127-D-Sep16.pdf [hereinafter OIG–16– 

127]; Gov’t Accountability Office, GAO–15–437, Federal Emergency Management Agency: Additional Planning and Data Collection Could Help Improve Workforce Management Efforts (July 

2015), http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-15-437. 7OIG–16–127, supra note 6 at 4. 8Oversight of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Response to the Baton Rouge Flood 

Disaster: Hearing Before the H. Comm. On Governmental Oversight, 114th Cong. (2016) (statement of I. M. Shelton, Mayor, Central, Louisiana at 1) available at https://oversight.house.gov/ 

wp-content/uploads/2016/09/2016-09-09-Mayor-Shelton-Central-LA-Testimony.pdf [hereinafter 

Shelton Statement]; Oversight of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Response to the 

Baton Rouge Flood Disaster: Hearing Before the H. Comm. On Governmental Oversight, 114th 

Cong. (2016) (statement of Gerard Landy, Mayor, Denham Springs, Louisiana) available at 

https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/2016-09-09-Mayor-Landry-DenhamSprings-Testimony-.pdf. 

fectively maintain records related to disaster funding and to identify technologies that would assist individuals, organizations, and 

communities when recovering from major disasters. 

II. BACKGROUND AND THE NEED FOR LEGISLATION

Disaster response and recovery workforce 

A Presidential disaster declaration triggers certain Federal response authorities and financial disaster assistance. FEMA utilizes 

a reservist workforce 1 and Cadre of On-Call Response and Recovery Employees (COREs) 2 to make up the disaster workforce. Reservists are incident management responders authorized through 

the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 

Act (Stafford Act).3 These employees are ‘‘temporary, intermittent 

employees’’ and can be ‘‘deploy[ed] to perform disaster field activities directly related to specific disasters, emergencies, projects, or 

activities of a non-continuous nature.’’ 4 FEMA COREs are also 

temporary employees. Although they are time-limited, they ‘‘may 

be renewed if there is ongoing disaster work and funding is available.’’ 5 This workforce provides services at FEMA headquarters, regional offices, and disaster Joint Field Offices. 

Improving field transitions by requiring consistent guidance 

While FEMA has implemented several new technologies for its 

full time managers and staff, the temporary staff has not had the 

benefit of the same efforts. The Department of Homeland Security 

Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the Government Accountability Office have reported on the challenges that FEMA’s disaster 

workforce face.6 For example, some reservists continue to deploy to 

disasters without the knowledge, skills, and training they need to 

assist survivors effectively.7 In the immediate aftermath of the 

2016 flooding in Louisiana, mayors voiced their frustration that 

FEMA was inept, inconsistent, and disorganized.8 It was apparent 

that FEMA staff lacked training and knowledge about rules and 

regulations. One Mayor stated that it was ‘‘common knowledge that 

your first interaction with a FEMA employee is more than likely 

3 

9Shelton Statement, supra note 8 at 1. 

10See e.g., Dep’t. of Homeland Sec. Office of Inspector General, OIG–17–13–D, Summary and 

Key Findings of Fiscal Year 2015 FEMA Disaster Grant and Program Audits 3 (Nov. 29, 2016), 

https://www.oig.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/assets/2017/OIG-17-13-D-Dec16.pdf. 

to be your last with that same employee.’’ 9 Loss of paperwork and 

inconsistent guidance through workforce transitions creates project 

delays, increases administrative costs, and in some instances, increases the risk of losing recovery funding because of improper documentation.10

H.R. 1117 requires the FEMA Administrator to create an action 

plan to help ease the burdens for disaster victims during transitions of temporary employees. The intent of this legislation is to 

improve the efficiency of the response and recovery temporary staff 

by forcing FEMA to articulate a plan of action to address the challenges and weaknesses of temporary staff. Ultimately, this will 

allow for greater coordination and less risk of projects languishing 

due to botched transition from one temporary disaster employee to 

another. 

III. LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

Representative Vicki Hartzler (R–MO) introduced H.R. 1117 on 

February 16, 2017. The bill passed the House on March 27, 2017, 

by a vote of 408–0. 

The Act was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security 

and Governmental Affairs. The Committee considered H.R. 1117 at 

a business meeting on July 26, 2017. The Committee favorably reported the Act by voice vote en bloc. Senators present for the vote 

were Johnson, Portman, Lankford, Daines, McCaskill, Tester, 

Heitkamp, Peters, Hassan, and Harris. 

IV. SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF THE ACT, AS REPORTED

Section 1. Action plan to improve field transition 

Subsection (a) requires the Administrator of FEMA to submit a 

report containing plans for providing consistent guidance to applicants on FEMA disaster funding procedures during the response to 

an emergency or disaster within 90 days of passage. Additionally, 

the report shall outline how FEMA will conduct appropriate record 

maintenance and document transfers to new teams during staff 

transitions and how FEMA will provide accurate assistance to applicants and grantees to ease the administrative burden throughout the assistance process. 

Subsection (b) requires the report to also include a plan for how 

FEMA will implement operating procedures and documenting retention requirements so disaster victims can ensure records are appropriately maintained throughout the lifecycle of the emergency or 

disaster. 

Subsection (c) requires the report to identify new technologies to 

aid the disaster workforce in partnership with state, local, and tribal governments to educate, assist, and inform applicants of the status of their applications and projects. 

V. EVALUATION OF REGULATORY IMPACT

Pursuant to the requirements of paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of 

the Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee has considered 

4 

the regulatory impact of this Act and determined that the Act will 

have no regulatory impact within the meaning of the rules. The 

Committee agrees with the Congressional Budget Office’s statement that the Act contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 

mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act 

(UMRA) and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments. 

VI. CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

AUGUST 4, 2017. 

Hon. RON JOHNSON, Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. 

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The Congressional Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 1117, an act to require 

the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency 

to submit a report regarding certain plans regarding assistance to 

applicants and grantees during the response to an emergency or 

disaster. 

If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased 

to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Robert Reese. 

Sincerely, 

KEITH HALL. 

Enclosure. 

H.R. 1117—An act to require the Administrator of the Federal 

Emergency Management Agency to submit a report regarding 

certain plans regarding assistance to applicants and grantees 

during the response to an emergency or disaster 

H.R. 1117 would require the Federal Emergency Management 

Agency (FEMA) to submit a report to the Congress on the agency’s 

plans to provide consistent and accurate guidance and assistance 

to applicants for disaster funding. The act also would require 

FEMA to include in the report a plan to effectively maintain 

records related to disaster funding and to identify technologies that 

would assist individuals, organizations, and communities when recovering from major disasters. 

Based on information provided by FEMA, CBO estimates that 

implementing H.R. 1117 would cost less than $500,000 in 2018; 

such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated 

funds. 

Enacting H.R. 1117 would not affect direct spending or revenues; 

therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. CBO estimates 

that enacting H.R. 1117 would not increase net direct spending or 

on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028. 

H.R. 1117 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would 

impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments. 

On March 6, 2017, CBO transmitted an estimate for H.R. 1117, 

as ordered reported by the House Committee on Transportation 

and Infrastructure on February 28, 2017. The two versions of the 

legislation are similar and CBO’s estimates of their costs are the 

same. 

5 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Robert Reese. The estimate was approved by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis. 

VII. CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE ACT, AS REPORTED

Because this legislation would not repeal or amend any provision 

of current law, it would not make changes in existing law within 

the meaning of clauses (a) and (b) of paragraph 12 of rule XXVI 

of the Standing Rules of the Senate. 

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