II 

Calendar No. 741 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 5067 

[Report No. 118–321] 

To improve individual assistance provided by the Federal Emergency 

Management Agency, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 17, 2024 

Mr. PETERS (for himself, Mr. TILLIS, Mr. LANKFORD, and Mr. WELCH) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 

DECEMBER 19 (legislative day, DECEMBER 16), 2024 

Reported by Mr. PETERS, with amendments 

[Omit the parts struck through and insert the parts printed in italic] 

A BILL 

To improve individual assistance provided by the Federal 

Emergency Management Agency, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Disaster Survivors Fairness Act of 2024’’. 


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1 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

2 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Repair and rebuilding. 

Sec. 3. Direct assistance. 

Sec. 4. State-managed housing pilot authority. 

Sec. 5. Management costs. 

Sec. 6. Funding for online guides for post-disaster assistance. 

Sec. 7. Individual assistance dashboard. 

Sec. 8. FEMA reports. 

Sec. 9. Sheltering of emergency response personnel. 

Sec. 10. Improved rental assistance. 

Sec. 11. GAO report on preliminary damage assessments. 

Sec. 12. Applicability. 

Sec. 13. GAO report to Congress on challenges under public assistance alternative procedures. 

3 (c) DEFINITIONS.—Except as otherwise provided, the 

4 terms used in this Act have the meanings given such terms 

5 in section 102 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 

6 and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122). 

7 SEC. 2. REPAIR AND REBUILDING. 

8 Section 408 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 

9 and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174) is 

10 amended— 

11 (1) in subsection (c), by adding at the end the 

12 following: 

13 ‘‘(5) HAZARD MITIGATION.— 

14 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The President may 

15 provide financial assistance to an individual or 

16 household whose primary residence, utility, or 

17 residential infrastructure is damaged by a 

18 major disaster for cost-effective hazard mitiga19 tion measures that reduce, in future disasters— 


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1 ‘‘(i) threats to life and property; or 

2 ‘‘(ii) future damage to such residence, 

3 utility, or infrastructure. 

4 ‘‘(B) RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER ASSIST5 ANCE.—A recipient of assistance provided 

6 under this paragraph shall not be required to 

7 show that the assistance can be met through 

8 other means, except insurance proceeds.’’; and 

9 (2) in subsection (h)— 

10 (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘, finan11 cial assistance for hazard mitigation under sub12 section (c)(5)(A),’’ after ‘‘subsection 

13 (c)(1)(A)(i)’’; 

14 (B) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘para15 graphs (1) and (2)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraphs 

16 (1), (2), and (5)’’; and 

17 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(5) HAZARD MITIGATION.—The maximum fi19 nancial assistance any individual or household may 

20 receive under subsection (c)(5) shall be equivalent to 

21 the amount set forth in paragraph (1) with respect 

22 to a single major disaster.’’. 

23 SEC. 3. DIRECT ASSISTANCE. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 408(c) of the Robert T. 

25 Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 


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1 (42 U.S.C. 5174(c)), as amended by section 2 of this Act, 

2 is further amended by striking paragraph (2) and insert3 ing the following: 

4 ‘‘(2) REPAIRS.— 

5 ‘‘(A) FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR RE6 PAIRS.—The President may provide financial 

7 assistance for the repair of owner-occupied pri8 vate residences, utilities, and residential infra9 structure (such as a private access route) dam10 aged by a major disaster, or with respect to in11 dividuals with disabilities, rendered inaccessible 

12 by a major disaster. 

13 ‘‘(B) DIRECT ASSISTANCE FOR REPAIRS.— 

14 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The President 

15 may provide direct assistance to individuals 

16 and households who are unable to make 

17 use of financial assistance under subpara18 graph (A) and when there is a lack of 

19 available resources, for— 

20 ‘‘(I) the repair of owner-occupied 

21 private residences, utilities, and resi22 dential infrastructure (such as a pri23 vate access route) damaged by a 

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1 viduals with disabilities, rendered in2 accessible by a disaster; and 

3 ‘‘(II) eligible hazard mitigation 

4 measures that reduce the likelihood 

5 and future damage to such residences, 

6 utilities, and infrastructure. 

7 ‘‘(ii) ELIGIBILITY.—A recipient of as8 sistance under this subparagraph shall not 

9 be eligible for assistance under paragraph 

10 (1), unless otherwise determined by the 

11 President. 

12 ‘‘(C) RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER ASSIST13 ANCE.—A recipient of assistance provided 

14 under this paragraph shall not be required to 

15 show that the assistance can be met through 

16 other means, except insurance proceeds.’’. 

17 (b) STATE- OR INDIAN TRIBAL GOVERNMENT-AD18 MINISTERED ASSISTANCE AND OTHER NEEDS ASSIST19 ANCE.—Section 408(f) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 

20 Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174(f)) 

21 is amended— 

22 (1) by striking ‘‘subsections (c)(1)(B), (c)(4), 

23 and (e)’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘para24 graphs (1)(B), (2)(B), and (4) of subsection (c) and 

25 subsection (e)’’; and 


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1 (2) in paragraph (3)(A) by striking ‘‘subsection 

2 (c)(1)(B), (c)(4), or (e)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraph 

3 (1)(B), (2)(B), or (4) of subsection (c) or subsection 

4 (e)’’. 

5 SEC. 4. STATE-MANAGED HOUSING PILOT AUTHORITY. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 408 of the Robert T. 

7 Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 

8 (42 U.S.C. 5174) is amended— 

9 (1) in subsection (f)(3)— 

10 (A) in subparagraph (A)— 

11 (i) by striking ‘‘A State’’ and insert12 ing the following: 

13 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—A State’’; and 

14 (ii) by adding at the end the fol15 lowing: 

16 ‘‘(ii) TRANSPARENCY.—The President 

17 shall make public the criteria used to 

18 evaluate applications under clause (i) and 

19 determine if a State or Indian tribal gov20 ernment meets the criteria described in 

21 subparagraph (B) to administer grants de22 scribed in paragraph (1)(A).’’; 

23 (B) in subparagraph (C)(ii)— 

24 (i) in subclause (I), by striking ‘‘; 

25 and’’ and inserting a semicolon; 


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1 (ii) in subclause (II), by striking the 

2 period at the end and inserting a semi3 colon; and 

4 (iii) by adding at the end the fol5 lowing: 

6 ‘‘(III) outline the approach of the 

7 State or Indian tribal government to 

8 help disaster survivors create a per9 manent housing plan; and 

10 ‘‘(IV) outline the approach of the 

11 State or Indian tribal government to 

12 provide individual disaster survivors 

13 some choice of communities and prop14 erties, as practicable.’’; 

15 (C) by striking subparagraph (F); 

16 (D) by redesignating subparagraphs (G), 

17 (H), (I), and (J) as subparagraphs (F), (G), 

18 (H), and (I), respectively; and 

19 (E) in subparagraph (I), as so redesig20 nated— 

21 (i) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘Not 

22 later than 2 years after the date of enact23 ment of this paragraph, the’’ and inserting 

24 ‘‘The’’; and 


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1 (ii) in clause (iii), by striking ‘‘2 

2 years’’ and inserting ‘‘10 years’’; and 

3 (2) in subsection (g)— 

4 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘para5 graph (2)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraphs (2) and 

6 (3)’’; and 

7 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(3) DISASTER ASSISTANCE.—In the case of as9 sistance provided under paragraph (1)(B), (2)(B), or 

10 (4) of subsection (c), the Federal share shall be not 

11 less than 75 percent.’’. 

12 (b) GAO ASSESSMENT.—Upon the expiration of the 

13 authority to carry out section 408(f) of the Robert T. 

14 Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 

15 (42 U.S.C. 5174(f)) as a pilot program, the Comptroller 

16 General of the United States shall issue a report on the 

17 effectiveness, successes, and challenges of any pilot pro18 gram carried out pursuant to such section and make rec19 ommendations on how to improve the provision of assist20 ance under such section. 

21 SEC. 5. MANAGEMENT COSTS. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 324(b)(2) of the Robert 

23 T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 

24 (42 U.S.C. 5165b(b)(2)) is amended by adding at the end 

25 the following: 


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1 ‘‘(C) INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE.—A grantee 

2 under section 408(f) may be reimbursed not 

3 more than 12 percent of the total award 

4 amount under such section.’’. 

5 (b) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—Section 408(f)(1) of 

6 the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency As7 sistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174 (f)(1)), as amended by sec8 tion 3(b) of this Act, is further amended— 

9 (1) in the paragraph heading, by striking ‘‘(A) 

10 GRANT TO STATE.—’’ ‘‘ASSISTANCE’’ and all that fol11 lows through ‘‘subsection (g),’’ and inserting ‘‘Sub12 ject to subsection (g),’’ ‘‘ASSISTANCE.— Subject to 

13 subsection (g),’’; and 

14 (2) by striking subparagraph (B). 

15 SEC. 6. FUNDING FOR ONLINE GUIDES FOR POST-DISASTER 

16 ASSISTANCE. 

17 (a) USE OF SERVICES OF OTHER AGENCIES.—Sec18 tion 201(a) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 

19 Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5131(a)) is amend20 ed— 

21 (1) in paragraph (7), by striking the period at 

22 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

23 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

24 ‘‘(8) post-disaster assistance.’’. 


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1 (b) GRANTS FOR ONLINE GUIDES FOR ASSIST2 ANCE.—Section 201 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 

3 Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5131) 

4 is amended by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(e) FUNDING FOR ONLINE GUIDES FOR ASSIST6 ANCE.— 

7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the 

8 Federal Emergency Management Agency may pro9 vide funding to a State agency established under 

10 subsection (c) to establish, update, or operate a 

11 website to provide information relating to post-dis12 aster recovery funding and resources to a community 

13 or an individual impacted by a major disaster or 

14 emergency. 

15 ‘‘(2) MANAGEMENT.—A website established, up16 dated, or operated under this subsection shall be— 

17 ‘‘(A) managed by the State agency to 

18 which funding is provided under paragraph (1); 

19 and 

20 ‘‘(B) suitable for the residents of the State 

21 of the State agency. 

22 ‘‘(3) CONTENT.—The Administrator may pro23 vide funding to a State agency under this subsection 

24 to establish a website that contains only 1 or more 

25 of the following: 


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1 ‘‘(A) A list of Federal, State, and local 

2 sources of post-disaster recovery funding or as3 sistance that may be available to a community 

4 after a major disaster or emergency. 

5 ‘‘(B) A list of Federal, State, and local 

6 sources of post-disaster recovery funding or as7 sistance that may be available to an individual 

8 impacted by a major disaster or emergency. 

9 ‘‘(C) A technical guide that lists and ex10 plains the costs and benefits of alternatives 

11 available to a community to mitigate the im12 pacts of a major disaster or emergency and pre13 pare for sequential hazards, such as flooding 

14 after a wildfire. 

15 ‘‘(4) COOPERATION.—A State agency that re16 ceives funding under this subsection shall cooperate 

17 with the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of 

18 Agriculture, the Secretary of Housing and Urban 

19 Development, the Administrator of the Small Busi20 ness Administration, and the Administrator of the 

21 Federal Emergency Management Agency in estab22 lishing, updating, or operating a website under this 

23 subsection. 

24 ‘‘(5) UPDATES.—A State agency that receives 

25 funding to establish, update, or operate a website 


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1 under this subsection shall update the website not 

2 less than once every 6 months. 

3 ‘‘(6) TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY.—The au4 thority provided under this subsection shall termi5 nate 1 year after the first date on which appropria6 tions are made on or after the date of enactment of 

7 this subsection to carry out this subsection.’’. 

8 SEC. 7. INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE DASHBOARD. 

9 Title IV of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 

10 Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170 et seq.) is 

11 amended by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘SEC. 431. INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE DASHBOARD. 

13 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after a 

14 declaration by the President that a major disaster exists 

15 under section 401, the Administrator of the Federal 

16 Emergency Management Agency shall publish on a 

17 website of the Agency an interactive web tool displaying 

18 the following information with respect to such major dis19 aster: 

20 ‘‘(1) The number of applications for assistance 

21 under section 408, including a description of the 

22 number of applications for assistance related to 

23 housing under such section and the number of appli24 cations for assistance to address other needs under 

25 section 408(e). 


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1 ‘‘(2) The number of applications for such as2 sistance that are approved. 

3 ‘‘(3) The number of applications for such as4 sistance that are denied. 

5 ‘‘(4) A ranked list of the reasons for the denial 

6 of such applications, including the number of appli7 cations for each reason for denial. 

8 ‘‘(5) If available, the dollar amount of assist9 ance provided pursuant to section 408 to applicants 

10 who are— 

11 ‘‘(A) property owners with a household an12 nual income— 

13 ‘‘(i) above the national median house14 hold income; and 

15 ‘‘(ii) below the national median house16 hold income; and 

17 ‘‘(B) renters with a household annual in18 come— 

19 ‘‘(i) above the national median house20 hold income; and 

21 ‘‘(ii) below the national median house22 hold income. 

23 ‘‘(6) The estimated percentage of residential 

24 property that was destroyed as a result of the major 

25 disaster, if available. 


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1 ‘‘(7) Any other information that the Adminis2 trator of the Federal Emergency Management Agen3 cy determines to be relevant. 

4 ‘‘(b) PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION.— 

5 The Administrator of the Federal Emergency Manage6 ment Agency shall ensure that none of the information 

7 published under subsection (a) contains the personally 

8 identifiable information of an applicant.’’. 

9 SEC. 8. FEMA REPORTS. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

11 date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, 

12 the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management 

13 Agency shall submit to the Committee on Transportation 

14 and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and 

15 the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 

16 Affairs of the Senate a report that includes, with respect 

17 to the most recent fiscal year— 

18 (1) the average amount of individual assistance 

19 and individual and household assistance provided 

20 under section 408 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 

21 Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 

22 5174) to, and the rate of denial of individual assist23 ance and individual and household assistance pro24 vided under such section for— 

25 (A) all individuals; 


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1 (B) households; 

2 (C) individuals and households with a re3 ported annual income under 75 percent of the 

4 national median household income; 

5 (D) individuals with a reported annual in6 come over 125 percent of the national median 

7 household income; and 

8 (E) individuals with a reported annual in9 come between 75 percent and 125 percent of 

10 the national median household income; and 

11 (2) an explanation for any factors causing an 

12 increase in the rate of denial of the assistance de13 scribed in paragraph (1), if applicable. 

14 (b) INFORMATION REQUIRED.—In the report sub15 mitted under subsection (a), the Administrator shall de16 scribe the number of homeowners and the number of rent17 ers for each category of individuals and households de18 scribed in subparagraphs (C) through (E) of subsection 

19 (a)(1). 

20 (c) FIRST REPORT.—The first report required to be 

21 submitted under subsection (a) after the date of enact22 ment of this Act shall include the information required 

23 under this section with respect to fiscal year 2016 and 

24 each fiscal year thereafter through the most recent fiscal 

25 year ending before the date of enactment of this Act. 


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1 SEC. 9. SHELTERING OF EMERGENCY RESPONSE PER2 SONNEL. 

3 Section 403 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 

4 and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170b) is 

5 amended by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(e) SHELTERING OF EMERGENCY RESPONSE PER7 SONNEL.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For any major disaster for 

9 which the President has authorized emergency pro10 tective measures for an area within the jurisdiction 

11 of a State, Indian tribal government, or local govern12 ment, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency 

13 Management Agency (referred to in this subsection as 

14 the ‘Administrator’) may reimburse the State, Indian 

15 tribal government, or local government for costs re16 lating to sheltering emergency response personnel, 

17 including individuals that are a part of the same 

18 predisaster household as such personnel, in exclu19 sive-use congregate or non-congregate settings if the 

20 Governor of the State or chief executive of the In21 dian tribal government or local government deter22 mines that the damage or disruption to such area is 

23 of such a magnitude as to disrupt the provision of 

24 emergency protective measures within such area. 

25 ‘‘(2) LIMITATION OF ASSISTANCE.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator 

2 may only reimburse a State, Indian tribal gov3 ernment, or local government for the costs of 

4 sheltering emergency response personnel under 

5 paragraph (1) for such a period of time as the 

6 Administrator determines reasonable based on 

7 the individual characteristics of and impacts to 

8 the affected area, including the extent of dam9 age, the availability of alternative housing op10 tions, the availability of utilities, and disrup11 tions to transportation infrastructure. 

12 ‘‘(B) MAXIMUM DURATION OF REIMBURSE13 MENT.—The period of reimbursement under 

14 subparagraph (A) may not exceed the 6-month 

15 period beginning on the date on which the inci16 dent period ends. 

17 ‘‘(3) DEFINITION.—In this subsection, the term 

18 ‘emergency response personnel’ means— 

19 ‘‘(A) employees or contracted employees 

20 providing law enforcement, fire suppression, 

21 rescue, emergency medical, emergency manage22 ment, or emergency communications services; 

23 and 

24 ‘‘(B) elected officials, except members 

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1 seeing or directing emergency response oper2 ations or recovery activities.’’. 

3 SEC. 10. IMPROVED RENTAL ASSISTANCE. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 408(c)(1)(A)(ii) of the 

5 Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assist6 ance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174(c)(1)(A)(ii)) is amended by in7 serting ‘‘, including local post-disaster rent increases,’’ 

8 after ‘‘accommodation provided’’. 

9 (b) STUDY.—Not later than 1 year after the date of 

10 enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal 

11 Emergency Management Agency, in consultation with ap12 propriate Federal entities and stakeholders involved in dis13 aster housing, shall conduct a study to examine the unique 

14 challenges of renters when seeking Federal disaster assist15 ance and any disparities of assistance provided to home16 owners and renters pursuant to section 408 of the Robert 

17 T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 

18 (42 U.S.C. 5174) and develop a plan that addresses any 

19 identified challenges and disparities, including any rec20 ommendations for legislative action. 

21 (c) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Upon completion of the 

22 activities carried out under subsection (b), the Adminis23 trator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency 

24 shall submit to the Committee on Transportation and In25 frastructure, the Committee on Financial Services, and 


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1 the Committee on Small Business of the House of Rep2 resentatives and the Committee on Homeland Security 

3 and Governmental Affairs of the Senate a report con4 taining the study and recommendations required under 

5 subsection (b). 

6 SEC. 11. GAO REPORT ON PRELIMINARY DAMAGE ASSESS7 MENTS. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Comptroller General of the 

9 United States shall conduct a study on the practices, in10 cluding the accuracy of such practices, that the Federal 

11 Emergency Management Agency uses when conducting 

12 preliminary damage assessments for the purposes of pro13 viding assistance under section 408 of the Robert T. Staf14 ford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 

15 U.S.C. 5174). 

16 (b) CONTENTS.—The Comptroller General of the 

17 United States shall include in the study conducted under 

18 subsection (a) the following: 

19 (1) A comparison of the process and procedures 

20 used by the Federal Emergency Management Agen21 cy to complete preliminary damage assessments to 

22 the process and procedures used by private insur23 ance companies following a major disaster. 

24 (2) A review of training provided to individuals 

25 conducting preliminary damage assessments. 


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1 (3) A comparison of damage estimates for 

2 homes owned by individuals above the national me3 dian income to homes owned by individuals at or 

4 below the national median income. 

5 SEC. 12. APPLICABILITY. 

6 The amendments made by sections 2, 3, 5, 6, and 

7 9 shall only apply to amounts appropriated on or after 

8 the date of enactment of this Act. 

9 SEC. 13. GAO REPORT TO CONGRESS ON CHALLENGES 

10 UNDER PUBLIC ASSISTANCE ALTERNATIVE 

11 PROCEDURES. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Comptroller General of the 

13 United States shall conduct a study on the challenges to 

14 States and territories of the United States in obtaining 

15 assistance under section 428 of the Robert T. Stafford 

16 Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 

17 5189f). 

18 (b) CONTENTS.—In conducting the study described 

19 in subsection (a), the Comptroller General of the United 

20 States shall study the challenges for assistance described 

21 in subsection (a) faced by the following: 

22 (1) Rural areas, as such term is defined in sec23 tion 423(d)(4) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 

24 Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 

25 5189a(d)(4)). 


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1 (2) Small impoverished communities, as such 

2 term is defined in section 203(a) of the Robert T. 

3 Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 

4 Act (42 U.S.C. 5133(a)). 

5 (3) Other communities, areas, or individuals 

6 that the Comptroller General determines pertinent. 

7 (c) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 1 year 

8 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller 

9 General of the United States shall submit to Congress a 

10 report describing the results of the study required under 

11 subsection (a). 


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Calendar No. 741 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 5067 

[Report No. 118–321] 

A BILL 

To improve individual assistance provided by the 

D

other purposes. Federal Emergency Management Agency, and for 

ECEMBER 19 (legislative day, DECEMBER 16), 2024 

Reported with amendments 


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