II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 5067 

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 and Mr. TILLIS) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and 

Governmental Affairs 

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’’. 

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

7 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. 


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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. 

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

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

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

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

5 SEC. 2. REPAIR AND REBUILDING. 

6 Section 408 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 

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

8 amended— 

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

10 following: 

11 ‘‘(5) HAZARD MITIGATION.— 

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

13 provide financial assistance to an individual or 

14 household whose primary residence, utility, or 

15 residential infrastructure is damaged by a 

16 major disaster for cost-effective hazard mitiga17 tion measures that reduce, in future disasters— 

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

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

20 utility, or infrastructure. 


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1 ‘‘(B) RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER ASSIST2 ANCE.—A recipient of assistance provided 

3 under this paragraph shall not be required to 

4 show that the assistance can be met through 

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

6 (2) in subsection (h)— 

7 (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘, finan8 cial assistance for hazard mitigation under sub9 section (c)(5)(A),’’ after ‘‘subsection 

10 (c)(1)(A)(i)’’; 

11 (B) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘para12 graphs (1) and (2)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraphs 

13 (1), (2), and (5)’’; and 

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

15 ‘‘(5) HAZARD MITIGATION.—The maximum fi16 nancial assistance any individual or household may 

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

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

19 to a single major disaster.’’. 

20 SEC. 3. DIRECT ASSISTANCE. 

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

22 Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 

23 (42 U.S.C. 5174(c)), as amended by section 2 of this Act, 

24 is further amended by striking paragraph (2) and insert25 ing the following: 


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1 ‘‘(2) REPAIRS.— 

2 ‘‘(A) FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR RE3 PAIRS.—The President may provide financial 

4 assistance for the repair of owner-occupied pri5 vate residences, utilities, and residential infra6 structure (such as a private access route) dam7 aged by a major disaster, or with respect to in8 dividuals with disabilities, rendered inaccessible 

9 by a major disaster. 

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

11 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The President 

12 may provide direct assistance to individuals 

13 and households who are unable to make 

14 use of financial assistance under subpara15 graph (A) and when there is a lack of 

16 available resources, for— 

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

18 private residences, utilities, and resi19 dential infrastructure (such as a pri20 vate access route) damaged by a 

21 major disaster, or with respect to indi22 viduals with disabilities, rendered in23 accessible by a disaster; and 

24 ‘‘(II) eligible hazard mitigation 

25 measures that reduce the likelihood 


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1 and future damage to such residences, 

2 utilities, and infrastructure. 

3 ‘‘(ii) ELIGIBILITY.—A recipient of as4 sistance under this subparagraph shall not 

5 be eligible for assistance under paragraph 

6 (1), unless otherwise determined by the 

7 President. 

8 ‘‘(C) RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER ASSIST9 ANCE.—A recipient of assistance provided 

10 under this paragraph shall not be required to 

11 show that the assistance can be met through 

12 other means, except insurance proceeds.’’. 

13 (b) STATE- OR INDIAN TRIBAL GOVERNMENT-AD14 MINISTERED ASSISTANCE AND OTHER NEEDS ASSIST15 ANCE.—Section 408(f) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 

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

17 is amended— 

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

19 and (e)’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘para20 graphs (1)(B), (2)(B), and (4) of subsection (c) and 

21 subsection (e)’’; and 

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

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

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

25 (e)’’. 


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

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

3 Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 

4 (42 U.S.C. 5174) is amended— 

5 (1) in subsection (f)(3)— 

6 (A) in subparagraph (A)— 

7 (i) by striking ‘‘A State’’ and insert8 ing the following: 

9 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—A State’’; and 

10 (ii) by adding at the end the fol11 lowing: 

12 ‘‘(ii) TRANSPARENCY.—The President 

13 shall make public the criteria used to 

14 evaluate applications under clause (i) and 

15 determine if a State or Indian tribal gov16 ernment meets the criteria described in 

17 subparagraph (B) to administer grants de18 scribed in paragraph (1)(A).’’; 

19 (B) in subparagraph (C)(ii)— 

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

21 and’’ and inserting a semicolon; 

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

23 period at the end and inserting a semi24 colon; and 

25 (iii) by adding at the end the fol26 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(III) outline the approach of the 

2 State or Indian tribal government to 

3 help disaster survivors create a per4 manent housing plan; and 

5 ‘‘(IV) outline the approach of the 

6 State or Indian tribal government to 

7 provide individual disaster survivors 

8 some choice of communities and prop9 erties, as practicable.’’; 

10 (C) by striking subparagraph (F); 

11 (D) by redesignating subparagraphs (G), 

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

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

14 (E) in subparagraph (I), as so redesig15 nated— 

16 (i) in clause (ii) by striking ‘‘Not later 

17 than 2 years after the date of enactment 

18 of this paragraph, the’’ and inserting 

19 ‘‘The’’; and 

20 (ii) in clause (iii) by striking ‘‘2 

21 years’’ and inserting ‘‘10 years’’; and 

22 (2) in subsection (g)— 

23 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘para24 graph (2)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraphs (2) and 

25 (3)’’; and 


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

2 ‘‘(3) DISASTER ASSISTANCE.—In the case of as3 sistance provided under paragraph (1)(B), (2)(B), or 

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

5 less than 75 percent.’’. 

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

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

8 Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 

9 (42 U.S.C. 5174(f)) as a pilot program, the Comptroller 

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

11 effectiveness, successes, and challenges of any pilot pro12 gram carried out pursuant to such section and make rec13 ommendations on how to improve the provision of assist14 ance under such section. 

15 SEC. 5. MANAGEMENT COSTS. 

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

17 T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 

18 (42 U.S.C. 5165b(b)(2)) is amended by adding at the end 

19 the following: 

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

21 under section 408(f) may be reimbursed not 

22 more than 12 percent of the total award 

23 amount under such section.’’. 

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

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1 sistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174), as amended by section 3(b) 

2 of this Act, is further amended— 

3 (1) by striking ‘‘(A) GRANT TO STATE.—’’ and 

4 all that follows through ‘‘subsection (g),’’ and insert5 ing ‘‘Subject to subsection (g),’’; and 

6 (2) by striking subparagraph (B). 

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

8 ASSISTANCE. 

9 (a) USE OF SERVICES OF OTHER AGENCIES.—Sec10 tion 201(a) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 

11 Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5131(a)) is amend12 ed— 

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

14 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

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

17 (b) GRANTS FOR ONLINE GUIDES FOR ASSIST18 ANCE.—Section 201 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 

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

20 is amended by adding at the end the following: 

21 ‘‘(e) FUNDING FOR ONLINE GUIDES FOR ASSIST22 ANCE.— 

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

24 Federal Emergency Management Agency may pro25 vide funding to a State agency established under 


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

2 website to provide information relating to post-dis3 aster recovery funding and resources to a community 

4 or an individual impacted by a major disaster or 

5 emergency. 

6 ‘‘(2) MANAGEMENT.—A website established, up7 dated, or operated under this subsection shall be— 

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

9 which funding is provided under paragraph (1); 

10 and 

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

12 of the State agency. 

13 ‘‘(3) CONTENT.—The Administrator may pro14 vide funding to a State agency under this subsection 

15 to establish a website that contains only 1 or more 

16 of the following: 

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

18 sources of post-disaster recovery funding or as19 sistance that may be available to a community 

20 after a major disaster or emergency. 

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

22 sources of post-disaster recovery funding or as23 sistance that may be available to an individual 

24 impacted by a major disaster or emergency. 


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1 ‘‘(C) A technical guide that lists and ex2 plains the costs and benefits of alternatives 

3 available to a community to mitigate the im4 pacts of a major disaster or emergency and pre5 pare for sequential hazards, such as flooding 

6 after a wildfire. 

7 ‘‘(4) COOPERATION.—A State agency that re8 ceives funding under this subsection shall cooperate 

9 with the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of 

10 Agriculture, the Secretary of Housing and Urban 

11 Development, the Administrator of the Small Busi12 ness Administration, and the Administrator of the 

13 Federal Emergency Management Agency in estab14 lishing, updating, or operating a website under this 

15 subsection. 

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

17 funding to establish, update, or operate a website 

18 under this subsection shall update the website not 

19 less than once every 6 months. 

20 ‘‘(6) TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY.—The au21 thority provided under this subsection shall termi22 nate 1 year after the first date on which appropria23 tions are made on or after the date of enactment of 

24 this subsection to carry out this subsection.’’. 


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1 SEC. 7. INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE DASHBOARD. 

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

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

4 amended by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘SEC. 431. INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE DASHBOARD. 

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

7 declaration by the President that a major disaster exists 

8 under section 401, the Administrator of the Federal 

9 Emergency Management Agency shall publish on a 

10 website of the Agency an interactive web tool displaying 

11 the following information with respect to such major dis12 aster: 

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

14 under section 408, including a description of the 

15 number of applications for assistance related to 

16 housing under such section and the number of appli17 cations for assistance to address other needs under 

18 section 408(e). 

19 ‘‘(2) The number of applications for such as20 sistance that are approved. 

21 ‘‘(3) The number of applications for such as22 sistance that are denied. 

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

24 of such applications, including the number of appli25 cations for each reason for denial. 


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1 ‘‘(5) If available, the dollar amount of assist2 ance provided pursuant to section 408 to applicants 

3 who are— 

4 ‘‘(A) property owners with a household an5 nual income— 

6 ‘‘(i) above the national median house7 hold income; and 

8 ‘‘(ii) below the national median house9 hold income; and 

10 ‘‘(B) renters with a household annual in11 come— 

12 ‘‘(i) above the national median house13 hold income; and 

14 ‘‘(ii) below the national median house15 hold income. 

16 ‘‘(6) The estimated percentage of residential 

17 property that was destroyed as a result of the major 

18 disaster, if available. 

19 ‘‘(7) Any other information that the Adminis20 trator of the Federal Emergency Management Agen21 cy determines to be relevant. 

22 ‘‘(b) PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION.— 

23 The Administrator of the Federal Emergency Manage24 ment Agency shall ensure that none of the information 


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1 published under subsection (a) contains the personally 

2 identifiable information of an applicant.’’. 

3 SEC. 8. FEMA REPORTS. 

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

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

6 the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management 

7 Agency shall submit to the Committee on Transportation 

8 and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and 

9 the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 

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

11 to the most recent fiscal year— 

12 (1) the average amount of individual assistance 

13 and individual and household assistance provided 

14 under section 408 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 

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

16 5174) to, and the rate of denial of individual assist17 ance and individual and household assistance pro18 vided under such section for— 

19 (A) all individuals; 

20 (B) households; 

21 (C) individuals and households with a re22 ported annual income under 75 percent of the 

23 national median household income; 


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1 (D) individuals with a reported annual in2 come over 125 percent of the national median 

3 household income; and 

4 (E) individuals with a reported annual in5 come between 75 percent and 125 percent of 

6 the national median household income; and 

7 (2) an explanation for any factors causing an 

8 increase in the rate of denial of the assistance de9 scribed in paragraph (1), if applicable. 

10 (b) INFORMATION REQUIRED.—In the report sub11 mitted under subsection (a), the Administrator shall de12 scribe the number of homeowners and the number of rent13 ers for each category of individuals and households de14 scribed in subparagraphs (C) through (E) of subsection 

15 (a)(1). 

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

17 submitted under subsection (a) after the date of enact18 ment of this Act shall include the information required 

19 under this section with respect to fiscal year 2016 and 

20 each fiscal year thereafter through the most recent fiscal 

21 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 may reimburse the State, 

13 Indian tribal government, or local government for 

14 costs relating to sheltering emergency response per15 sonnel, including individuals that are a part of the 

16 same predisaster household as such personnel, in ex17 clusive-use congregate or non-congregate settings if 

18 the Governor of the State or chief executive of the 

19 Indian tribal government or local government deter20 mines that the damage or disruption to such area is 

21 of such a magnitude as to disrupt the provision of 

22 emergency protective measures within such area. 

23 ‘‘(2) LIMITATION OF ASSISTANCE.— 

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

25 may only reimburse a State, Indian tribal gov26 ernment, or local government for the costs of 


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1 sheltering emergency response personnel under 

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

3 Administrator determines reasonable based on 

4 the individual characteristics of and impacts to 

5 the affected area, including the extent of dam6 age, the availability of alternative housing op7 tions, the availability of utilities, and disrup8 tions to transportation infrastructure. 

9 ‘‘(B) MAXIMUM DURATION OF REIMBURSE10 MENT.—The period of reimbursement under 

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

12 period beginning on the date on which the inci13 dent period ends. 

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

15 ‘emergency response personnel’ means— 

16 ‘‘(A) employees or contracted employees 

17 providing law enforcement, fire suppression, 

18 rescue, emergency medical, emergency manage19 ment, or emergency communications services; 

20 and 

21 ‘‘(B) elected officials, except members of 

22 Congress, responsible for the overseeing or di23 recting emergency response operations or recov24 ery activities.’’. 


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1 SEC. 10. IMPROVED RENTAL ASSISTANCE. 

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

3 Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assist4 ance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174(c)(1)(A)(ii)) is amended by in5 serting ‘‘, including local post-disaster rent increases,’’ 

6 after ‘‘accommodation provided’’. 

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

8 enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal 

9 Emergency Management Agency, in consultation with ap10 propriate Federal entities and stakeholders involved in dis11 aster housing, shall conduct a study to examine the unique 

12 challenges of renters when seeking Federal disaster assist13 ance and any disparities of assistance provided to home14 owners and renters pursuant to section 408 of the Robert 

15 T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 

16 (42 U.S.C. 5174) and develop a plan that addresses any 

17 identified challenges and disparities, including any rec18 ommendations for legislative action. 

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

20 activities carried out under subsection (b), the Adminis21 trator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency 

22 shall submit to the Committee on Transportation and In23 frastructure, the Committee on Financial Services, and 

24 the Committee on Small Business of the House of Rep25 resentatives and the Committee on Homeland Security 

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1 taining the study and recommendations required under 

2 subsection (b). 

3 SEC. 11. GAO REPORT ON PRELIMINARY DAMAGE ASSESS4 MENTS. 

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

6 United States shall conduct a study on the practices, in7 cluding the accuracy of such practices, that the Federal 

8 Emergency Management Agency uses when conducting 

9 preliminary damage assessments for the purposes of pro10 viding assistance under section 408 of the Robert T. Staf11 ford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 

12 U.S.C. 5174). 

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

14 United States shall include in the study conducted under 

15 subsection (a) the following: 

16 (1) A comparison of the process and procedures 

17 used by the Federal Emergency Management Agen18 cy to complete preliminary damage assessments to 

19 the process and procedures used by private insur20 ance companies following a major disaster. 

21 (2) A review of training provided to individuals 

22 conducting preliminary damage assessments. 

23 (3) A comparison of damage estimates for 

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1 dian income to homes owned by individuals at or 

2 below the national median income. 

3 SEC. 12. APPLICABILITY. 

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

5 9 shall only apply to amounts appropriated on or after 

6 the date of enactment of this Act. 

7 SEC. 13. GAO REPORT TO CONGRESS ON CHALLENGES 

8 UNDER PUBLIC ASSISTANCE ALTERNATIVE 

9 PROCEDURES. 

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

11 United States shall conduct a study on the challenges to 

12 States and territories of the United States in obtaining 

13 assistance under section 428 of the Robert T. Stafford 

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

15 5189f). 

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

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

18 States shall study the challenges for assistance described 

19 in subsection (a) faced by the following: 

20 (1) Rural areas, as such term is defined in sec21 tion 423(d)(4) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 

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

23 5189a(d)(4)). 

24 (2) Small impoverished communities, as such 

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


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1 Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 

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

3 (3) Other communities, areas, or individuals 

4 that the Comptroller General determines pertinent. 

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

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

7 General of the United States shall submit to Congress a 

8 report describing the results of the study required under 

9 subsection (a). 

Æ 


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