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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 310 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        S.310

                     One Hundred Eighteenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America

                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

         Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday,
         the third day of January, two thousand and twenty four

                                 An Act

 
  To establish an advisory group to encourage and foster collaborative 
  efforts among individuals and entities engaged in disaster recovery 
           relating to debris removal, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
    This Act may be cited as the ``Disaster Contract Improvement Act''.
SEC. 2. OVERSIGHT ON DEBRIS REMOVAL.
    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
        (1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
    Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
        (2) Debris removal program.--The term ``debris removal 
    program'' means the program established under section 407 of the 
    Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 
    U.S.C. 5173).
    (b) Advisory Working Group.--
        (1) In general.--The Administrator shall establish an advisory 
    working group to encourage and foster collaborative efforts among 
    individuals and entities engaged in disaster recovery relating to 
    debris removal.
        (2) Membership.--The advisory working group established under 
    paragraph (1) shall be comprised of--
            (A) representatives from the Federal Emergency Management 
        Agency;
            (B) representatives from the Army Corps of Engineers;
            (C) representatives from the Natural Resources Conservation 
        Service of the Department of Agriculture;
            (D) representatives of States, Tribal governments, and 
        units of local government; and
            (E) subject matter experts in debris removal, including not 
        less than 1 representative from the debris services contractor 
        industry.
    (c) Guidance.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Administrator, in consultation with the advisory working 
group established under subsection (b)(1), shall--
        (1) determine whether guidance and procedures in effect as of 
    the date of enactment of this Act with respect to the oversight and 
    cost of debris removal contracts entered into under the debris 
    removal program are sufficient; and
        (2) if the Administrator, in consultation with the advisory 
    working group established under subsection (b)(1), determines that 
    the guidance and procedures described in paragraph (1) are 
    insufficient, develop and implement additional such guidance and 
    procedures, including--
            (A) a requirement that each State, Tribal government, and 
        unit of local government receiving a grant under the debris 
        removal program take the primary role in the oversight function 
        of debris removal;
            (B) guidance for State, Tribal, and local debris monitors 
        relating to debris removal operations, debris operations 
        oversight, and contractor oversight, including contractor 
        monitoring;
            (C) guidance for streamlining the reimbursement of debris 
        costs overall, including debris management planning and support 
        for resilience in debris removal operations;
            (D) checklists, job aids, eligibility requirements, 
        contract requirements, debris management planning guidance, 
        sample bids, and other items, as determined necessary by the 
        Administrator, for State and local debris monitors;
            (E) a list of the specific debris removal monitoring 
        responsibilities expected to be completed by a State that 
        receives a grant under the debris removal program;
            (F) a list of the specific debris removal monitoring 
        responsibilities expected to be completed by recipients of a 
        grant under the debris removal program; and
            (G) guidance for State and Tribal governments and units of 
        local government to reduce duplication and inefficiency in 
        debris removal contracting across the Federal Government, State 
        and Tribal governments, and units of local government.
    (d) Training.--The Administrator shall conduct outreach to States, 
Tribal governments, and units of local government with respect to any 
guidance or support materials developed under this section.
    (e) GAO Study.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct 
a study that--
        (1) studies the use and adoption rate of advance contracts for 
    debris removal by selected States, Tribal governments, and units of 
    local government;
        (2) identifies the benefits and challenges of advance contracts 
    for debris removal;
        (3) with respect to the reporting and information sharing 
    processes, as of the date of enactment of this Act, for advance 
    contracts for debris removal between States and units of local 
    government and Federal partners--
            (A) assesses those processes; and
            (B) makes any necessary recommendations for those 
        processes;
        (4) studies--
            (A) the process for setting Federal reimbursement rates for 
        the debris removal program;
            (B) the use of penalties, as of the date of enactment of 
        this Act, for violations of law and regulations relating to 
        debris removal; and
            (C) fraud, waste, and abuse relating to the debris removal 
        program, including case studies; and
        (5) makes any necessary recommendations for improvements to 
    oversight and fraud prevention across the debris removal program.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

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