II 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 2658 

To ensure that older adults and individuals with disabilities are prepared 

for disasters, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

AUGUST 5, 2021 

Mr. CASEY (for himself, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, and Ms. WARREN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 

A BILL 

To ensure that older adults and individuals with disabilities 

are prepared for disasters, 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. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Real Emergency Ac5 cess for Aging and Disability Inclusion for Disasters Act’’ 

6 or the ‘‘REAADI for Disasters Act’’. 

7 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

8 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find9 ings: 


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1 (1) In the United States, according to the Cen2 ters for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 

3 more than 61,000,000 adults who are individuals 

4 with disabilities and, according to the Bureau of the 

5 Census, there are more than 47,800,000 adults age 

6 65 or older. 

7 (2) There have been more than 80 hurricanes, 

8 resulting in thousands of deaths, in the United 

9 States since 2005. 

10 (3) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad11 ministration estimates that— 

12 (A) the cumulative damage from weather13 and climate-related disasters in 2017 cost the 

14 United States over $300,000,000,000; and 

15 (B) 17 of the disasters in 2017 cost over 

16 $1,000,000,000 each. 

17 (4) Individuals with disabilities and older adults 

18 have been found to die at higher rates, compared to 

19 the general population, during disasters. 

20 (5) According to the Federal Emergency Man21 agement Agency— 

22 (A) more than 48,000,000 people were af23 fected by hurricanes and wildfires between Au24 gust and December of 2017; and 


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1 (B) more than 12,000,000, or one quarter, 

2 of those peoples were adults who were individ3 uals with disabilities. 

4 (6) An estimated 70 percent of the deaths at5 tributed to Hurricane Maria in 2017 were to people 

6 age 70 or older. 

7 (7) Failure to provide accessibility for, or plan 

8 for accommodating, individuals with physical or sen9 sory disabilities, chronic illness, or mental disabilities 

10 decreases the ability of those individuals to evacuate 

11 prior to or during a disaster. 

12 (8) Households of individuals with disabilities 

13 are more likely to need assistance and are less likely 

14 to be able to evacuate in advance of disasters. 

15 (9) Less than a third of individuals with intel16 lectual disabilities and individuals needing personal 

17 care attendants have planned with their personal 

18 care providers what to do in a disaster. 

19 (10) Evacuation information, including orders, 

20 is not uniformly communicated in ways and via 

21 media that are accessible to individuals with disabil22 ities, including being communicated in ways that 

23 lack use of American Sign Language, captions, and 

24 plain language on websites, instructional materials, 

25 and television and radio announcements. 


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1 (11) Displaced individuals with disabilities 

2 served in general population shelters have better ac3 cess to information and material resources than indi4 viduals with disabilities in specially designed shel5 ters. 

6 (12) Despite better access to information and 

7 resources, personnel in general population shelters 

8 often do not have the resources or training to ad9 dress the needs of individuals with disabilities and 

10 older adults. 

11 (13) Public shelters often do not have dis12 ability-related accommodations, often forcing individ13 uals with disabilities and older adults to be seg14 regated, sometimes apart from their families and 

15 natural supports during disasters. 

16 (14) Households with individuals with disabil17 ities sustain more costly property damage from dis18 asters than households without individuals with dis19 abilities. 

20 (15) Historically, disaster-related recommenda21 tions for individuals with disabilities and older 

22 adults have been typically aimed at caregivers and 

23 service providers, not individuals with disabilities 

24 and older adults. 


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1 (16) Thousands of individuals with disabilities 

2 have been denied their civil rights because they do 

3 not receive accessible notice during disasters— 

4 (A) of spoken instructions via phone or 

5 video; or 

6 (B) of instructions regarding evacuations, 

7 sheltering, and other procedures during disas8 ters. 

9 (17) Disaster shelters and services do not rou10 tinely have American Sign Language interpreters 

11 nor procedures written or presented in plain lan12 guage. 

13 (18) Individuals with disabilities and older 

14 adults are more at risk for loss of life, loss of inde15 pendence, or violation of civil rights than the general 

16 population during times of disasters, response, and 

17 recovery. 

18 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con19 gress that— 

20 (1) individuals with disabilities and older adults 

21 should be supported during times of disasters, and 

22 during disaster preparedness, response, recovery, 

23 and mitigation in order to— 

24 (A) ensure maintenance of and access to 

25 services and supports; and 


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1 (B) enable those individuals and adults to 

2 return to their communities in a timely manner 

3 as compared with the general population; 

4 (2) during the recovery and mitigation phases 

5 of disaster response, all buildings and services 

6 should be designed, and constructed or recon7 structed, according to principles of universal design 

8 and to the standards established by the Architec9 tural and Transportation Barriers Compliance 

10 Board in order to ensure access for individuals with 

11 disabilities, older adults, and all individuals; 

12 (3) individuals with disabilities and older adults 

13 should have access to shelters and other services 

14 during disasters in the same locations and settings 

15 as the general population; 

16 (4) individuals with disabilities and older adults 

17 should receive information about preparation for, re18 sponse to, recovery from, and mitigation of disasters 

19 in formats accessible to them, including in American 

20 Sign Language, Braille, and plain language, as well 

21 as captioned video messages; 

22 (5) individuals with disabilities and older adults 

23 must be included as key speakers, essential stake24 holders, and decisionmakers in the preparation (inVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:56 Aug 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2658.IS S2658

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1 cluding planning), response, recovery, and mitigation 

2 phases of disasters; 

3 (6) local, State (including territorial), Tribal, 

4 and Federal disaster planning must include robust 

5 representation of individuals with disabilities and 

6 older adults; and 

7 (7) individuals with disabilities and older adults 

8 must be included in the evaluation of governmental, 

9 VOAD, and other nongovernmental preparation (in10 cluding planning), response, recovery, and mitigation 

11 of disasters. 

12 SEC. 3. PURPOSES. 

13 The purposes of this Act are to— 

14 (1) improve the inclusion of individuals with 

15 disabilities and older adults in the preparation for, 

16 response to, recovery from, and mitigation of disas17 ters; 

18 (2) ensure that individuals with disabilities and 

19 older adults with disabilities are free from discrimi20 nation on the basis of disability or age in programs 

21 and activities, are protected during and included in 

22 all phases of disaster preparation, response, recov23 ery, and mitigation; 

24 (3) ensure compliance with the Americans with 

25 Disabilities Act of 1990, the Rehabilitation Act of 


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1 1973, and other disability laws during preparation 

2 for, response to, recovery from, and mitigation of 

3 disasters; 

4 (4) improve coordination among the commu5 nities of individuals with disabilities and older 

6 adults, including multiply marginalized BIPOC and 

7 LGBTQ+ communities, government agencies, cen8 ters for independent living, VOADs, and other non9 governmental organizations, including organizations 

10 that represent and are comprised of covered individ11 uals; in preparing (including planning) for, respond12 ing to, recovery from, and mitigation of disasters; 

13 and 

14 (5) improve outcomes for all individuals, includ15 ing individuals with disabilities and older adults, who 

16 are affected by disasters, and increase community 

17 resilience in responding to disasters. 

18 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

19 In this Act: 

20 (1) ACCESS AND FUNCTIONAL NEEDS.—The 

21 term ‘‘access and functional needs’’, used with re22 spect to an individual, means an individual with 

23 needs such as— 

24 (A) an individual with a disability; 

25 (B) an older adult; 


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1 (C) an individual with limited English pro2 ficiency; 

3 (D) an individual with limited access to 

4 transportation that would enable the individual 

5 to prepare for, respond to, recover from, and 

6 mitigate a disaster; or 

7 (E) an individual with limited access to the 

8 financial resources that would enable the indi9 vidual to prepare for, respond to, recover from, 

10 and mitigate a disaster. 

11 (2) ALL HAZARDS APPROACH.—The term ‘‘all 

12 hazards approach’’ means planning for natural, 

13 technological, or human-caused incidents that war14 rant action to— 

15 (A) protect life, property, the environment, 

16 or the public health or safety; and 

17 (B) minimize disruptions of school activi18 ties. 

19 (3) CIVIL RIGHTS.—The term ‘‘civil rights’’, 

20 used with respect to an individual, means the exist21 ing (as of the date of enactment of this Act) legal 

22 rights of an individual to be free from discrimination 

23 on the basis of disability or age in programs and ac24 tivities. 


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1 (4) COVERED INDIVIDUAL.—The term ‘‘covered 

2 individual’’ means an individual with a disability, an 

3 older adult, and an individual with access and func4 tional needs. 

5 (5) DISABILITY INCLUSIVE EMERGENCY MAN6 AGEMENT EXPERIENCE.—The term ‘‘disability inclu7 sive emergency management experience’’, used with 

8 respect to an individual or entity— 

9 (A) means an individual or entity that 

10 has— 

11 (i) demonstrated disability leadership 

12 experience, including working with non13 governmental entities; and 

14 (ii) subject matter expertise in leading 

15 disability inclusive preparedness, response, 

16 recovery, and mitigation initiatives that 

17 focus on meeting the civil rights of covered 

18 individuals who are affected by disasters, 

19 to be free from discrimination on the basis 

20 of disability or age in programs and activi21 ties; and 

22 (B) includes an individual or entity that 

23 has demonstrated favorable outcomes that 

24 measure the effective communication access, 

25 physical access, program access, health, safety, 


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1 and independence of individuals affected by dis2 asters and their communities. 

3 (6) DISASTER.—The term ‘‘disaster’’ means an 

4 emergency or major disaster (as such terms are de5 fined under section 102 of the Robert T. Stafford 

6 Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 

7 U.S.C. 5122)) that results in severe property dam8 age, deaths, or multiple injuries. 

9 (7) DISASTER SERVICES.—The term ‘‘disaster 

10 services’’ means the process of responding to a dis11 aster and providing humanitarian aid to individuals 

12 and communities who are affected by a disaster. 

13 (8) DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTED.—The 

14 term ‘‘disproportionately affected’’, used with re15 spect to a group, means a group of individuals with 

16 protected status, including individuals with disabil17 ities or older adults, who are excessively adversely 

18 affected by disaster-related harms. 

19 (9) INDIAN TRIBAL GOVERNMENT.—The term 

20 ‘‘Indian Tribal government’’ has the meaning given 

21 the term ‘‘Indian tribal government’’ in section 102 

22 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emer23 gency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122). 

24 (10) INDIVIDUAL WITH A DISABILITY.— 


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1 (A) SINGLE.—The term ‘‘individual with a 

2 disability’’ means an individual with a dis3 ability, as defined in section 3 of the Americans 

4 with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 

5 12102). 

6 (B) PLURAL.—The term ‘‘individuals with 

7 disabilities’’ means more than one individual 

8 with a disability, as defined in subparagraph 

9 (A). 

10 (11) OLDER ADULT.—The term ‘‘older adult’’ 

11 means a resident who is age 50 or older. 

12 (12) RESIDENT.—The term ‘‘resident’’ 

13 means— 

14 (A) in the case of an individual receiving 

15 assistance through an Indian Tribal Govern16 ment or other Indian entity, a resident of an 

17 area or member of a community governed by an 

18 Indian Tribal Government; and 

19 (B) in the case of an individual not de20 scribed in subparagraph (A), a resident of a 

21 State that is not an Indian Tribal Government. 

22 (13) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ 

23 means the Secretary of Health and Human Services. 

24 (14) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means any of 

25 the 50 States, an Indian Tribal Government, the 


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1 District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto 

2 Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, 

3 American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the 

4 Northern Mariana Islands. 

5 (15) VISITABILITY STANDARDS.—The term 

6 ‘‘visitability standards’’ means standards for Type C 

7 (Visitable) Units under the Standards for Accessible 

8 and Usable Buildings and Facilities (ICC A117.1– 

9 2009), or any successor standards, of the American 

10 National Standards Institute. 

11 (16) VOAD.—The term ‘‘VOAD’’ means a non12 governmental organization assisting in disaster prep13 aration, recovery, response, or mitigation. 

14 SEC. 5. USE OF DISASTER RESPONSE FUNDS. 

15 Section 615 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 

16 and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5196d) is 

17 amended— 

18 (1) by striking ‘‘Funds made available’’ and in19 serting the following: 

20 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

21 ‘‘(1) ACCESS AND FUNCTIONAL NEEDS.—The 

22 term ‘access and functional needs’, used with respect 

23 to an individual, means an individual with needs 

24 such as— 

25 ‘‘(A) an individual with a disability; 


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1 ‘‘(B) an older adult; 

2 ‘‘(C) an individual with limited English 

3 proficiency; 

4 ‘‘(D) an individual with limited access to 

5 transportation that would enable the individual 

6 to prepare for, respond to, or recover from, and 

7 mitigate an emergency or major disaster; or 

8 ‘‘(E) an individual with limited access to 

9 the financial resources that would enable the in10 dividual to prepare for, respond to, recover 

11 from, or mitigate an emergency or major dis12 aster. 

13 ‘‘(2) CENTER FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING.—The 

14 term ‘center for independent living’ has the meaning 

15 given that term in section 702 of the Rehabilitation 

16 Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 796a). 

17 ‘‘(3) COVERED RECIPIENT.— 

18 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘covered re19 cipient’ means a direct or indirect recipient of 

20 funds made available under this title for a cov21 ered use of funds. 

22 ‘‘(B) EXCLUSION.—The term ‘covered re23 cipient’ does not include individuals or house24 holds. 


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1 ‘‘(4) COVERED USE OF FUNDS.—The term ‘cov2 ered use of funds’ means the use of funds for the 

3 preparation for, response to, recovery from, or miti4 gation of hazards. 

5 ‘‘(5) INDIVIDUAL WITH A DISABILITY.— 

6 ‘‘(A) SINGLE.—The term ‘individual with a 

7 disability’ means an individual with a disability, 

8 as defined in section 3 of the Americans with 

9 Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12102). 

10 ‘‘(B) PLURAL.—The term ‘individuals with 

11 disabilities’ means more than one individual 

12 with a disability, as defined in subparagraph 

13 (A). 

14 ‘‘(6) OLDER ADULT.—The term ‘older adult’ 

15 means an individual who is age 50 or older. 

16 ‘‘(7) VISITABILITY STANDARDS.—The term 

17 ‘visitability standards’ means standards for Type C 

18 (Visitable) Units under the Standards for Accessible 

19 and Usable Buildings and Facilities (ICC A117.1– 

20 2009), or any successor standards, of the American 

21 National Standards Institutes. 

22 ‘‘(b) USE OF FUNDS GENERALLY.—Funds made 

23 available’’; and 

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


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1 ‘‘(c) ADVISORY COMMITTEES.—A covered recipient 

2 shall ensure that an advisory committee that includes indi3 viduals with disabilities, older adults, and other individuals 

4 with access and functional needs shall oversee the use of 

5 funds made available under this title to the covered recipi6 ent. 

7 ‘‘(d) COMPLIANCE WITH DISABILITY LAWS.—A cov8 ered recipient shall use funds made available under this 

9 title in accordance with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 

10 U.S.C. 701 et seq.) and the Americans with Disabilities 

11 Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.). 

12 ‘‘(e) CENTERS FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING.—A cov13 ered recipient may contract with 1 or more centers for 

14 independent living to— 

15 ‘‘(1) prepare for hazards; 

16 ‘‘(2) provide personal assistance services during 

17 response and recovery periods; 

18 ‘‘(3) identify accessible emergency shelters and 

19 adapt emergency shelters to be accessible; 

20 ‘‘(4) develop accessible media, including media 

21 using American Sign Language; and 

22 ‘‘(5) meet other needs for individuals with dis23 abilities, older adults, and individuals with access 

24 and functional needs. 


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1 ‘‘(f) CONTRACTORS.—A nongovernmental organiza2 tion that enters into a contract with a covered recipient 

3 relating to a covered use of funds shall comply with the 

4 Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 701 et seq.) and 

5 the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 

6 12101 et seq.) in providing property or services under the 

7 contract. 

8 ‘‘(g) COMMUNICATIONS.—Communications relating 

9 to a covered use of funds by a covered recipient shall be 

10 made available in languages, including American Sign 

11 Language and other sign languages, used in the commu12 nities receiving the communications. 

13 ‘‘(h) ACCESSIBILITY.—A covered recipient shall en14 sure each facility or service made available in connection 

15 with a covered use of funds is accessible to individuals with 

16 disabilities, older adults, and other individuals with access 

17 and functional needs, including— 

18 ‘‘(1) notifications relating to a hazard; 

19 ‘‘(2) evacuation notifications; 

20 ‘‘(3) notifications relating to disaster services; 

21 and 

22 ‘‘(4) emergency shelters. 

23 ‘‘(i) VISITABILITY.—A covered recipient that, as part 

24 of a covered use of funds, constructs or prepares dwelling 


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1 units (including sleeping units) shall ensure that the dwell2 ing units meet visitability standards.’’. 

3 SEC. 6. TRAINING, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, AND RE4 SEARCH DISABILITY AND DISASTER CEN5 TERS. 

6 (a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to pro7 vide financial support to eligible entities to create centers 

8 through which the eligible entities will— 

9 (1) provide training and technical assistance to 

10 State, local, Tribal, and territorial disaster relief, 

11 public health, and social service agencies in the im12 plementation and enhancement of systemic and ef13 fective engagement policies, programs, and activities 

14 that ensure— 

15 (A) that the needs and civil rights of cov16 ered individuals are addressed and implemented 

17 throughout all phases of disaster preparation, 

18 response, recovery, and mitigation; and 

19 (B) the inclusion of covered individuals in 

20 the development of all State, local, Tribal, and 

21 territorial disaster preparation plans; 

22 (2) assist Federal, State, local, Tribal, and ter23 ritorial disaster relief agencies in the coordination 

24 and integration of Federal, State (including terri25 torial), local, and Tribal services and programs to 


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1 serve covered individuals in the least restrictive envi2 ronment appropriate to their needs during a dis3 aster; 

4 (3) conduct research and expand knowledge 

5 about covered individuals and their experiences dur6 ing the preparation, response, recovery, and mitiga7 tion phases of disasters; and 

8 (4) discover, through research, and disseminate 

9 knowledge about, the most effective methods for— 

10 (A) protecting the civil rights of covered 

11 individuals during times of disasters; 

12 (B) including covered individuals in all 

13 phases of disaster preparation, response, recov14 ery, and mitigation; 

15 (C) reducing their deaths, injuries and 

16 losses from disasters; 

17 (D) reducing the displacement and dis18 proportionate effects of relocation after a dis19 aster, including financial and social effects, on 

20 covered individuals; and 

21 (E) ensuring covered individuals are par22 ticipants in the research, development, and dis23 tribution of evidence-based information regard24 ing disasters. 

25 (b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 


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1 (1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti2 ty’’ means an entity or partnership of entities that— 

3 (A) submits an application to the Sec4 retary in accordance with subsection (e); 

5 (B) is or includes an institution (which 

6 may be an institution of higher education), or 

7 a nongovernmental organization, that focuses 

8 on— 

9 (i) serving the needs of individuals 

10 with disabilities; or 

11 (ii) serving the needs of older adults; 

12 (C) in the case of an entity or partnership 

13 with a disability focus, has a cross-disability 

14 service focus; 

15 (D) has experience in conducting training, 

16 technical assistance, and research pertaining to 

17 consumer-directed community support services 

18 for covered individuals; 

19 (E) includes covered individuals in posi20 tions of leadership in the planning, manage21 ment, and operation of the programs of train22 ing, technical assistance, and research; 

23 (F) has knowledge and experience per24 taining to the implementation and enhancement 

25 of systemic and effective engagement policies, 


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1 programs, and activities that promote the inclu2 sion, needs, and civil rights of covered individ3 uals in preparation for, response to, recovery 

4 from, and mitigation of disasters; and 

5 (G) has, or will establish, an advisory 

6 council or similar entity, of which at least 51 

7 percent of the members are covered individuals. 

8 (2) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

9 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

10 meaning given the term in section 101(a) of the 

11 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)). 

12 (3) STAKEHOLDER GROUP.—The term ‘‘stake13 holder group’’ means a group of individuals and or14 ganizations that— 

15 (A) is committed to disability inclusive and 

16 older adult inclusive disaster management; 

17 (B) includes covered individuals through18 out preparedness, response, recovery, and miti19 gation activities; 

20 (C) has leaders that include covered indi21 viduals; 

22 (D) has a governing or advisory board, of 

23 which at least half of the members are covered 

24 individuals; and 


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1 (E) has a mission to inclusively serve cov2 ered individuals. 

3 (c) AUTHORITY FOR GRANTS.—The Secretary may 

4 award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities, 

5 to provide for— 

6 (1) activities that include covered individuals in 

7 the preparation (including planning) for, response 

8 to, recovery from, and mitigation of disasters; and 

9 (2) except as described in subsection (d)(2), re10 search related to disasters and covered individuals. 

11 (d) AMOUNT AND PERIOD OF GRANTS.— 

12 (1) AMOUNT.—In awarding grants under this 

13 section, the Secretary shall, to the extent prac14 ticable, award a grant to an eligible entity in an 

15 amount that is not less than $1,000,000 and not 

16 more than $3,000,000. 

17 (2) DISTRIBUTION.—The Secretary shall award 

18 not fewer than 2 of the grants in each of the 10 

19 Federal regions of the Department of Health and 

20 Human Services. At least 1 grant in each region 

21 shall be awarded to an eligible entity exclusively to 

22 conduct training and technical assistance described 

23 in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (a). 

24 (3) PERIODS.—The Secretary shall award the 

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1 petition held at the end of each 5-year period. Eligi2 ble entities that receive grants under this section 

3 may reapply for such grants at the end of the peri4 ods. 

5 (e) APPLICATIONS.— 

6 (1) SUBMISSIONS.—To be eligible to receive a 

7 grant under this section, an entity shall submit an 

8 application to the Secretary at such time and in 

9 such manner as the Secretary may require. 

10 (2) CONTENTS.—Each such application shall 

11 include, at a minimum, the following: 

12 (A) A description of the applicant’s dem13 onstrated experience in providing training, in14 formation, and support to individuals with dis15 abilities in preparing for, responding to, recov16 ering from, and mitigating disasters. 

17 (B) A description of the applicant’s dem18 onstrated experience in providing training, in19 formation, and support to older adults in pre20 paring for, responding to, recovering from, and 

21 mitigating disasters. 

22 (C) A description of the applicant’s dem23 onstrated experience in working with Federal, 

24 State, local, Tribal, and territorial government 


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1 agencies in preparing for, responding to, recov2 ering from, and mitigating disasters. 

3 (D) A description of the steps the appli4 cant, acting through the center, will take to tar5 get services to low-income individuals and indi6 viduals identified as disproportionately affected 

7 in disasters, including those individuals at 

8 greatest risk of institutionalization. 

9 (E) An assurance that the applicant, act10 ing through the center, will— 

11 (i) work with State, local, Tribal, and 

12 territorial disaster relief, public health, and 

13 social service agencies to determine the 

14 best means for delivery of services to ad15 dress the needs of covered individuals; 

16 (ii) assist in establishing State, local, 

17 Tribal, and territorial disaster plans to ad18 dress the needs of both rural and urban 

19 populations; 

20 (iii) in carrying out activities under 

21 the grant, conduct sufficient outreach to 

22 centers for independent living, VOADs, 

23 and other nongovernmental organizations, 

24 including organizations that represent and 

25 are comprised of covered individuals; 


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1 (iv) include covered individuals in a 

2 meaningful way in the development and 

3 execution of activities carried out under 

4 the grant; and 

5 (v) communicate information on the 

6 programs and systems developed under the 

7 grant, in accessible formats and languages, 

8 including American Sign Language, of the 

9 communities being served. 

10 (f) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants for activities de11 scribed in this section, the Secretary shall give priority to 

12 eligible entities that— 

13 (1) demonstrate a minimum of 3 years of expe14 rience in actively conducting disability inclusive and 

15 older adult inclusive disaster management; 

16 (2) propose activities to address the prepared17 ness, response, recovery, and mitigation needs of 

18 covered individuals; 

19 (3) propose activities to address leadership de20 velopment in State, local, Tribal, and territorial 

21 agencies and covered individual advocacy organiza22 tions; 

23 (4) demonstrate ability to provide training that 

24 prevents bias due to disability or age, and that uses 


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1 experiential approaches and does not rely on simula2 tions; 

3 (5) demonstrate expertise concerning the obliga4 tion to prevent discrimination against covered indi5 viduals on the basis of disability and age in pro6 grams and provide activities and specific plans for 

7 achieving and maintaining physical access, program 

8 access, and effective communication for covered indi9 viduals throughout all grant activities; 

10 (6) demonstrate that the eligible entity involved 

11 will use measurable collaboration and partnership 

12 strategies with State, local, Tribal, and territorial 

13 agencies, centers for independent living, VOADs, 

14 and other nongovernmental organizations, including 

15 organizations that represent and are comprised of 

16 covered individuals; 

17 (7) demonstrate that the eligible entity will use 

18 measurable disaster outcomes strategies in carrying 

19 out grant activities; 

20 (8) demonstrate the ability to quickly create 

21 products, such as videos, fact sheets, guidelines, and 

22 checklists, to be used in disaster management; 

23 (9) employ constituents of the entity in deci24 sionmaking positions; 


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1 (10) provide disability inclusive and older adult 

2 inclusive disaster management leadership skills de3 velopment; 

4 (11) demonstrate awareness of available re5 sources in the community for meeting the prepared6 ness, response, recovery, and mitigation needs of 

7 covered individuals; and 

8 (12) demonstrate expertise in promoting the 

9 use of universal design (as defined in section 3 of 

10 the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

11 1003)), the philosophy of independent living (within 

12 the meaning of that philosophy in title VII of the 

13 Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 796 et seq.)), 

14 intersectionality imperatives, and the social model of 

15 disability. 

16 (g) USE OF FUNDS.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—Grant funds made available 

18 under this section shall be used only for activities 

19 described in and approved by the Secretary as a part 

20 of an application submitted under subsection (e), to 

21 carry out— 

22 (A) a strategy designed to ensure the in23 clusion of covered individuals in the preparation 

24 (including planning) for, response to, recovery 

25 from, and mitigation of disasters; and 


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1 (B) research to enhance the activities de2 scribed in subparagraph (A), using not more 

3 than 25 percent of the grant funds to carry out 

4 that research. 

5 (2) ACTIVITIES.—Such activities may include 

6 initiatives that provide comprehensive training, tech7 nical assistance, development of funding sources, 

8 and support to State, local, Tribal, and territorial 

9 disaster relief, public health, and social service agen10 cies and stakeholder groups, in order to ensure that, 

11 in carrying out disaster management planning and 

12 programs, the agencies and groups address the in13 clusion, civil rights, and needs of covered individuals 

14 by— 

15 (A) hiring personnel with direct knowledge 

16 of and experience with meeting the civil rights 

17 of covered individuals to be free from discrimi18 nation on the basis of disability or age in pro19 grams and activities; 

20 (B) training staff of State, local, Tribal, 

21 and territorial disaster relief, public health, and 

22 social service agencies on the needs and civil 

23 right of covered individuals, preferably through 

24 training by experts who are, collectively, indi25 viduals with disabilities and older adults; 


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1 (C) creating partnerships between eligible 

2 entities, State, local, Tribal, and territorial dis3 aster relief, public health, and social service 

4 agencies, centers for independent living, 

5 VOADs, and other nongovernmental organiza6 tions, including organizations that represent 

7 and are comprised of covered individuals; 

8 (D) assisting in the development and im9 plementation, in partnership with State, local, 

10 Tribal, and territorial disaster relief, public 

11 health, and social service agencies, of plans that 

12 will provide for a continuum of services to re13 move barriers to full engagement for covered in14 dividuals during a disaster and in preparedness 

15 (including planning) for, response to, recovery 

16 from, and mitigation of a disaster; 

17 (E) assisting in the creation of standards 

18 and identification of funding sources for re19 building disaster-damaged housing and new 

20 housing that is accessible, affordable, and dis21 aster-resilient; 

22 (F) assisting in the creation of standards 

23 for homeowner and flood insurance coverage for 

24 rebuilding disaster-damaged housing and new 


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1 housing that is accessible, affordable, and dis2 aster-resilient; 

3 (G) establishing universal design and ac4 cessibility standards, and establishing specifica5 tions for visitability (based on the visitability 

6 standards), for achieving and maintaining equal 

7 access for covered individuals throughout all 

8 hazard mitigation and disaster resilience activi9 ties; 

10 (H) establishing initiatives to increase new 

11 and transferred technology and innovations to 

12 solve notification, evacuation, health mainte13 nance, and other barriers for covered individ14 uals before, during, and after disasters; and 

15 (I) conducting research, in partnership 

16 with covered individuals, that will contribute to 

17 knowledge and strategies to— 

18 (i) decrease injuries, deaths, and harm 

19 to covered individuals; 

20 (ii) create inclusive disaster prepared21 ness, recovery, response, and mitigation 

22 strategies for State, local, Tribal, and ter23 ritorial agencies, centers for independent 

24 living, VOADs, and other nongovernmental 

25 organizations, including organizations that 


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1 represent and are comprised of covered in2 dividuals; 

3 (iii) preserve community living options 

4 and access to needed services and supports 

5 for covered individuals during post-disaster 

6 periods; and 

7 (iv) conduct longitudinal studies that 

8 create and maintain datasets to assist in 

9 the understanding of Federal, State, local, 

10 Tribal, and territorial policies designed to 

11 reduce the negative impact of disasters on 

12 covered individuals and protect the civil 

13 right of covered individuals to be free from 

14 discrimination on the basis of disability or 

15 age in programs and activities. 

16 (3) STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES.—The Sec17 retary shall establish standards and guidelines for 

18 activities supported by a grant under this section. 

19 Such standards and guidelines shall be developed 

20 with the input of stakeholder groups. In a situation 

21 in which a refinement or adaptation of the standards 

22 or guidelines is made necessary by a local cir23 cumstance, the Secretary shall enter into negotia24 tions with an eligible entity applying for such a 


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1 grant for a project in the affected area, to refine or 

2 adapt the standards and guidelines for the project. 

3 (h) INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS.—Notwithstanding any 

4 other provision of this section, no entity, agency, or group 

5 assisted under this section shall take any action that in6 fringes in any manner on the civil right of covered individ7 uals to be free from discrimination on the basis of dis8 ability or age in programs and activities. 

9 (i) REPORTS.—Not later than January 31 of fiscal 

10 years 2024 and 2026, the Secretary shall submit to Con11 gress a report describing the activities carried out under 

12 this section during the preceding 2 fiscal years. 

13 (j) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

14 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

15 $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026. 

16 SEC. 7. PROJECTS OF NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE. 

17 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

18 (1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti19 ty’’ means an entity or partnership of entities that— 

20 (A) submits an application to the Sec21 retary at such time, in such manner, and con22 taining such information as the Secretary may 

23 reasonably require; 

24 (B) is or includes an institution (which 

25 may be an institution of higher education), or 


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1 a nongovernmental organization, that focuses 

2 on— 

3 (i) serving the needs of individuals 

4 with disabilities; or 

5 (ii) serving the needs of older adults; 

6 (C) in the case of an entity or partnership 

7 with a disability focus, has a cross-disability 

8 service focus; 

9 (D) has experience in conducting training, 

10 technical assistance, and research pertaining to 

11 consumer-directed community support services 

12 for covered individuals; 

13 (E) includes covered individuals in posi14 tions of leadership in the planning, manage15 ment, and operation of the programs of train16 ing, technical assistance, and research; 

17 (F) has knowledge and experience per18 taining to the implementation and enhancement 

19 of systemic and effective engagement policies, 

20 programs, and activities that promote the inclu21 sion, needs, and civil right of covered individ22 uals in preparation for, response to, recovery 

23 from, and mitigation of disasters; and 


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1 (G) has, or will establish, an advisory 

2 council or similar entity, of which at least half 

3 of the members are covered individuals. 

4 (2) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

5 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

6 meaning given the term in section 6(b). 

7 (b) GRANTS, CONTRACTS, AND COOPERATIVE

8 AGREEMENTS.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award 

10 grants to, or enter into contracts or cooperative 

11 agreements with, eligible entities on a competitive 

12 basis to carry out projects of national significance 

13 that— 

14 (A) create opportunities for individuals 

15 with disabilities and older adults to directly con16 tribute to improving preparation for, recovery 

17 from, response to, and mitigation of disasters; 

18 (B) support the development of State, 

19 local, Tribal, and territorial policies that rein20 force and promote the inclusion of individuals 

21 with disabilities and older adults in Federal, 

22 State, local, Tribal, and territorial community 

23 preparation for disasters; and 

24 (C) support research that— 


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1 (i) tracks, in the short-term and long2 term, the effects of disasters on individuals 

3 with disabilities and older adults; 

4 (ii) identifies evidence-based practices 

5 that enhance inclusion of individuals with 

6 disabilities and older adults to participate 

7 in and lead preparation for disasters at 

8 Federal, State, local, Tribal, and territorial 

9 levels; 

10 (iii) leads to the creation of strategies 

11 and procedures to implement community 

12 level practices that decrease deaths, inju13 ries, and harm resulting from disasters to 

14 individuals with disabilities and older 

15 adults; 

16 (iv) contributes to the protection of 

17 the civil right of covered individuals with 

18 disabilities and older adults to be free from 

19 discrimination on the basis of disability or 

20 age in programs and activities, and self-de21 termination of those individuals and 

22 adults, while also promoting their safety 

23 and well-being during and following disas24 ters; 


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1 (v) contributes to the development of 

2 Federal, State, local, Tribal, and territorial 

3 policies that enhance collaboration among 

4 governmental entities, centers for inde5 pendent living, VOADs, and other non6 governmental organizations, including or7 ganizations that represent and are com8 prised of covered individuals, to improve 

9 the inclusion of covered individuals in 

10 preparation for, response to, recovery from, 

11 and mitigation of disasters; and 

12 (vi) contributes to other efforts, as de13 termined by the Secretary, to advance the 

14 purposes of this section. 

15 (2) AMOUNT, QUANTITY, AND DURATION.—In 

16 awarding grants or entering into contracts or coop17 erative agreements under this section, the Secretary 

18 shall— 

19 (A) to the extent practicable, ensure that 

20 each such grant, contract, or cooperative agree21 ment is for an amount that is not less than 

22 $1,000,000 and not more than $3,000,000; 

23 (B) award or enter into not less than 4 

24 grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements; 

25 and 


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1 (C) ensure that each such grant, contract, 

2 or cooperative agreement is for a period of not 

3 less than 3 years and not more than 5 years. 

4 SEC. 8. NATIONAL COMMISSION ON DISABILITY RIGHTS 

5 AND DISASTERS. 

6 Section 2811C of the Public Health Service Act (42 

7 U.S.C. 300hh–10d) is amended— 

8 (1) in subsection (c)— 

9 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘17 

10 members’’ and inserting ‘‘44 members’’; 

11 (B) in paragraph (2), by adding at the end 

12 the following: 

13 ‘‘(N) 11 members, representing the dis14 ability community and reflecting the diverse 

15 characteristics of its members, who shall— 

16 ‘‘(i) represent individuals with disabil17 ities with a wide variety of disaster experi18 ences, including cross-disability representa19 tion; 

20 ‘‘(ii) be geographically diverse; 

21 ‘‘(iii) be ethnically and racially di22 verse; 

23 ‘‘(iv) be of diverse ages, and include 

24 older adults; 


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1 ‘‘(v) represent both genders, and in2 clude members that represent a variety of 

3 sexual orientations and gender identities; 

4 ‘‘(vi) include veterans; and 

5 ‘‘(vii) be linguistically diverse; 

6 ‘‘(O) 1 representative from each of— 

7 ‘‘(i) a coastal State emergency man8 agement agency with an employee in a po9 sition with established duties relating to in10 tegration of individuals with disabilities or 

11 to addressing access and functional needs; 

12 ‘‘(ii) a noncoastal State emergency 

13 management agency with an employee in a 

14 position described in clause (i); 

15 ‘‘(iii) a Tribal emergency management 

16 agency with an employee in a position de17 scribed in clause (i); 

18 ‘‘(iv) a territorial emergency manage19 ment agency with an employee in a posi20 tion described in clause (i); 

21 ‘‘(v) a nongovernmental organization 

22 providing disaster preparedness and re23 sponse services; 

24 ‘‘(vi) a local urban disaster manage25 ment entity, which representative has disVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:56 Aug 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00038 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2658.IS S2658

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1 ability inclusive emergency management 

2 experience; 

3 ‘‘(vii) a local rural disaster manage4 ment entity, which representative has dis5 ability inclusive emergency management 

6 experience; 

7 ‘‘(viii) a local disability organization 

8 with a cross-disability focus; 

9 ‘‘(ix) a State disability organization 

10 with a cross-disability focus; 

11 ‘‘(x) a national disability organization 

12 with a cross-disability focus; 

13 ‘‘(xi) a national older adults organiza14 tion; 

15 ‘‘(xii) the Council of the Inspectors 

16 General on Integrity and Efficiency; 

17 ‘‘(xiii) a low-income housing organiza18 tion, who has expertise in the civil rights 

19 of disaster-affected covered individuals; 

20 and 

21 ‘‘(xiv) a representative of a legal serv22 ices agency with expertise in the civil 

23 rights of disaster-affected covered individ24 uals; 

25 ‘‘(P) the Secretary of Transportation; 


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1 ‘‘(Q) the Director of Disability Policy for 

2 the Domestic Policy Council.’’; and 

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

4 ‘‘(3) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the terms 

5 ‘access and functional needs’, ‘civil rights’, ‘covered 

6 individual’, ‘disability inclusive emergency manage7 ment experience’, ‘disaster’, ‘individuals with disabil8 ities’, ‘older adult’, and ‘State’ have the meanings 

9 given the terms in section 4 of the REAADI for Dis10 asters Act.’’; 

11 (2) by redesignating subsection (g) as sub12 section (h); 

13 (3) by inserting after subsection (f) the fol14 lowing: 

15 ‘‘(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

16 is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

17 $500,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2025.’’; 

18 and 

19 (4) in subsection (h), as so redesignated— 

20 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘on Sep21 tember 30, 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘3 years after 

22 the date of enactment of the REAADI for Dis23 asters Act’’; and 

24 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘October 

25 1, 2022’’ and inserting ‘‘2 years after the date 


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1 of enactment of the REAADI for Disasters 

2 Act’’. 

3 SEC. 9. REVIEW OF SETTLEMENT AGREEMENTS RELATED 

4 TO DISASTERS AND INDIVIDUALS WITH DIS5 ABILITIES AND OLDER ADULTS. 

6 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

7 (1) CHIEF OF THE DISABILITY RIGHTS SEC8 TION.—The term ‘‘Chief of the Disability Rights 

9 Section’’ means the Chief of the Disability Rights 

10 Section of the Civil Rights Division of the Depart11 ment of Justice. 

12 (2) COMMITTEE.—The term ‘‘Committee’’ 

13 means the Disability and Disaster Preparedness Ad14 visory Committee established under subsection (b). 

15 (3) COVERED COMMITTEE OF CONGRESS.—The 

16 term ‘‘covered committee of Congress’’ means— 

17 (A) the Committee on Health, Education, 

18 Labor, and Pensions and the Committee on 

19 Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 

20 of the Senate; and 

21 (B) the Committee on Transportation and 

22 Infrastructure, the Committee on Education 

23 and Labor, and the Committee on Energy and 

24 Commerce of the House of Representatives. 


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1 (4) COVERED SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT.—The 

2 term ‘‘covered settlement agreement’’ means a set3 tlement agreement— 

4 (A) entered into by the United States dur5 ing the period beginning on January 1, 2005, 

6 and ending on the first December 31 after the 

7 date of enactment of this Act; and 

8 (B) that relates to a potential violation of 

9 the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 701 

10 et seq.) or the Americans with Disabilities Act 

11 of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.) in connec12 tion with the preparation for, response to, re13 covery from, or mitigation of a disaster. 

14 (b) ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMITTEE.—There is es15 tablished an advisory committee, to be known as the ‘‘Dis16 ability and Disaster Preparedness Advisory Committee’’ to 

17 review covered settlement agreements. 

18 (c) MEMBERSHIP.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after 

20 the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney Gen21 eral shall appoint the members of the Committee, 

22 which shall include— 

23 (A) employees of the Department of Jus24 tice; and 


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1 (B) not less than 3 disability rights advo2 cates who— 

3 (i) are not employees of the Federal 

4 Government; 

5 (ii) are individuals with disabilities; 

6 and 

7 (iii) have disability inclusive emer8 gency management experience. 

9 (2) PERIOD OF APPOINTMENT; VACANCIES.— 

10 (A) IN GENERAL.—A member of the Com11 mittee shall be appointed for the life of the 

12 Committee. 

13 (B) VACANCIES.—Any vacancy in the 

14 Committee— 

15 (i) shall not affect the powers of the 

16 Committee; and 

17 (ii) shall be filled in the same manner 

18 as the original appointment. 

19 (3) CHAIRPERSON AND VICE CHAIRPERSON.— 

20 The members of the Committee shall elect a Chair21 person and a Vice Chairperson from among the 

22 members, not less than 1 of whom shall be a mem23 ber appointed under paragraph (1)(B). 

24 (4) MEETINGS.— 


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1 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Committee shall 

2 meet at the call of the Chairperson. 

3 (B) QUORUM.—A majority of the members 

4 of the Committee shall constitute a quorum, but 

5 a lesser number of members may hold hearings. 

6 (d) DUTIES.—The Committee shall— 

7 (1) conduct a review of each covered settlement 

8 agreement; 

9 (2) review annual reports and recommendations 

10 provided to each covered committee of Congress re11 lating to addressing the needs of covered individuals 

12 in the preparation for, response to, recovery from, or 

13 mitigation of a disaster; 

14 (3) not later than 1 year after the date of en15 actment of this Act, submit a report containing the 

16 findings and recommendations of the Committee 

17 to— 

18 (A) each covered committee of Congress; 

19 (B) any other entity of Congress with ju20 risdiction over matters relating to addressing 

21 the needs of covered individuals in the prepara22 tion for, response to, recovery from, or mitiga23 tion of a disaster; 

24 (C) the Attorney General; 

25 (D) the Secretary of Education; 


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1 (E) the Secretary of Homeland Security; 

2 (F) the Secretary of Health and Human 

3 Services; 

4 (G) the Secretary of Transportation; and 

5 (H) the President, through the Director of 

6 Disability Policy for the Domestic Policy Coun7 cil; and 

8 (4) provide the comments and recommendations 

9 described in section 10(b)(2). 

10 (e) POWERS OF COMMITTEE.— 

11 (1) HEARINGS.—The Committee may hold such 

12 hearings, sit and act at such times and places, take 

13 such testimony, and receive such evidence as the 

14 Committee considers advisable to carry out this sec15 tion. 

16 (2) INFORMATION FROM FEDERAL AGENCIES.— 

17 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Committee may 

18 secure directly from any Federal department or 

19 agency such information as the Committee con20 siders necessary to carry out this section. 

21 (B) FURNISHING INFORMATION.—On re22 quest of the Chairperson of the Committee, the 

23 head of the department or agency shall furnish 

24 the information to the Committee. 


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1 (C) DISABILITY RIGHTS SECTION.—The 

2 Chief of the Disability Rights Section shall sub3 mit to the Committee a report on the oversight 

4 of covered settlement agreements a sufficient 

5 period of time before the date specified in sub6 section (d)(3) to allow the Committee to review 

7 the report and include the report of the Chief 

8 of the Disability Rights Section in the report of 

9 the Committee under subsection (d)(3). 

10 (3) POSTAL SERVICES.—The Committee may 

11 use the United States mails in the same manner and 

12 under the same conditions as other departments and 

13 agencies of the Federal Government. 

14 (f) COMMITTEE PERSONNEL MATTERS.— 

15 (1) COMPENSATION OF MEMBERS.— 

16 (A) IN GENERAL.—A member of the Com17 mittee who is not an officer or employee of the 

18 Federal Government shall be compensated at a 

19 rate equal to the daily equivalent of the annual 

20 rate of basic pay prescribed for level IV of the 

21 Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 

22 5, United States Code, for each day (including 

23 travel time) during which the member is en24 gaged in the performance of the duties of the 

25 Committee. 


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1 (B) FEDERAL MEMBERS.—A member of 

2 the Committee who is an officer or employee of 

3 the United States shall serve without compensa4 tion in addition to that received for service as 

5 an officer or employee of the United States. 

6 (2) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—A member of the 

7 Committee shall be allowed travel expenses, includ8 ing per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates author9 ized for employees of agencies under subchapter I of 

10 chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code, while 

11 away from their home or regular places of business 

12 in the performance of services for the Committee. 

13 (3) STAFF.— 

14 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Chairperson of the 

15 Committee may, without regard to the civil 

16 service laws (including regulations), appoint 

17 and terminate an executive director and such 

18 other additional personnel as may be necessary 

19 to enable the Committee to perform the duties 

20 of the Committee, except that the employment 

21 of an executive director shall be subject to con22 firmation by the Committee. 

23 (B) COMPENSATION.—The Chairperson of 

24 the Committee may fix the compensation of the 

25 executive director and other personnel without 


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1 regard to chapter 51 and subchapter III of 

2 chapter 53 of title 5, United States Code, relat3 ing to classification of positions and General 

4 Schedule pay rates, except that the rate of pay 

5 for the executive director and other personnel 

6 may not exceed the rate payable for level V of 

7 the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of 

8 that title. 

9 (4) DETAIL OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES.— 

10 Any Federal Government employee may be detailed 

11 to the Committee without reimbursement, and such 

12 detail shall be without interruption or loss of civil 

13 service status or privilege. 

14 (5) PROCUREMENT OF TEMPORARY AND INTER15 MITTENT SERVICES.—The Chairperson of the Com16 mittee may procure temporary and intermittent serv17 ices under section 3109(b) of title 5, United States 

18 Code, at rates for individuals which do not exceed 

19 the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay 

20 prescribed for level V of the Executive Schedule 

21 under section 5316 of that title. 

22 (g) TERMINATION OF COMMITTEE.—The Committee 

23 shall terminate 90 days after the date on which the Com24 mittee submits the report required under subsection 

25 (d)(3). 


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1 (h) REPORTS BY DISABILITY RIGHTS SECTION.—On 

2 and after the date on which the Committee submits the 

3 report required under subsection (d)(3), the Chief of the 

4 Disability Rights Section shall publish an annual report 

5 on the oversight of settlement agreements relating to dis6 aster preparation, response, recovery, and mitigation ac7 tivities. 

8 SEC. 10. GAO REPORT ON PAST USE OF DISASTER FUNDS. 

9 (a) INVESTIGATION.—Not later than 60 days after 

10 the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 

11 of the United States shall begin to conduct an investiga12 tion of whether, on or after January 1, 2005, Federal 

13 agencies have complied with the Americans with Disabil14 ities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.), and the Reha15 bilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 701 et seq.), in expend16 ing Federal funds to prepare for, respond to, recover from, 

17 or mitigate disasters, including whether and, if so, how 

18 such funds were used to ensure accessibility to services 

19 and supports for individuals with disabilities and older 

20 adults. 

21 (b) REPORT.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

23 the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller 

24 General shall, in accordance with paragraph (2), 

25 issue a report on the investigation conducted under 


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1 subsection (a), along with recommendations for re2 mediation of any misexpenditures identified. 

3 (2) REVIEW.— 

4 (A) IN GENERAL.—Prior to issuing the re5 port under paragraph (1), the Comptroller Gen6 eral shall obtain comments and recommenda7 tions on a draft version of the report, including 

8 the recommendations described in subparagraph 

9 (B), from the National Advisory Committee on 

10 Individuals with Disabilities and Disasters es11 tablished under section 2811C of the Public 

12 Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300hh–10d) and 

13 the Disability and Disaster Preparedness Advi14 sory Committee established under section 9(b) 

15 (referred to in this paragraph as the ‘‘Commit16 tees’’), and any other agency determined appro17 priate by the Secretary. 

18 (B) COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS ON

19 ADDITIONAL SOURCES.—The recommendations 

20 obtained under subparagraph (A) shall include 

21 recommendations from the Committees regard22 ing additional sources the Comptroller General 

23 may interview for purposes of the investigation 

24 under subsection (a). 

Æ 


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