II 

★(Star Print)

Calendar No. 482 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3092 

[Report No. 117–144] 

To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 

Act to improve the provision of certain disaster assistance, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

OCTOBER 27, 2021 

Mr. PADILLA (for himself, Mr. WYDEN, Mr. MERKLEY, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mrs. 

MURRAY, Ms. ROSEN, Mr. HEINRICH, and Mr. LUJA ́N) introduced the 

following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 

SEPTEMBER 12, 2022 

Reported by Mr. CARPER (for Mr. PETERS), with an amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

A BILL 

To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to improve the provision of certain 

disaster assistance, 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘FEMA Improvement, 

3 Reform, and Efficiency Act of 2021’’ or the ‘‘FIRE Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

5 In this Act— 

6 (1) the term ‘‘Administrator’’ means the Ad7 ministrator of the Agency; 

8 (2) the term ‘‘Agency’’ means the Federal 

9 Emergency Management Agency; 

10 (3) the term ‘‘emergency’’ means an emergency 

11 declared or determined to exist by the President 

12 under section 501 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 

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

14 5191); 

15 (4) the terms ‘‘Indian tribal government’’, 

16 ‘‘local government’’, and ‘‘State’’ have the meanings 

17 given such terms in section 102 of the Robert T. 

18 Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 

19 Act (42 U.S.C. 5122); and 

20 (5) the term ‘‘major disaster’’ means a major 

21 disaster declared by the President under section 401 

22 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emer23 gency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170). 

24 SEC. 3. AUTHORITY FOR RELOCATION PROJECTS. 

25 (a) ELIGIBILITY FOR ASSISTANCE.—An eligible ap26 plicant seeking public mitigation assistance under section 


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1 406 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emer2 gency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5172) or section 1366 

3 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 

4 4104c) may be eligible to receive such assistance for the 

5 relocation of an eligible structure if the entity— 

6 (1) demonstrates that— 

7 (A) the structure is at risk from future 

8 damage, based on the most recently conducted 

9 hazard map or State or local expert risk assess10 ment, regardless of whether the risk is of repet11 itive or heavy damage; 

12 (B) the overall relocation project reduces 

13 the risk to the structure and is cost effective; 

14 and 

15 (C) the overall relocation project does not 

16 increase risk to adjacent structures; 

17 (2) complies with all other eligibility require18 ments for relocation projects; and 

19 (3) complies with Federal requirements for the 

20 project. 

21 (b) APPLICABILITY.—Subsection (a) shall apply to a 

22 major disaster declared by the President on or after the 

23 date of enactment of this Act. 


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1 SEC. 4. RED FLAG WARNINGS AND PREDISASTER ACTIONS. 

2 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

3 of this Act, the Administrator, in coordination with the 

4 National Weather Service of the National Oceanic and At5 mospheric Administration, shall— 

6 (1) conduct a study of, develop recommenda7 tions for, and initiate a process for the use of Red 

8 Flag Warnings and similar weather alert and notifi9 cation methods, including the use of emerging tech10 nologies, to establish— 

11 (A) plans and actions, consistent with law, 

12 that can be implemented prior to a wildfire 

13 event, including pre-impact disaster declara14 tions and surge operations, that can limit the 

15 impact, duration, or severity of the fire; and 

16 (B) mechanisms to increase interagency 

17 collaboration to expedite the delivery of disaster 

18 assistance; and 

19 (2) submit to the Committee on Homeland Se20 curity and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and 

21 the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

22 of the House of Representatives a comprehensive re23 port regarding the study described in paragraph (1), 

24 including any recommendations of the Adminis25 trator, and the activities of the Administrator to 

26 carry out paragraph (1). 


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1 SEC. 5. ASSISTANCE FOR WILDFIRE DAMAGE. 

2 Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 

3 of this Act, the Administrator shall brief the Committee 

4 on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the 

5 Senate regarding— 

6 (1) the application for assistance and consist7 ency of assistance provided by the Agency in re8 sponse to wildfires; and 

9 (2) the kinds of damage that result from 

10 wildfires. 

11 SEC. 6. GAO REPORT ON GAPS. 

12 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

13 of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 

14 shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security and 

15 Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee 

16 on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 

17 Representatives a report that examines— 

18 (1) gaps in the policies of the Agency related to 

19 wildfires, when compared to other hazards; 

20 (2) disparities in regulations and guidance 

21 issued by the Administrator, including any oversight 

22 of the programs of the Agency, when addressing im23 pacts of wildfires and other hazards; 

24 (3) ways to shorten the period of time between 

25 the initiating of and the distribution of assistance, 

26 reimbursements, and grants; 


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1 (4) the effectiveness of the programs of the 

2 Agency in addressing wildfire hazards; 

3 (5) ways to improve the ability of the Agency 

4 to assist States, local governments, and Indian tribal 

5 governments to prepare for, respond to, recover 

6 from, and mitigate against wildfire hazards; 

7 (6) revising the application process for assist8 ance relating to wildfires to more effectively assess 

9 uninsured and underinsured losses and serious 

10 needs; and 

11 (7) with respect to the community development 

12 block grant disaster recovery and mitigation pro13 grams authorized under title I of the Housing and 

14 Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 

15 5301 et seq.)— 

16 (A) establishing clear triggers for the ap17 propriation of funds related to those programs 

18 based on the declaration of a major disaster 

19 that reaches identified thresholds; and 

20 (B) amending title I of the Housing and 

21 Community Development Act of 1974 (42 

22 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.) to permanently establish 

23 the requirements for those programs and allow 

24 for the development of pre-disaster action plans. 


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1 SEC. 7. CRISIS COUNSELING CULTURAL COMPETENCY. 

2 Section 416 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 

3 and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5183) is 

4 amended— 

5 (1) by striking ‘‘The President’’ and inserting 

6 the following: 

7 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The President’’; and 

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

9 ‘‘(b) CULTURAL COMPETENCY.—The President shall, 

10 in consultation with affected States, local governments, 

11 and Indian tribal governments and cultural experts, en12 sure that any individual providing professional counseling 

13 services to victims of a major disaster as authorized under 

14 subsection (a), including those working for nonprofit part15 ners and recovery organizations, is appropriately trained 

16 to address— 

17 ‘‘(1) cultural competency and respectful care 

18 practices; and 

19 ‘‘(2) impacts from major disasters in commu20 nities, and to individuals, with socio-economically 

21 disadvantaged backgrounds.’’. 

22 SEC. 8. CASE MANAGEMENT CULTURAL COMPETENCY. 

23 Section 426 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 

24 and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5189d) is 

25 amended— 


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1 (1) by striking ‘‘The President’’ and inserting 

2 the following: 

3 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The President’’; and 

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

5 ‘‘(b) CULTURAL COMPETENCY.—The President shall, 

6 in consultation with affected States, local governments, 

7 and Indian tribal governments and cultural experts, en8 sure that any individual providing case management serv9 ices to victims of a major disaster as authorized under 

10 subsection (a), including those working for nonprofit part11 ners and recovery organizations, is appropriately trained 

12 to address— 

13 ‘‘(1) cultural competency and respectful care 

14 practices; and 

15 ‘‘(2) impacts from major disasters in commu16 nities, and to individuals, with socio-economically 

17 disadvantaged backgrounds.’’. 

18 SEC. 9. STUDY AND PLAN FOR DISASTER HOUSING ASSIST19 ANCE. 

20 (a) STUDY.—Not later than 180 days after the date 

21 of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall— 

22 (1) conduct a study and develop a plan, con23 sistent with law, under which the Agency will ad24 dress providing housing assistance to survivors of 


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1 major disasters or emergencies when presented with 

2 challenges such as— 

3 (A) the lack of proof of ownership or own4 ership documentation; 

5 (B) the presence of multiple families with6 in a single household; and 

7 (C) the near loss of a community, with the 

8 majority of homes destroyed in that community, 

9 including as a result of a wildfire, earthquake, 

10 or other event causing a major disaster; and 

11 (2) make recommendations for legislative 

12 changes needed to address— 

13 (A) the unmet needs of survivors of major 

14 disasters or emergencies who are unable to doc15 ument or prove ownership of the household; 

16 (B) the presence of multiple families with17 in a single household; and 

18 (C) the near loss of a community, with the 

19 majority of homes destroyed in that community, 

20 including as a result of a wildfire, earthquake, 

21 or other event causing a major disaster. 

22 (b) COMPREHENSIVE REPORT.—The Administrator 

23 shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security and 

24 Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee 

25 on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 


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1 Representatives a report that provides a detailed discus2 sion of the plans developed under subsection (a)(1) and 

3 the recommendations of the Administrator under sub4 section (a)(2). 

5 (c) BRIEFING.—Not later than 30 days after submis6 sion of the report and recommendations under subsection 

7 (b), the Administrator shall brief the committees described 

8 in subsection (b) on the findings and any recommenda9 tions made pursuant to this section. 

10 SEC. 10. REIMBURSEMENT. 

11 Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 

12 of this Act, the Administrator shall brief the Committee 

13 on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the 

14 Senate regarding the extent to which the Agency is using 

15 housing solutions proposed by a State or local government 

16 to reduce the time or cost required to implement housing 

17 solutions after a major disaster. 

18 SEC. 11. WILDFIRE INSURANCE STUDY BY THE NATIONAL 

19 ACADEMIES. 

20 (a) STUDY.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

22 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Adminis23 trator shall seek to enter into an agreement with the 

24 National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study 

25 of— 


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1 (A) potential solutions to address the avail2 ability and affordability of insurance for wild3 fire perils in all regions of the United States, 

4 including consideration of a national all natural 

5 hazards insurance program; 

6 (B) the ability of States, communities, and 

7 individuals to mitigate wildfire risks, including 

8 the affordability and feasibility of such mitiga9 tion activities; 

10 (C) the current and potential future effects 

11 of land use policies and building codes on the 

12 potential solutions; 

13 (D) the reasons why many properties at 

14 risk of wildfire lack insurance coverage; 

15 (E) the role of insurers in providing incen16 tives for wildfire risk mitigation efforts; 

17 (F) the state of catastrophic insurance and 

18 reinsurance markets and the approaches in pro19 viding insurance protection to different sectors 

20 of the population of the United States; 

21 (G) the role of the Federal Government 

22 and State and local governments in providing 

23 incentives for feasible wildfire risk mitigation 

24 efforts and the cost of providing assistance in 

25 the absence of insurance; 


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1 (H) the state of modeling and mapping 

2 wildfire risk and solutions for accurately and 

3 adequately identifying future wildfire risk; 

4 (I) approaches to insuring wildfire risk in 

5 the United States; and 

6 (J) such other issues that may be nec7 essary or appropriate for the report. 

8 (2) CONSULTATION.—The agreement to con9 duct the study described in subsection (a), shall re10 quire that, in conducting the study, the National 

11 Academy of Sciences shall consult with State insur12 ance regulators, consumer organizations, representa13 tives of the insurance and reinsurance industry, pol14 icyholders, and other organizations and experts, as 

15 appropriate. 

16 (b) SUBMISSION.—Not later than 2 years after the 

17 date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall sub18 mit to Congress the results of the study commissioned 

19 under subsection (a). 

20 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

21 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are nec22 essary to carry out this section. 


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1 SEC. 12. INCREASED CAP FOR EMERGENCY DECLARATIONS 

2 BASED ON REGIONAL COST OF LIVING. 

3 Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 

4 of this Act, the Administrator shall brief the Committee 

5 on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the 

6 Senate regarding the benefits and drawbacks of estab7 lishing a maximum amount for assistance provided for an 

8 emergency that is based on the cost of living in the region 

9 in which the emergency occurs. 

10 SEC. 13. FACILITATING DISPOSAL OF TEMPORARY TRANS11 PORTABLE HOUSING UNITS TO SURVIVORS. 

12 Section 408(d)(2)(B)(i) of the Robert T. Stafford 

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

14 5174(d)(2)(B)(i)) is amended by inserting ‘‘, with priority 

15 given to a survivor of a major disaster who suffered a 

16 property loss as a result of the major disaster’’ after ‘‘any 

17 person’’. 

18 SEC. 14. DEADLINE ON CODE ENFORCEMENT AND FLOOD19 PLAIN MANAGEMENT COST ELIGIBILITY. 

20 Section 406(a)(2)(D) of the Robert T. Stafford Dis21 aster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 

22 5172(a)(2)(D)) is amended— 

23 (1) by striking ‘‘period of not more than 180 

24 days’’ and all that follows and inserting the fol25 lowing: ‘‘period of— 


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1 ‘‘(i) except as provided in clause (ii), 

2 not more than 1 year after the major dis3 aster is declared; or 

4 ‘‘(ii) for flooding and other natural 

5 catastrophes, including a major disaster 

6 declared in relation to a fire or earthquake, 

7 not more than 1 year after the date on 

8 which incident occurs or the major disaster 

9 is declared.’’. 

10 SEC. 15. PERMIT APPLICATIONS FOR TRIBAL UPGRADES TO 

11 EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTERS. 

12 Section 614(a) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Re13 lief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5196c(a)) 

14 is amended by inserting ‘‘and Indian tribal governments’’ 

15 after ‘‘grants to States’’. 

16 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

17 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘FEMA Improvement, 

18 Reform, and Efficiency Act of 2022’’ or the ‘‘FIRE Act’’. 

19 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

20 In this Act— 

21 (1) the term ‘‘Administrator’’ means the Admin22 istrator of the Agency; 

23 (2) the term ‘‘Agency’’ means the Federal Emer24 gency Management Agency; 


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1 (3) the term ‘‘appropriate committees of Con2 gress’’ means— 

3 (A) the Committee on Homeland Security 

4 and Governmental Affairs and the Committee on 

5 Appropriations of the Senate; and 

6 (B) the Committee on Transportation and 

7 Infrastructure and the Committee on Appropria8 tions of the House of Representatives; 

9 (4) the term ‘‘emergency’’ means an emergency 

10 declared or determined to exist by the President under 

11 section 501 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 

12 and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5191); 

13 (5) the terms ‘‘Indian tribal government’’, ‘‘local 

14 government’’, and ‘‘State’’ have the meanings given 

15 such terms in section 102 of the Robert T. Stafford 

16 Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 

17 U.S.C. 5122); and 

18 (6) the term ‘‘major disaster’’ means a major 

19 disaster declared by the President under section 401 

20 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emer21 gency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170). 

22 SEC. 3. REPORT ON RELOCATION ASSISTANCE. 

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

24 date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall sub25 mit a report regarding the use of relocation assistance 


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1 under sections 203, 404, and 406 of the Robert T. Stafford 

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

3 5133, 5170c, 5172) for wildfire risk to the appropriate com4 mittees of Congress. 

5 (b) CONTENTS.—The report submitted under sub6 section (a) shall include the following: 

7 (1) Any information on relocation projects that 

8 have been carried out due to fire risks or denied by 

9 the Agency, including the number and value of 

10 projects either carried out or denied. 

11 (2) A discussion of the possible benefits or dis12 advantages of providing relocation assistance that 

13 may reduce, but not eliminate, the risk of loss due to 

14 wildfires. 

15 (3) A discussion of how the Agency may optimize 

16 relocation assistance when entire States or geographic 

17 areas are considered subject to a fire risk. 

18 (4) An analysis of whether other mitigation 

19 measures are more cost-effective than relocation assist20 ance when the applicant is applying to move from a 

21 high-risk to a medium-risk or low-risk area with re22 spect to wildfires. 

23 (5) An analysis of the need for the Federal Gov24 ernment to produce wildfire maps that identify high25 risk, moderate-risk, and low-risk wildfire zones. 


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1 (6) An analysis of whether other mitigation 

2 measures promote greater resilience to wildfires when 

3 compared to relocation or, if additional data is re4 quired in order to carry out such an analysis, a dis5 cussion of the additional data required. 

6 (7) A discussion of the ability of States, local 

7 governments, and Indian tribal governments to dem8 onstrate fire risk, and whether the level of this ability 

9 impacts the ability of States, local governments, or 

10 Indian tribal governments to access relocation assist11 ance, including an assessment of existing fire map12 ping products and capabilities and recommendations 

13 on redressing any gaps in the ability of the Agency 

14 to assist States, local governments, and Indian tribal 

15 governments in demonstrating fire risk. 

16 (8) An evaluation of— 

17 (A) the scope of the data available to the 

18 Agency regarding historical wildfire losses; 

19 (B) how such data is utilized in benefit-cost 

20 analysis determinations by the Agency; 

21 (C) what additional data, if any, may be 

22 pertinent to such determinations; and 

23 (D) what, if any, alternative methods may 

24 be relevant to the determination of cost effective25 ness. 


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1 (9) A discussion of the extent to which the deci2 sion process for relocation assistance appropriately 

3 considers the change in future risks for wildfires due 

4 to a changing climate. 

5 (10) An analysis of whether statutes and regula6 tions regarding relocation assistance by the Agency 

7 present barriers for States, local governments, or In8 dian tribal governments trying to access funding to 

9 reduce wildfire risk. 

10 (11) An analysis of— 

11 (A) how, if at all, the Agency has modified 

12 policies and procedures to determine the eligi13 bility of proposed relocation or mitigation 

14 projects with respect to wildfires; 

15 (B) the cost effectiveness of such projects, in 

16 light of the increasing losses and obligations for 

17 wildfires in recent years; and 

18 (C) the effectiveness of any modifications 

19 described in subparagraph (A). 

20 (12) An analysis of how, if at all, recent changes 

21 in the availability of fire insurance has resulted in 

22 modifications of policy or procedure with respect to 

23 determining the cost efficacy of relocation assistance 

24 for wildfires. 


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1 (13) An analysis of how to define repetitive loss 

2 and repetitively damaged properties in the context of 

3 wildfires. 

4 (14) A discussion of whether any legislative, reg5 ulatory, or policy changes are necessary for the Agen6 cy to better implement relocation assistance to reduce 

7 risk from wildfires. 

8 (15) Other related issues that the Administrator 

9 determines appropriate. 

10 SEC. 4. RED FLAG WARNINGS AND PREDISASTER ACTIONS. 

11 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 

12 this Act, the Administrator, in coordination with the Na13 tional Weather Service of the National Oceanic and Atmos14 pheric Administration, shall— 

15 (1) conduct a study of, develop recommendations 

16 for, and initiate a process for the use of Red Flag 

17 Warnings and similar weather alert and notification 

18 methods, including the use of emerging technologies, 

19 to establish— 

20 (A) plans and actions, consistent with law, 

21 that can be implemented prior to a wildfire 

22 event, including pre-impact disaster declarations 

23 and surge operations, that can limit the impact, 

24 duration, or severity of the fire; and 


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1 (B) mechanisms to increase interagency col2 laboration to expedite the delivery of disaster as3 sistance; and 

4 (2) submit to the appropriate committees of Con5 gress a comprehensive report regarding the study de6 scribed in paragraph (1), including any recommenda7 tions of the Administrator, and the activities of the 

8 Administrator to carry out paragraph (1). 

9 SEC. 5. ASSISTANCE FOR WILDFIRE DAMAGE. 

10 Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 

11 of this Act, the Administrator shall brief the appropriate 

12 committees of Congress regarding— 

13 (1) the application for assistance and consist14 ency of assistance provided by the Agency in response 

15 to wildfires; and 

16 (2) the kinds of damage that result from 

17 wildfires. 

18 SEC. 6. GAO REPORT ON GAPS. 

19 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 

20 this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall 

21 submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report 

22 that examines— 

23 (1) gaps in the policies of the Agency related to 

24 wildfires, when compared to other hazards; 


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1 (2) disparities in regulations and guidance 

2 issued by the Administrator, including any oversight 

3 of the programs of the Agency, when addressing im4 pacts of wildfires and other hazards; 

5 (3) ways to shorten the period of time between 

6 the initiating of and the distribution of assistance, re7 imbursements, and grants; 

8 (4) the effectiveness of the programs of the Agen9 cy in addressing wildfire hazards; 

10 (5) ways to improve the ability of the Agency to 

11 assist States, local governments, and Indian tribal 

12 governments to prepare for, respond to, recover from, 

13 and mitigate against wildfire hazards; 

14 (6) revising the application process for assistance 

15 relating to wildfires to more effectively assess unin16 sured and underinsured losses and serious needs; and 

17 (7) ways to improve the disaster assistance pro18 grams of agencies other than the Agency. 

19 SEC. 7. CRISIS COUNSELING CULTURAL COMPETENCY. 

20 Section 416 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 

21 and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5183) is amend22 ed— 

23 (1) by striking ‘‘The President’’ and inserting 

24 the following: 

25 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The President’’; and 


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

2 ‘‘(b) CULTURAL COMPETENCY.—The President shall, 

3 in consultation with affected States, local governments, and 

4 Indian tribal governments and cultural experts, ensure that 

5 any individual providing professional counseling services 

6 to victims of a major disaster as authorized under sub7 section (a), including those working for nonprofit partners 

8 and recovery organizations, is appropriately trained to ad9 dress— 

10 ‘‘(1) cultural competency and respectful care 

11 practices; and 

12 ‘‘(2) impacts from major disasters in commu13 nities, and to individuals, with socio-economically 

14 disadvantaged backgrounds.’’. 

15 SEC. 8. CASE MANAGEMENT CULTURAL COMPETENCY. 

16 Section 426 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 

17 and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5189d) is amend18 ed— 

19 (1) by striking ‘‘The President’’ and inserting 

20 the following: 

21 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The President’’; and 

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

23 ‘‘(b) CULTURAL COMPETENCY.—The President shall, 

24 in consultation with affected States, local governments, and 

25 Indian tribal governments and cultural experts, ensure that 


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1 any individual providing case management services to vic2 tims of a major disaster as authorized under subsection (a), 

3 including those working for nonprofit partners and recovery 

4 organizations, is appropriately trained to address— 

5 ‘‘(1) cultural competency and respectful care 

6 practices; and 

7 ‘‘(2) impacts from major disasters in commu8 nities, and to individuals, with socio-economically 

9 disadvantaged backgrounds.’’. 

10 SEC. 9. STUDY AND PLAN FOR DISASTER HOUSING ASSIST11 ANCE. 

12 (a) STUDY.—Not later than 180 days after the date 

13 of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall— 

14 (1) conduct a study and develop a plan, con15 sistent with law, under which the Agency will address 

16 providing housing assistance to survivors of major 

17 disasters or emergencies when presented with chal18 lenges such as— 

19 (A) the lack of proof of ownership or owner20 ship documentation; 

21 (B) the presence of multiple families within 

22 a single household; and 

23 (C) the near loss of a community, with the 

24 majority of homes destroyed in that community, 


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1 including as a result of a wildfire, earthquake, or 

2 other event causing a major disaster; and 

3 (2) make recommendations for legislative changes 

4 needed to address— 

5 (A) the unmet needs of survivors of major 

6 disasters or emergencies who are unable to docu7 ment or prove ownership of the household; 

8 (B) the presence of multiple families within 

9 a single household; and 

10 (C) the near loss of a community, with the 

11 majority of homes destroyed in that community, 

12 including as a result of a wildfire, earthquake, or 

13 other event causing a major disaster. 

14 (b) COMPREHENSIVE REPORT.—The Administrator 

15 shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a 

16 report that provides a detailed discussion of the plans devel17 oped under subsection (a)(1) and the recommendations of 

18 the Administrator under subsection (a)(2). 

19 (c) BRIEFING.—Not later than 30 days after submis20 sion of the report and recommendations under subsection 

21 (b), the Administrator shall brief the appropriate commit22 tees of Congress on the findings and any recommendations 

23 made pursuant to this section. 


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1 SEC. 10. REIMBURSEMENT. 

2 Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 

3 of this Act, the Administrator shall brief the appropriate 

4 committees of Congress regarding the extent to which the 

5 Agency is using housing solutions proposed by a State or 

6 local government to reduce the time or cost required to im7 plement housing solutions after a major disaster. 

8 SEC. 11. WILDFIRE INSURANCE STUDY BY THE NATIONAL 

9 ACADEMIES. 

10 (a) STUDY.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after 

12 the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator 

13 shall seek to enter into an agreement with the Na14 tional Academy of Sciences to conduct a study of— 

15 (A) potential solutions to address the avail16 ability and affordability of insurance for wild17 fire perils in all regions of the United States, in18 cluding consideration of a national all natural 

19 hazards insurance program; 

20 (B) the ability of States, communities, and 

21 individuals to mitigate wildfire risks, including 

22 the affordability and feasibility of such mitiga23 tion activities; 

24 (C) the current and potential future effects 

25 of land use policies and building codes on the po26 tential solutions; 


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S 3092 RS1S 

1 (D) the reasons why many properties at 

2 risk of wildfire lack insurance coverage; 

3 (E) the role of insurers in providing incen4 tives for wildfire risk mitigation efforts; 

5 (F) the state of catastrophic insurance and 

6 reinsurance markets and the approaches in pro7 viding insurance protection to different sectors of 

8 the population of the United States; 

9 (G) the role of the Federal Government and 

10 State and local governments in providing incen11 tives for feasible wildfire risk mitigation efforts 

12 and the cost of providing assistance in the ab13 sence of insurance; 

14 (H) the state of modeling and mapping 

15 wildfire risk and solutions for accurately and 

16 adequately identifying future wildfire risk; 

17 (I) approaches to insuring wildfire risk in 

18 the United States; and 

19 (J) such other issues that may be necessary 

20 or appropriate for the report. 

21 (2) CONSULTATION.—The agreement to conduct 

22 the study described in subsection (a) shall require 

23 that, in conducting the study, the National Academy 

24 of Sciences shall consult with State insurance regu25 lators, consumer organizations, representatives of the 


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S 3092 RS1S 

1 insurance and reinsurance industry, policyholders, 

2 and other organizations and experts, as appropriate. 

3 (b) SUBMISSION.—Not later than 2 years after the date 

4 of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit 

5 to Congress the results of the study commissioned under sub6 section (a). 

7 SEC. 12. INCREASED CAP FOR EMERGENCY DECLARATIONS 

8 BASED ON REGIONAL COST OF LIVING. 

9 Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 

10 of this Act, the Administrator shall brief the appropriate 

11 committees of Congress regarding the benefits and draw12 backs of establishing a maximum amount for assistance 

13 provided for an emergency that is based on the cost of living 

14 in the region in which the emergency occurs. 

15 SEC. 13. FACILITATING DISPOSAL OF TEMPORARY TRANS16 PORTABLE HOUSING UNITS TO SURVIVORS. 

17 Section 408(d)(2)(B)(i) of the Robert T. Stafford Dis18 aster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 

19 5174(d)(2)(B)(i)) is amended by inserting ‘‘, with priority 

20 given to a survivor of a major disaster who suffered a prop21 erty loss as a result of the major disaster’’ after ‘‘any per22 son’’. 


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S 3092 RS1S 

1 SEC. 14. DEADLINE ON CODE ENFORCEMENT AND MANAGE2 MENT COST ELIGIBILITY. 

3 Section 406(a)(2)(D) of the Robert T. Stafford Dis4 aster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 

5 5172(a)(2)(D)) is amended by striking ‘‘180 days’’ and in6 serting ‘‘1 year’’. 

7 SEC. 15. PERMIT APPLICATIONS FOR TRIBAL UPGRADES TO 

8 EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTERS. 

9 Section 614(a) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 

10 and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5196c(a)) is 

11 amended by inserting ‘‘and Indian tribal governments’’ 

12 after ‘‘grants to States’’. 


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kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
Calendar No. 482 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3092 

[Report No. 117–144] 

A BILL 

To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 

other purposes. provision of certain disaster assistance, and for and Emergency Assistance Act to improve the 

SEPTEMBER 12, 2022 

Reported with an amendment 


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