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Union Calendar No. 473 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4358 

[Report No. 116–575] 

To direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency 

to submit to Congress a report on preliminary damage assessment and 

to establish damage assessment teams in the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 17, 2019 

Mr. KATKO (for himself and Mr. CUNNINGHAM) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

NOVEMBER 16, 2020 

Additional sponsors: Mr. RICE of South Carolina, Mr. SABLAN, and Mr. 

DELGADO

NOVEMBER 16, 2020 

Reported with an amendment; committed to the Committee of the Whole 

House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed 

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

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on September 17, 2019] 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
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•HR 4358 RH

A BILL 

To direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to submit to Congress a report on preliminary damage assessment and to establish damage 

assessment teams in the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and for other purposes. 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
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•HR 4358 RH

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 ‘‘Preliminary Damage 

5 Assessment Improvement Act of 2020’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) Preliminary damage assessments play a crit9 ical role in assessing and validating the impact and 

10 magnitude of a disaster. 

11 (2) Through the preliminary damage assessment 

12 process, representatives from the Federal Emergency 

13 Management Agency validate information gathered by 

14 State and local officials that serves as the basis for 

15 disaster assistance requests. 

16 (3) Various factors can impact the duration of a 

17 preliminary damage assessment and the cor18 responding submission of a major disaster request, 

19 however, the average time between when a disaster oc20 curs, and the submission of a corresponding disaster 

21 request has been found to be approximately twenty 

22 days longer for flooding disasters. 

23 (4) With communities across the country facing 

24 increased instances of catastrophic flooding and other 

25 extreme weather events, accurate and efficient preVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:12 Nov 17, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H4358.RH H4358

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•HR 4358 RH

1 liminary damage assessments have become critically 

2 important to the relief process for impacted states and 

3 municipalities. 

4 SEC. 3. REPORT TO CONGRESS. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 

6 date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Fed7 eral Emergency Management Agency shall submit to Con8 gress a report describing the preliminary damage assess9 ment process, as supported by the Federal Emergency Man10 agement Agency in the 5 years before the date of enactment 

11 of this Act. 

12 (b) CONTENTS.—The report described in subsection (a) 

13 shall contain the following: 

14 (1) The process of the Federal Emergency Man15 agement Agency for deploying personnel to support 

16 preliminary damage assessments. 

17 (2) The number of Agency staff participating on 

18 disaster assessment teams. 

19 (3) The training and experience of such staff de20 scribed in paragraph (2). 

21 (4) A calculation of the average amount of time 

22 disaster assessment teams described in paragraph (1) 

23 are deployed to a disaster area. 

24 (5) The efforts of the Agency to maintain a con25 sistent liaison between the Agency and State, local, 


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•HR 4358 RH

1 Tribal, and territorial officials within a disaster 

2 area. 

3 SEC. 4. PRELIMINARY DAMAGE ASSESSMENT. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

5 of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal 

6 Emergency Management Agency shall establish a training 

7 regime under section 206.33(b) of title 44, Code of Federal 

8 Regulations, within the Federal Emergency Management 

9 Agency to ensure preliminary damage assessments are con10 ducted and reviewed under consistent guidelines. 

11 (b) ANNUAL REPORT.—The Administrator shall annu12 ally submit to Congress a report on the number and type 

13 of instances under which Federal Emergency Management 

14 Agency personnel have overturned decisions made by per15 sonnel in the field. 

16 (c) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 2 years 

17 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator 

18 shall submit to Congress a report— 

19 (1) describing the establishment of disaster 

20 guidelines from Federal Emergency Management 

21 Agency personnel described under subsection (a); 

22 (2) assessing whether the duration of the deploy23 ment of Federal Emergency Management Agency per24 sonnel to conduct a preliminary damage assessment is 

25 longer based on specific disaster conditions; and 


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1 (3) containing legislative recommendations to 

2 improve the operation, deployment, and staffing of 

3 disaster personnel. 

4 (d) DEFINITION OF STATE AND LOCAL GOVERN5 MENT.—For purposes of this Act, the terms ‘‘State’’ and 

6 ‘‘local government’’ have the meanings given such terms in 

7 section 102 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 

8 Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122). 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS

pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
Union Calendar No. 473 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4358 

[Report No. 116–575] 

A BILL 

To direct the Administrator of the Federal Emerother purposes. Federal Emergency Management Agency, and for and to establish damage assessment teams in the gress a report on preliminary damage assessment gency Management Agency to submit to ConNOVEMBER 16, 2020 

Reported with an amendment; committed to the Comand ordered to be printed mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS