I 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 3925 

To require rulemaking by the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to address considerations in evaluating the need for 

public and individual disaster assistance, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 21, 2014 

Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois (for himself, Mr. SCHOCK, Mr. SHIMKUS, Mr. 

KINZINGER of Illinois, Mr. ENYART, and Mrs. BUSTOS) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation 

and Infrastructure 

A BILL 

To require rulemaking by the Administrator of the Federal 

Emergency Management Agency to address considerations in evaluating the need for public and individual 

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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Fairness in Federal 

5 Disaster Declarations Act of 2014’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. REGULATORY ACTION REQUIRED. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days after the 

3 date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the 

4 Federal Emergency Management Agency (in this Act re5 ferred to as the ‘‘Administrator’’ and ‘‘FEMA’’, respec6 tively) shall amend the rules of the Administrator under 

7 section 206.48 of title 44, Code of Federal Regulations, 

8 as in effect on the date of enactment of this Act, in accord9 ance with the provisions of this Act. 

10 (b) NEW CRITERIA REQUIRED.—The amended rules 

11 issued under subsection (a) shall provide for the following: 

12 (1) PUBLIC ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.—Such rules 

13 shall provide that, with respect to the evaluation of 

14 the need for public assistance— 

15 (A) specific weighted valuations shall be 

16 assigned to each criterion, as follows— 

17 (i) estimated cost of the assistance, 10 

18 percent; 

19 (ii) localized impacts, 40 percent; 

20 (iii) insurance coverage in force, 10 

21 percent; 

22 (iv) hazard mitigation, 10 percent; 

23 (v) recent multiple disasters, 10 per24 cent; 

25 (vi) programs of other Federal assist26 ance, 10 percent; and 


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1 (vii) economic circumstances described 

2 in subparagraph (B), 10 percent; and 

3 (B) FEMA shall consider the economic cir4 cumstances of— 

5 (i) the local economy of the affected 

6 area, including factors such as the local as7 sessable tax base and local sales tax, the 

8 median income as it compares to that of 

9 the State, and the poverty rate as it com10 pares to that of the State; and 

11 (ii) the economy of the State, includ12 ing factors such as the unemployment rate 

13 of the State, as compared to the national 

14 unemployment rate. 

15 (2) INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.—Such 

16 rules shall provide that, with respect to the evalua17 tion of the severity, magnitude, and impact of the 

18 disaster and the evaluation of the need for assist19 ance to individuals— 

20 (A) specific weighted valuations shall be 

21 assigned to each criterion, as follows— 

22 (i) concentration of damages, 20 per23 cent; 

24 (ii) trauma, 20 percent; 

25 (iii) special populations, 20 percent; 


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1 (iv) voluntary agency assistance, 10 

2 percent; 

3 (v) insurance, 20 percent; 

4 (vi) average amount of individual as5 sistance by State, 5 percent; and 

6 (vii) economic considerations de7 scribed in subparagraph (B), 5 percent; 

8 and 

9 (B) FEMA shall consider the economic cir10 cumstances of the affected area, including fac11 tors such as the local assessable tax base and 

12 local sales tax, the median income as it com13 pares to that of the State, and the poverty rate 

14 as it compares to that of the State. 

15 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amended rules referred 

16 to in this section shall apply to any major disaster declared 

17 on or after January 1, 2013. 

Æ 


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