II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1579 

To require Congress to budget in advance for disasters, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 21, 2019 

Mr. ROMNEY (for himself, Mr. LEE, Mr. BRAUN, and Mr. TOOMEY) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Budget 

A BILL 

To require Congress to budget in advance 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 ‘‘Budgeting for Disas5 ters Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. TERMINATION OF EXEMPTIONS FROM THE ANNUAL 

7 BUDGET CAPS. 

8 Subparagraphs (D) and (F) of section 251(b)(2) of 

9 the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act 


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•S 1579 IS

1 of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901(b)(2)) shall not apply with respect 

2 to fiscal year 2020, or any fiscal year thereafter. 

3 SEC. 3. EMERGENCY SPENDING POINT OF ORDER. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 314(e)(2) of the Congres5 sional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 645(e)(2)) is amend6 ed by striking ‘‘three-fifths’’ each place it appears and in7 serting ‘‘two-thirds’’. 

8 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

9 subsection (a) shall— 

10 (1) take effect on the date of enactment of this 

11 Act; and 

12 (2) apply with respect to fiscal year 2020, and 

13 each fiscal year thereafter. 

14 SEC. 4. GAO REVIEW OF EMERGENCY SPENDING. 

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

16 date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 

17 of the United States shall submit to Congress a report 

18 that— 

19 (1) reviews amounts appropriated for each of 

20 fiscal years 2009 through 2018 that were— 

21 (A) designated as being for an emergency 

22 requirement; 

23 (B) designated as being for disaster relief; 

24 or 


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1 (C) made available to provide assistance 

2 under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 

3 and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 

4 et seq.); 

5 (2) identifies and reviews amounts appropriated 

6 for any of fiscal years 2009 through 2018 that were 

7 designated as being for an emergency requirement 

8 and designated as being for disaster relief; and 

9 (3) provide recommendations to— 

10 (A) clarify the definition of emergency re11 quirements for purposes of appropriated 

12 amounts being designated as being for an emer13 gency requirement; 

14 (B) implement an appropriate time limit 

15 for recipients to spend appropriated amounts 

16 that are designated as being for an emergency 

17 requirement; 

18 (C) improve cost-sharing relating to major 

19 disasters and emergencies among Federal, 

20 State, and local governments; and 

21 (D) improve forecasting and budgeting for 

22 appropriations for emergency requirements and 

23 disaster relief. 

24 (b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 


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1 (1) the term ‘‘emergency’’ means an emergency 

2 declared by the President under section 501 of the 

3 Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 

4 Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5191); 

5 (2) the term ‘‘designated as being for an emer6 gency requirement’’, with respect to amounts appro7 priated, means that the amounts are designated as 

8 an emergency requirement pursuant to— 

9 (A) section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Bal10 anced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control 

11 Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901(b)(2)(A)(i)); or 

12 (B) a provision of a concurrent resolution 

13 on the budget; 

14 (3) the term ‘‘designated as being for disaster 

15 relief’’, with respect to amounts appropriated, means 

16 that the amounts are designated as being for dis17 aster relief pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(D) of the 

18 Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control 

19 Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901(b)(2)(D)); and 

20 (4) 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). 

Æ 


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