II 

Calendar No. 450 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3502 

[Report No. 117–133] 

To establish an Office of Civil Rights, Equity, and Community Inclusion 

at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 13 (legislative day, JANUARY 10), 2022 

Mr. PETERS (for himself and Mr. PADILLA) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 

JULY 21, 2022 

Reported by Mr. PETERS, with an amendment 

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

A BILL 

To establish an Office of Civil Rights, Equity, and Community Inclusion at the Federal Emergency Management 

Agency, 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 ‘‘Achieving Equity in 

5 Disaster Response, Recovery, and Resilience Act of 2022’’. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
2 

•S 3502 RS

1 SEC. 2. OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS, EQUITY, AND COMMU2 NITY INCLUSION. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title V of the Homeland Security 

4 Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 311 et seq.) is amended by adding 

5 at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 529. OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS, EQUITY, AND COMMU7 NITY INCLUSION. 

8 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 

9 ‘‘(1) the term ‘appropriate committees of Con10 gress’ means— 

11 ‘‘(A) the Committee on Homeland Security 

12 and Governmental Affairs of the Senate; and 

13 ‘‘(B) the Committee on Transportation 

14 and Infrastructure, the Committee on Oversight 

15 and Reform, and the Committee on Homeland 

16 Security of the House of Representatives; 

17 ‘‘(2) the term ‘Director’ means the Director of 

18 the Office of Civil Rights, Equity, and Community 

19 Inclusion; 

20 ‘‘(3) the term ‘disaster assistance’ means assist21 ance provided under titles IV and V of the Robert 

22 T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assist23 ance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170 et seq.); 

24 ‘‘(4) the term ‘Office’ means the Office of Civil 

25 Rights, Equity, and Community Inclusion; and 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
3 

•S 3502 RS

1 ‘‘(5) the term ‘underserved community’ 

2 means— 

3 ‘‘(A) the Native American and Alaskan 

4 Native community; 

5 ‘‘(B) the African-American community; 

6 ‘‘(C) the Asian community; 

7 ‘‘(D) the Hispanic (including persons of 

8 Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Central or 

9 South American origin) community; 

10 ‘‘(E) the Pacific Islander community; 

11 ‘‘(F) the Middle Eastern and North Afri12 can community; 

13 ‘‘(G) a rural community; 

14 ‘‘(H) a low-income community; 

15 ‘‘(I) the disability community; and 

16 ‘‘(J) any other historically disadvantaged 

17 community, as determined by the Director. 

18 ‘‘(b) OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS, EQUITY, AND COM19 MUNITY INCLUSION.— 

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Office of Equal Rights 

21 of the Agency shall, on and after the date of enact22 ment of the Achieving Equity in Disaster Response, 

23 Recovery, and Resilience Act of 2022, be known as 

24 the Office of Civil Rights, Equity, and Community 

25 Inclusion. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
4 

•S 3502 RS

1 ‘‘(2) REFERENCES.—Any reference to the Of2 fice of Equal Rights of the Agency in any law, regu3 lation, map, document, record, or other paper of the 

4 United States shall be deemed to be a reference to 

5 the Office of Civil Rights, Equity, and Community 

6 Inclusion. 

7 ‘‘(c) DIRECTOR.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Office shall be headed 

9 by a Director, who shall report to the Administrator. 

10 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENT.—The Director shall have 

11 documented experience and expertise in civil rights, 

12 underserved community inclusion research, disaster 

13 preparedness, or resilience disparities elimination. 

14 ‘‘(d) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Office is to— 

15 ‘‘(1) improve underserved community access to 

16 disaster assistance; 

17 ‘‘(2) improve the quality of disaster assistance 

18 received by underserved communities; 

19 ‘‘(3) eliminate racial, ethnic, and other under20 served community disparities in the delivery of dis21 aster assistance; and 

22 ‘‘(4) carry out such other responsibilities of the 

23 Office of Equal Rights as in effect on the day before 

24 the date of enactment of the Achieving Equity in 

25 Disaster Response, Recovery, and Resilience Act of 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
5 

•S 3502 RS

1 2022, as determined appropriate by the Adminis2 trator. 

3 ‘‘(e) AUTHORITIES AND DUTIES.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall be re5 sponsible for— 

6 ‘‘(A) improving— 

7 ‘‘(i) underserved community access to 

8 disaster assistance before and after a dis9 aster; and 

10 ‘‘(ii) the quality of Agency assistance 

11 underserved communities receive; 

12 ‘‘(B) reviewing preparedness, response, 

13 and recovery programs and activities of the 

14 Agency to ensure the elimination of underserved 

15 community disparities in the delivery of such 

16 programs and activities; and 

17 ‘‘(C) carrying out such other responsibil18 ities of the Office of Equal Rights as in effect 

19 on the day before the date of enactment of the 

20 Achieving Equity in Disaster Response, Recov21 ery, and Resilience Act of 2022, as determined 

22 appropriate by the Administrator. 

23 ‘‘(2) REDUCING DISPARITIES IN PREPARED24 NESS, RESPONSE, AND RECOVERY.— 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
6 

•S 3502 RS

1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall de2 velop measures to evaluate the effectiveness of 

3 the activities of program offices in the Agency 

4 and the activities of recipients aimed at reduc5 ing disparities in the services provided to under6 served communities. 

7 ‘‘(B) REQUIREMENT.—The measures de8 veloped under subparagraph (A) shall— 

9 ‘‘(i) evaluate community outreach ac10 tivities, language services, workforce cul11 tural competence, historical assistance for 

12 grants and loans provided to individuals, 

13 State, local, tribal, and territorial govern14 ments, the effects of disaster declaration 

15 thresholds on underserved communities, 

16 the percentage of contracts awarded to un17 derserved and minority-owned businesses, 

18 historical barriers to equitable assistance 

19 across race and class during and after dis20 asters, and other areas, as determined by 

21 the Director; and 

22 ‘‘(ii) identify the communities impli23 cated in the evaluations conducted under 

24 clause (i). 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
7 

•S 3502 RS

1 ‘‘(C) COORDINATION WITH OTHER OF2 FICES.—In carrying out this section, the Direc3 tor shall— 

4 ‘‘(i) participate in scenario-based dis5 aster response exercises at the Agency; 

6 ‘‘(ii) coordinate with the Office of Mi7 nority Health of the Department of Health 

8 and Human Services; 

9 ‘‘(iii) coordinate with the Office of 

10 Civil Rights of the Department of Agri11 culture; 

12 ‘‘(iv) as appropriate, coordinate with 

13 other relevant offices across the Federal 

14 Government, including by leading a vol15 untary task force to address disaster re16 sponse needs of underserved communities; 

17 ‘‘(v) coordinate with the Office for 

18 Civil Rights and Civil Liberties of the De19 partment; and 

20 ‘‘(vi) investigate allegations of unequal 

21 disaster assistance based on race or ethnic 

22 origin or refer those allegations to the ap23 propriate office. 

24 ‘‘(f) GRANTS AND CONTRACTS.—In carrying out this 

25 section, to further inclusion and engagement of underVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:17 Jul 22, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S3502.RS S3502

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
8 

•S 3502 RS

1 served communities throughout preparedness, response, 

2 recovery, and mitigation and to eliminate racial, ethnic, 

3 and other underserved community disparities in the deliv4 ery of disaster assistance, as described in subsection (d), 

5 the Administrator shall— 

6 ‘‘(1) administer and evaluate Agency programs 

7 and activities, including the programs and activities 

8 of recipients of preparedness, response, recovery, 

9 and mitigation grants and contracts, to— 

10 ‘‘(A) further inclusion and engagement of 

11 underserved communities and underserved and 

12 minority-owned businesses; and 

13 ‘‘(B) improve outcomes for underserved 

14 communities tied to Agency programs and ac15 tivities; and 

16 ‘‘(2) establish an underserved community initia17 tive to award grants to, and enter into cooperative 

18 agreements and contracts with, nonprofit entities. 

19 ‘‘(g) DISABILITY COORDINATOR.— 

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There shall be within the 

21 Office a Disability Coordinator to ensure that the 

22 needs of individuals with disabilities are being prop23 erly addressed by proactively engaging with dis24 ability and underserved communities and State, 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
9 

•S 3502 RS

1 local, and tribal governments in emergency pre2 paredness and disaster relief. 

3 ‘‘(2) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Disability Coor4 dinator shall be responsible for— 

5 ‘‘(A) providing guidance and coordination 

6 on matters relating to individuals with disabil7 ities in emergency planning requirements and 

8 relief efforts in the event of a natural disaster, 

9 act of terrorism, or other man-made disaster; 

10 ‘‘(B) interacting with the staff of the 

11 Agency, the National Council on Disability, the 

12 Interagency Coordinating Council on Prepared13 ness and Individuals with Disabilities estab14 lished under Executive Order 13347 (6 U.S.C. 

15 314 note; relating to individuals with disabil16 ities in emergency preparedness), other agencies 

17 of the Federal Government, and State, local, 

18 and tribal government authorities relating to 

19 the needs of individuals with disabilities in 

20 emergency planning requirements and relief ef21 forts in the event of a natural disaster, act of 

22 terrorism, or other man-made disaster; 

23 ‘‘(C) consulting with stakeholders that rep24 resent the interests and rights of individuals 

25 with disabilities about the needs of individuals 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
10 

•S 3502 RS

1 with disabilities in emergency planning require2 ments and relief efforts in the event of a nat3 ural disaster, act of terrorism, or other man4 made disaster; 

5 ‘‘(D) ensuring the coordination and dis6 semination of best practices and model evacu7 ation plans and sheltering for individuals with 

8 disabilities; 

9 ‘‘(E) ensuring the development of training 

10 materials and a curriculum for training emer11 gency response providers, State, local, and trib12 al government officials, and others on the needs 

13 of individuals with disabilities; 

14 ‘‘(F) promoting the accessibility of tele15 phone hotlines and websites relating to emer16 gency preparedness, evacuations, and disaster 

17 relief; 

18 ‘‘(G) working to ensure that video pro19 gramming distributors, including broadcasters, 

20 cable operators, and satellite television services, 

21 make emergency information accessible to indi22 viduals with hearing and vision disabilities; 

23 ‘‘(H) providing guidance to State, local, 

24 and tribal government officials and other indi25 viduals, and implementing policies, relating to 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
11 

•S 3502 RS

1 the availability of accessible transportation op2 tions for individuals with disabilities in the 

3 event of an evacuation; 

4 ‘‘(I) providing guidance and implementing 

5 policies to external stakeholders to ensure that 

6 the rights and wishes of individuals with dis7 abilities regarding post-evacuation residency 

8 and relocation are respected; 

9 ‘‘(J) ensuring that meeting the needs of in10 dividuals with disabilities is a component of the 

11 national preparedness system established under 

12 section 644 of the Post-Katrina Emergency 

13 Management Reform Act of 2006 (6 U.S.C. 

14 744); 

15 ‘‘(K) coordinate technical assistance for 

16 Agency programs based on input from under17 served communities through a designee of the 

18 Director; and 

19 ‘‘(L) any other duties assigned by the Di20 rector. 

21 ‘‘(h) REPORTS.— 

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

23 the date of enactment of the Achieving Equity in 

24 Disaster Response, Recovery, and Resilience Act of 

25 2022, and biennially thereafter, the Administrator 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
12 

•S 3502 RS

1 shall submit to the appropriate committees of Con2 gress a report describing the activities carried out 

3 under this section during the period for which the 

4 report is being prepared. 

5 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—Each report submitted under 

6 paragraph (1) shall include— 

7 ‘‘(A) a narrative on activities conducted by 

8 the Office, including a description of outreach 

9 and consultation efforts with advocacy organiza10 tions and human resource providers; 

11 ‘‘(B) the results of the measures developed 

12 to evaluate the effectiveness of activities aimed 

13 at reducing preparedness, response, and recov14 ery disparities; and 

15 ‘‘(C) the number and types of allegations 

16 of unequal disaster assistance investigated by 

17 the Director or referred to other appropriate of18 fices. 

19 ‘‘(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

20 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are nec21 essary to carry out this section.’’. 

22 (b) OFFICE OF DISABILITY COORDINATOR.—Title V 

23 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 311 et 

24 seq.) is amended by striking section 513 (6 U.S.C. 321b). 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
13 

•S 3502 RS

1 (c) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

2 The table of contents in section 1(b) of the Homeland Se3 curity Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–296; 116 Stat. 2135) 

4 is amended— 

5 (1) by striking the item relating to section 513 

6 (6 U.S.C. 321b); and 

7 (2) by inserting after the item relating to sec8 tion 528 the following: 

‘‘Sec. 529. Office of Civil Rights, Equity, and Community Inclusion.’’. 

9 (d) COVID–19 RESPONSE.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—During the period of time 

11 for which there is a major disaster or emergency de12 clared by the President under section 401 or 501, 

13 respectively, of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Re14 lief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170, 

15 5191) declared with respect to COVID–19, the Di16 rector of the Office of Civil Rights, Equity, and 

17 Community Inclusion shall regularly consult with 

18 State, local, territorial, and Tribal government offi19 cials and community-based organizations from un20 derserved communities the Office of Civil Rights, 

21 Equity, and Community Inclusion identifies as dis22 proportionately impacted by COVID–19. 

23 (2) FACA APPLICABILITY.—The Federal Advi24 sory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply 

25 to any consultation conducted under paragraph (1). 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
14 

•S 3502 RS

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Achieving Equity in 

3 Disaster Response, Recovery, and Resilience Act of 2022’’. 

4 SEC. 2. OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS, EQUITY, AND COMMUNITY 

5 INCLUSION. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 513 of the Homeland Secu7 rity Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 321b) is amended to read as 

8 follows: 

9 ‘‘SEC. 513. OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS, EQUITY, AND COMMU10 NITY INCLUSION. 

11 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 

12 ‘‘(1) the term ‘appropriate committees of Con13 gress’ means— 

14 ‘‘(A) the Committee on Homeland Security 

15 and Governmental Affairs of the Senate; and 

16 ‘‘(B) the Committee on Transportation and 

17 Infrastructure, the Committee on Oversight and 

18 Reform, and the Committee on Homeland Secu19 rity of the House of Representatives; 

20 ‘‘(2) the term ‘Director’ means the Director of the 

21 Office of Civil Rights, Equity, and Community Inclu22 sion; 

23 ‘‘(3) the term ‘disaster assistance’ means assist24 ance provided under titles IV and V of the Robert T. 

25 Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 

26 Act (42 U.S.C. 5170 et seq.); 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
15 

•S 3502 RS

1 ‘‘(4) the term ‘Office’ means the Office of Civil 

2 Rights, Equity, and Community Inclusion; and 

3 ‘‘(5) the term ‘underserved community’ means— 

4 ‘‘(A) the Native American and Alaskan Na5 tive community; 

6 ‘‘(B) the African-American community; 

7 ‘‘(C) the Asian community; 

8 ‘‘(D) the Hispanic (including persons of 

9 Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Central or 

10 South American origin) community; 

11 ‘‘(E) the Pacific Islander community; 

12 ‘‘(F) the Middle Eastern and North African 

13 community; 

14 ‘‘(G) a rural community; 

15 ‘‘(H) a low-income community; 

16 ‘‘(I) the disability community; and 

17 ‘‘(J) any other historically disadvantaged 

18 community, as determined by the Director. 

19 ‘‘(b) OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS, EQUITY, AND COMMU20 NITY INCLUSION.— 

21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Office of Equal Rights 

22 of the Agency shall, on and after the date of enact23 ment of the Achieving Equity in Disaster Response, 

24 Recovery, and Resilience Act of 2022, be known as the 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
16 

•S 3502 RS

1 Office of Civil Rights, Equity, and Community Inclu2 sion. 

3 ‘‘(2) REFERENCES.—Any reference to the Office 

4 of Equal Rights of the Agency in any law, regulation, 

5 map, document, record, or other paper of the United 

6 States shall be deemed to be a reference to the Office 

7 of Civil Rights, Equity, and Community Inclusion. 

8 ‘‘(c) DIRECTOR.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Office shall be headed by 

10 a Director, who shall report to the Administrator. 

11 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENT.—The Director shall have 

12 documented experience and expertise in civil rights, 

13 underserved community inclusion research, disaster 

14 preparedness, or resilience disparities elimination. 

15 ‘‘(d) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Office is to— 

16 ‘‘(1) improve underserved community access to 

17 disaster assistance; 

18 ‘‘(2) improve the quality of disaster assistance 

19 received by underserved communities; 

20 ‘‘(3) eliminate racial, ethnic, and other under21 served community disparities in the delivery of dis22 aster assistance; and 

23 ‘‘(4) carry out such other responsibilities of the 

24 Office of Equal Rights as in effect on the day before 

25 the date of enactment of the Achieving Equity in DisVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:17 Jul 22, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S3502.RS S3502

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
17 

•S 3502 RS

1 aster Response, Recovery, and Resilience Act of 2022, 

2 as determined appropriate by the Administrator. 

3 ‘‘(e) AUTHORITIES AND DUTIES.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall be respon5 sible for— 

6 ‘‘(A) improving— 

7 ‘‘(i) underserved community access to 

8 disaster assistance before and after a dis9 aster; and 

10 ‘‘(ii) the quality of Agency assistance 

11 underserved communities receive; 

12 ‘‘(B) reviewing preparedness, response, and 

13 recovery programs and activities of the Agency 

14 to ensure the elimination of underserved commu15 nity disparities in the delivery of such programs 

16 and activities; and 

17 ‘‘(C) carrying out such other responsibilities 

18 of the Office of Equal Rights as in effect on the 

19 day before the date of enactment of the Achieving 

20 Equity in Disaster Response, Recovery, and Re21 silience Act of 2022, as determined appropriate 

22 by the Administrator. 

23 ‘‘(2) REDUCING DISPARITIES IN PREPAREDNESS, 

24 RESPONSE, AND RECOVERY.— 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
18 

•S 3502 RS

1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall de2 velop measures to evaluate the effectiveness of the 

3 activities of program offices in the Agency and 

4 the activities of recipients aimed at reducing dis5 parities in the services provided to underserved 

6 communities. 

7 ‘‘(B) REQUIREMENT.—The measures devel8 oped under subparagraph (A) shall— 

9 ‘‘(i) evaluate community outreach ac10 tivities, language services, workforce cul11 tural competence, historical assistance for 

12 grants and loans provided to individuals 

13 and State, local, tribal, and territorial gov14 ernments, the effects of disaster declaration 

15 thresholds on underserved communities, the 

16 percentage of contracts awarded to under17 served and minority-owned businesses, his18 torical barriers to equitable assistance 

19 across race and class during and after dis20 asters, and other areas, as determined by 

21 the Director; and 

22 ‘‘(ii) identify the communities impli23 cated in the evaluations conducted under 

24 clause (i). 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
19 

•S 3502 RS

1 ‘‘(C) COORDINATION WITH OTHER OF2 FICES.—In carrying out this section, the Direc3 tor shall— 

4 ‘‘(i) participate in scenario-based dis5 aster response exercises at the Agency; 

6 ‘‘(ii) coordinate with the Office of Mi7 nority Health of the Department of Health 

8 and Human Services; 

9 ‘‘(iii) coordinate with the Office of 

10 Civil Rights of the Department of Agri11 culture; 

12 ‘‘(iv) as appropriate, coordinate with 

13 other relevant offices across the Federal Gov14 ernment, including by leading a voluntary 

15 task force to address disaster response needs 

16 of underserved communities; 

17 ‘‘(v) coordinate with the Office for 

18 Civil Rights and Civil Liberties of the De19 partment; and 

20 ‘‘(vi) investigate allegations of unequal 

21 disaster assistance based on race or ethnic 

22 origin or refer those allegations to the ap23 propriate office. 

24 ‘‘(f) GRANTS AND CONTRACTS.—In carrying out this 

25 section, to further inclusion and engagement of underserved 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
20 

•S 3502 RS

1 communities throughout preparedness, response, recovery, 

2 and mitigation and to eliminate racial, ethnic, and other 

3 underserved community disparities in the delivery of dis4 aster assistance, as described in subsection (d), the Admin5 istrator shall— 

6 ‘‘(1) administer and evaluate Agency programs 

7 and activities, including the programs and activities 

8 of recipients of preparedness, response, recovery, and 

9 mitigation grants and contracts, to— 

10 ‘‘(A) further inclusion and engagement of 

11 underserved communities and underserved and 

12 minority-owned businesses; and 

13 ‘‘(B) improve outcomes for underserved 

14 communities tied to Agency programs and ac15 tivities; and 

16 ‘‘(2) establish an underserved community initia17 tive to award grants to, and enter into cooperative 

18 agreements and contracts with, nonprofit entities. 

19 ‘‘(g) DISABILITY COORDINATOR.— 

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There shall be within the Of21 fice a Disability Coordinator to ensure that the needs 

22 of individuals with disabilities are being properly ad23 dressed by proactively engaging with disability and 

24 underserved communities and State, local, and tribal 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
21 

•S 3502 RS

1 governments in emergency preparedness and disaster 

2 relief. 

3 ‘‘(2) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Disability Coordi4 nator shall be responsible for— 

5 ‘‘(A) providing guidance and coordination 

6 on matters relating to individuals with disabil7 ities in emergency planning requirements and 

8 relief efforts in the event of a natural disaster, 

9 act of terrorism, or other man-made disaster; 

10 ‘‘(B) interacting with the staff of the Agen11 cy, the National Council on Disability, the Inter12 agency Coordinating Council on Preparedness 

13 and Individuals with Disabilities established 

14 under Executive Order 13347 (6 U.S.C. 314 

15 note; relating to individuals with disabilities in 

16 emergency preparedness), other agencies of the 

17 Federal Government, and State, local, and tribal 

18 government authorities relating to the needs of 

19 individuals with disabilities in emergency plan20 ning requirements and relief efforts in the event 

21 of a natural disaster, act of terrorism, or other 

22 man-made disaster; 

23 ‘‘(C) consulting with stakeholders that rep24 resent the interests and rights of individuals 

25 with disabilities about the needs of individuals 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
22 

•S 3502 RS

1 with disabilities in emergency planning require2 ments and relief efforts in the event of a natural 

3 disaster, act of terrorism, or other man-made 

4 disaster; 

5 ‘‘(D) ensuring the coordination and dis6 semination of best practices and model evacu7 ation plans and sheltering for individuals with 

8 disabilities; 

9 ‘‘(E) ensuring the development of training 

10 materials and a curriculum for training emer11 gency response providers, State, local, and tribal 

12 government officials, and others on the needs of 

13 individuals with disabilities; 

14 ‘‘(F) promoting the accessibility of telephone 

15 hotlines and websites relating to emergency pre16 paredness, evacuations, and disaster relief; 

17 ‘‘(G) working to ensure that video program18 ming distributors, including broadcasters, cable 

19 operators, and satellite television services, make 

20 emergency information accessible to individuals 

21 with hearing and vision disabilities; 

22 ‘‘(H) providing guidance to State, local, 

23 and tribal government officials and other indi24 viduals, and implementing policies, relating to 

25 the availability of accessible transportation opVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:17 Jul 22, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00022 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S3502.RS S3502

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
23 

•S 3502 RS

1 tions for individuals with disabilities in the 

2 event of an evacuation; 

3 ‘‘(I) providing guidance and implementing 

4 policies to external stakeholders to ensure that 

5 the rights and wishes of individuals with disabil6 ities regarding post-evacuation residency and re7 location are respected; 

8 ‘‘(J) ensuring that meeting the needs of in9 dividuals with disabilities is a component of the 

10 national preparedness system established under 

11 section 644 of the Post-Katrina Emergency Man12 agement Reform Act of 2006 (6 U.S.C. 744); 

13 ‘‘(K) coordinate technical assistance for 

14 Agency programs based on input from under15 served communities through a designee of the Di16 rector; and 

17 ‘‘(L) any other duties assigned by the Direc18 tor. 

19 ‘‘(h) REPORTS.— 

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

21 the date of enactment of the Achieving Equity in Dis22 aster Response, Recovery, and Resilience Act of 2022, 

23 and biennially thereafter, the Administrator shall 

24 submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a 

25 report describing the activities carried out under this 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
24 

•S 3502 RS

1 section during the period for which the report is being 

2 prepared. 

3 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—Each report submitted under 

4 paragraph (1) shall include— 

5 ‘‘(A) a narrative on activities conducted by 

6 the Office, including a description of outreach 

7 and consultation efforts with advocacy organiza8 tions and human resource providers; 

9 ‘‘(B) the results of the measures developed to 

10 evaluate the effectiveness of activities aimed at 

11 reducing preparedness, response, and recovery 

12 disparities; and 

13 ‘‘(C) the number and types of allegations of 

14 unequal disaster assistance investigated by the 

15 Director or referred to other appropriate offices. 

16 ‘‘(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are 

17 authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary 

18 to carry out this section.’’. 

19 (b) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

20 The table of contents in section 1(b) of the Homeland Secu21 rity Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–296; 116 Stat. 2135) is 

22 amended by striking the item relating to section 513 (6 

23 U.S.C. 321b) and inserting the following: 

‘‘Sec. 513. Office of Civil Rights, Equity, and Community Inclusion.’’. 

24 (c) COVID–19 RESPONSE.— 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
25 

•S 3502 RS

1 (1) IN GENERAL.—During the period of time for 

2 which there is a major disaster or emergency declared 

3 by the President under section 401 or 501, respec4 tively, of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 

5 Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170, 5191) de6 clared with respect to COVID–19, the Director of the 

7 Office of Civil Rights, Equity, and Community Inclu8 sion shall regularly consult with State, local, terri9 torial, and Tribal government officials and commu10 nity-based organizations from underserved commu11 nities the Office of Civil Rights, Equity, and Commu12 nity Inclusion identifies as disproportionately im13 pacted by COVID–19. 

14 (2) FACA APPLICABILITY.—The Federal Advi15 sory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply 

16 to any consultation conducted under paragraph (1). 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
Calendar No. 450 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3502 

[Report No. 117–133] 

A BILL 

To establish an Office of Civil Rights, Equity, and 

Management Agency, and for other purposes. Community Inclusion at the Federal Emergency 

JULY 21, 2022 

Reported with an amendment 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS