IB 

Union Calendar No. 319 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 1796 

[Report No. 118–390, Part I] 

To improve individual assistance provided by the Federal Emergency 

Management Agency, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 24, 2023 

Ms. TITUS (for herself, Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana, and Mr. CARTER of Louisiana) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committees 

on Financial Services, and Small Business, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 

provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

FEBRUARY 14, 2024 

Additional sponsors: Mr. MOLINARO, Mrs. GONZA ́LEZ-COLO ́N, Mr. EDWARDS, 

Ms. BALINT, Ms. TOKUDA, Mr. CASE, and Mr. NEGUSE

FEBRUARY 14, 2024 

Reported from the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure with an 

amendment 

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

FEBRUARY 14, 2024 

Committees on Financial Services and Small Business discharged; committed 

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

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on March 24, 2023] 


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A BILL 

To improve individual assistance provided by the Federal 

Emergency Management Agency, and for other purposes. 


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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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Dis5 aster Survivors Fairness Act of 2023’’. 

6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

7 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Information sharing for federal agencies. 

Sec. 3. Universal application for individual assistance. 

Sec. 4. Repair and rebuilding. 

Sec. 5. Direct assistance. 

Sec. 6. State-managed housing pilot authority. 

Sec. 7. Management costs. 

Sec. 8. Funding for online guides for post-disaster assistance. 

Sec. 9. Individual assistance dashboard. 

Sec. 10. FEMA reports. 

Sec. 11. Sheltering of emergency response personnel. 

Sec. 12. Improved rental assistance. 

Sec. 13. GAO report on preliminary damage assessments. 

Sec. 14. Applicability. 

Sec. 15. GAO report to Congress on challenges under public assistance alternative 

procedures. 

8 (c) DEFINITIONS.—Except as otherwise provided, the 

9 terms used in this Act have the meanings given such terms 

10 in section 102 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 

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

12 SEC. 2. INFORMATION SHARING FOR FEDERAL AGENCIES. 

13 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF UNIFIED DISASTER APPLICA14 TION SYSTEM.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the Fed16 eral Emergency Management Agency shall establish 

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1 formation sharing system, to be known as the ‘‘uni2 fied disaster application system’’, to— 

3 (A) facilitate the administration of the uni4 versal application for direct Federal disaster as5 sistance established under section 3; 

6 (B) carry out the purposes of disaster as7 sistance programs swiftly, efficiently, and in ac8 cordance with applicable laws, regulations, and 

9 the privacy and data protections provided under 

10 this section; and 

11 (C) support the detection, prevention, and 

12 investigation of waste, fraud, abuse, or discrimi13 nation in the administration of disaster assist14 ance programs. 

15 (2) AUTHORITIES OF ADMINISTRATOR.—In es16 tablishing and maintaining the unified disaster ap17 plication system under this subsection, the Adminis18 trator may collect and maintain disaster assistance 

19 information received from a disaster assistance agen20 cy, a block grant recipient, or an applicant for a dis21 aster assistance program and share such information 

22 with any other disaster assistance agency or block 

23 grant recipient using such system. 


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1 (3) REQUIREMENTS.—The Administrator shall 

2 ensure that the unified disaster application system es3 tablished and maintained under this subsection— 

4 (A) allows an applicant to receive status 

5 updates on an application for disaster assistance 

6 programs submitted though such system; 

7 (B) allows for applicants to update disaster 

8 assistance information throughout the recovery 

9 journeys of such applicants in accordance with 

10 established application timeframes; 

11 (C) allows for the distribution to applicants 

12 of information about additional recovery re13 sources that may be available in a disaster 

14 stricken area; 

15 (D) provides an applicant with information 

16 and documentation relating to an application 

17 for a disaster assistance program submitted by 

18 such applicant; and 

19 (E) contains any other capabilities deter20 mined necessary by the head of a disaster assist21 ance agency. 

22 (b) DATA SECURITY.—The Administrator may facili23 tate the collection of disaster assistance information into 

24 the unified disaster application system established under 


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1 subsection (a) only after the following requirements have 

2 been met: 

3 (1) The Administrator certifies that the unified 

4 disaster application system substantially complies 

5 with the data security standards and best practices 

6 established pursuant to subchapter II of chapter 35 of 

7 title 44, United States Code, and any other applicable 

8 Federal information security policy. 

9 (2) The Secretary of Homeland Security pub10 lishes a privacy impact assessment for the unified 

11 disaster application system, in accordance with sec12 tion 208(b)(1)(B) of the E-Government Act of 2002 

13 (44 U.S.C. 3501 note). 

14 (3) The Administrator, after consulting with dis15 aster assistance agencies, publishes standard rules of 

16 behavior for disaster assistance agencies, block grant 

17 recipients, and personnel granted access to disaster 

18 assistance information to protect such information 

19 from improper disclosure. 

20 (c) COLLECTION AND SHARING OF ADDITIONAL

21 RECORDS AND INFORMATION.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator may au23 thorize the additional collection, maintenance, shar24 ing, and use of disaster assistance information by 

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1 tion system established under subsection (a) that in2 cludes a detailed description of— 

3 (A) the specific amendments to the collec4 tion, maintenance, and sharing of disaster as5 sistance information authorized; 

6 (B) why each such amendment to how dis7 aster assistance information is collected, main8 tained, or shared is necessary to carry out the 

9 purposes of a disaster assistance program and 

10 consistent with the fair information practice 

11 principles; and 

12 (C) the disaster assistance agencies and 

13 block grant recipients that will be granted access 

14 to the additional information to carry out the 

15 purposes of any disaster assistance program. 

16 (2) NOTICE AND PUBLICATION REQUIREMENTS.— 

17 The publication of a notice under paragraph (1) of a 

18 revision to the unified disaster application system of 

19 records prior to any new collection, or uses, of Pri20 vacy Act categories of records, to carry out the pur21 poses of a disaster assistance program with regard to 

22 a disaster declared by the President under section 401 

23 or 501 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 

24 Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170; 5191), 

25 shall be deemed to satisfy the notice and publication 


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1 requirements of section 552a(e)(4) of title 5, United 

2 States Code, for the entire period of performance for 

3 any assistance provided under a disaster assistance 

4 program. 

5 (3) WAIVER OF INFORMATION COLLECTION RE6 QUIREMENTS.— 

7 (A) IN GENERAL.—Upon the declaration of 

8 a major disaster or emergency pursuant to sec9 tions 401 or 501 of the Robert T. Stafford Dis10 aster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 

11 U.S.C. 5170; 5191) by the President, the Admin12 istrator may waive the requirements of sub13 chapter I of chapter 35 of title 44, United States 

14 Code, with respect to voluntary collection of in15 formation for the entire period of performance 

16 for any assistance provided under a disaster as17 sistance program. 

18 (B) TRANSPARENCY.—Upon exercising the 

19 waiver authority under subparagraph (A), the 

20 Administrator shall— 

21 (i) promptly post on a website of the 

22 Federal Emergency Management Agency a 

23 brief justification for such waiver, the an24 ticipated period of time such waiver will be 

25 in effect, and the disaster assistance offices 


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1 within the Federal Emergency Management 

2 Agency to which such waiver shall apply; 

3 and 

4 (ii) update the information relating to 

5 such waiver, as applicable. 

6 (4) GAO REVIEW OF WAIVER OF INFORMATION

7 COLLECTION REQUIREMENTS.— 

8 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year 

9 after the date of enactment of this Act, the 

10 Comptroller General of the United States shall 

11 issue a report describing the benefits and poten12 tial risks associated with authorizing the waiver 

13 of the information collection requirements de14 scribed in paragraph (3). 

15 (B) CONTENTS.—The report required under 

16 subparagraph (A) shall include an assessment of 

17 the extent to which a waiver described in para18 graph (3) would— 

19 (i) affect the paperwork burden for in20 dividuals, small businesses, State, local and 

21 tribal governments, and other persons; 

22 (ii) affect the consistent application of 

23 Federal laws relating to— 

24 (I) privacy and confidentiality; 

25 (II) security of information; and 


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1 (III) access to information; and 

2 (iii) encourage or deter a State or 

3 other entity from participating in the vol4 untary collection of information for the du5 ration of a major disaster or emergency. 

6 (d) USE BY OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator may per8 mit a Federal agency other than a disaster assistance 

9 agency listed in subparagraphs (A) through (D) of 

10 subsection (f)(3) to use the unified disaster applica11 tion system established under subsection (a) for the 

12 purpose of facilitating disaster-related assistance if 

13 such agency enters into an agreement containing the 

14 terms described in paragraph (2). 

15 (2) AGENCY AGREEMENT.—An agreement entered 

16 into under paragraph (1) shall contain the following 

17 terms: 

18 (A) The Federal agency shall— 

19 (i) collect, share, maintain, and use 

20 disaster assistance information in compli21 ance with this section and any policies of 

22 the Federal Emergency Management Agency 

23 and any information protection and use 

24 policies of such Federal agency; and 


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1 (ii) train any personnel granted access 

2 to disaster assistance information on the 

3 rules of behavior established by the Admin4 istrator under subsection (b)(3). 

5 (B) In the event of any unauthorized disclo6 sure of disaster assistance information, the Fed7 eral agency shall— 

8 (i) notify the Administrator within 24 

9 hours of discovering any such unauthorized 

10 disclosure; 

11 (ii) cooperate fully with the Adminis12 trator in the investigation and remediation 

13 of any such disclosure; 

14 (iii) cooperate fully in the prosecution 

15 of a person responsible for such disclosure; 

16 and 

17 (iv) assume the responsibility for any 

18 compensation, civil liability, or other reme19 diation measures, whether awarded by a 

20 judgment of a court or agreed as a com21 promise of any potential claims by or on 

22 behalf of an applicant, including by obtain23 ing credit monitoring and remediation serv24 ices, for an improper disclosure that is— 


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1 (I) caused, directly or indirectly, 

2 by the acts or omissions of officers, em3 ployees, and contractors of the agency; 

4 or 

5 (II) from any electronic system of 

6 records that is created or maintained 

7 by the agency pursuant to section 

8 552a(e) of title 5, United States Code. 

9 (3) PUBLICATION OF AGENCY AGREEMENT.—The 

10 Administrator shall publish an agency agreement en11 tered into under this subsection on the same website 

12 as the unified disaster application system established 

13 under subsection (a). 

14 (e) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—The sharing and use of 

15 disaster assistance information that is subject to the re16 quirements of section 552a of title 5, United States Code, 

17 by disaster assistance agencies and block grant recipients— 

18 (1) shall not be— 

19 (A) construed as a matching program for 

20 purposes of section 552a(a)(8) of such title; or 

21 (B) subject to the remaining computer 

22 matching provisions of section 552a of such title; 

23 and 

24 (2) shall be in addition to any other law pro25 viding for the sharing or use of such information. 


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1 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

2 (1) APPLICANT.—The term ‘‘applicant’’ means— 

3 (A) a person who applies for disaster assist4 ance from a disaster assistance program; and 

5 (B) a person on whose behalf a person de6 scribed in subparagraph (A) has applied for dis7 aster assistance. 

8 (2) BLOCK GRANT RECIPIENT.—The term ‘‘block 

9 grant recipient’’ means a State, local government, or 

10 Indian Tribe that receives assistance through the dis11 aster assistance program described in paragraph 

12 (5)(B)(i). 

13 (3) DISASTER ASSISTANCE AGENCY.—The term 

14 ‘‘disaster assistance agency’’ means— 

15 (A) the Federal Emergency Management 

16 Agency; 

17 (B) the Department of Housing and Urban 

18 Development; 

19 (C) the Small Business Administration; 

20 (D) the Department of Agriculture; and 

21 (E) any other Federal agency that the Ad22 ministrator permits to use the unified disaster 

23 application system under subsection (d). 

24 (4) DISASTER ASSISTANCE INFORMATION.—The 

25 term ‘‘disaster assistance information’’ includes any 


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1 personal, demographic, biographical, geographical, fi2 nancial information, or other information that a dis3 aster assistance agency or block grant recipient is au4 thorized to collect, maintain, share, or use to process 

5 an application for disaster assistance or otherwise 

6 carry out a disaster assistance program. 

7 (5) DISASTER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.—The term 

8 ‘‘disaster assistance program’’ means— 

9 (A) any program that provides assistance to 

10 individuals and households under title IV or title 

11 V of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 

12 Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170 et 

13 seq.); or 

14 (B) any other assistance program carried 

15 out by a disaster assistance agency that provides 

16 assistance to an individual, household, or orga17 nization related to a major disaster or emergency 

18 declared under sections 401 or 501 of such Act, 

19 including— 

20 (i) assistance for activities related to 

21 disaster relief, long-term recovery, restora22 tion of infrastructure and housing, eco23 nomic revitalization, and mitigation that 

24 are authorized under title I of the Housing 


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1 and Community Development Act of 1974 

2 (42 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.); 

3 (ii) any loan that is authorized under 

4 section 7(b) of the Small Business Act (15 

5 U.S.C. 636(b)); and 

6 (iii) the distribution of food benefit al7 lotments as authorized under section 412 of 

8 the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 

9 Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5179) 

10 and section 5(h) of the Food Stamp Act of 

11 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2014(h)). 

12 SEC. 3. UNIVERSAL APPLICATION FOR INDIVIDUAL ASSIST13 ANCE. 

14 (a) UNIVERSAL APPLICATION.—The Administrator of 

15 the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall develop 

16 and establish a universal application for direct Federal dis17 aster assistance for individuals in areas impacted by emer18 gencies or disasters. 

19 (b) CONSULTATION AND SUPPORT.— 

20 (1) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out this sec21 tion, the Administrator shall consult with the fol22 lowing: 

23 (A) The Director of the Office of Manage24 ment and Budget. 


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1 (B) The Administrator of the Small Busi2 ness Administration. 

3 (C) The Secretary of Housing and Urban 

4 Development. 

5 (D) The Secretary of Agriculture. 

6 (2) SUPPORT.—The entities described in para7 graph (1) shall provide prompt support to the Admin8 istrator. 

9 (c) SURVEY.—The application established under sub10 section (a) shall include a voluntary survey to collect the 

11 demographic data of an applicant. 

12 (d) GAO ASSESSMENT ON IDENTITY THEFT AND DIS13 ASTER FRAUD IN DISASTER ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS.—Not 

14 later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, 

15 the Comptroller General of the United States shall— 

16 (1) conduct an assessment of improper and po17 tentially fraudulent Federal disaster assistance for in18 dividuals made to survivors of major disasters de19 clared in 2020 and 2021, including through identity 

20 theft; and 

21 (2) submit to the Committee on Transportation 

22 and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives 

23 and the Committee on Homeland Security and Gov24 ernmental Affairs of the Senate a report that de25 scribes— 


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1 (A) the prevalence of improper and poten2 tially fraudulent Federal disaster assistance for 

3 individuals made to registrants who used invalid 

4 information to apply for disaster assistance, in5 cluding through identity theft; 

6 (B) the number of disaster survivors whose 

7 claims for Federal disaster assistance for indi8 viduals were denied due to another individual 

9 filing a fraudulent application using their per10 sonal identifying information; 

11 (C) the adequacy of existing fraud preven12 tion protocols in place on the Federal Emergency 

13 Management Agency’s online application for 

14 Federal disaster assistance for individuals; and 

15 (D) recommendations for improving the 

16 identity verification protocols in place for Fed17 eral disaster assistance for individuals. 

18 SEC. 4. REPAIR AND REBUILDING. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 408(b)(1) of the Robert T. 

20 Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 

21 U.S.C. 5174(b)(1)) is amended— 

22 (1) by striking ‘‘rendered uninhabitable’’ and in23 serting ‘‘damaged by a major disaster’’; and 


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1 (2) by striking ‘‘uninhabitable, as a result of 

2 damage caused by a major disaster’’ and inserting 

3 ‘‘damaged by a major disaster’’. 

4 (b) HAZARD MITIGATION.—Section 408 of the Robert 

5 T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 

6 (42 U.S.C. 5174) is amended— 

7 (1) in subsection (c) by adding at the end the fol8 lowing: 

9 ‘‘(5) HAZARD MITIGATION.— 

10 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The President may pro11 vide financial assistance to individuals and 

12 households whose primary residence, utilities, or 

13 residential infrastructure are damaged by a 

14 major disaster, for cost-effective hazard mitiga15 tion measures that reduce threats to life and 

16 property, or future damage to such residence, 

17 utilities, or infrastructure in future disasters. 

18 ‘‘(B) RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER ASSIST19 ANCE.—A recipient of assistance provided under 

20 this paragraph shall not be required to show that 

21 the assistance can be met through other means, 

22 except insurance proceeds.’’; and 

23 (2) in subsection (h)— 


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1 (A) in paragraph (1) by inserting ‘‘, finan2 cial assistance for hazard mitigation under sub3 section (c)(5)(A),’’ after ‘‘subsection (c)(1)(A)(i)’’; 

4 (B) in paragraph (3) by striking ‘‘para5 graphs (1) and (2)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraphs 

6 (1), (2), and (3)’’; and 

7 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(5) HAZARD MITIGATION.—The maximum fi9 nancial assistance any individual or household may 

10 receive under subsection (c)(5) shall be equivalent to 

11 the amount set forth in paragraph (1) with respect to 

12 a single major disaster.’’. 

13 SEC. 5. DIRECT ASSISTANCE. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 408(c) of the Robert T. 

15 Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 

16 U.S.C. 5174(c)) is further amended by striking paragraph 

17 (2) and inserting the following: 

18 ‘‘(2) REPAIRS.— 

19 ‘‘(A) FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR RE20 PAIRS.—The President may provide financial 

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1 viduals with disabilities, rendered inaccessible by 

2 a major disaster. 

3 ‘‘(B) DIRECT ASSISTANCE FOR REPAIRS.— 

4 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The President may 

5 provide direct assistance to individuals and 

6 households who are unable to make use of fi7 nancial assistance under subparagraph (A) 

8 and when there is a lack of available re9 sources, for— 

10 ‘‘(I) the repair of owner-occupied 

11 private residences, utilities, and resi12 dential infrastructure (such as a pri13 vate access route) damaged by a major 

14 disaster, or with respect to individuals 

15 with disabilities, rendered inaccessible 

16 by a disaster; and 

17 ‘‘(II) eligible hazard mitigation 

18 measures that reduce the likelihood and 

19 future damage to such residences, utili20 ties, and infrastructure. 

21 ‘‘(ii) ELIGIBILITY.—A recipient of as22 sistance under this subparagraph shall not 

23 be eligible for assistance under paragraph 

24 (1), unless otherwise determined by the Ad25 ministrator. 


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1 ‘‘(C) RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER ASSIST2 ANCE.—A recipient of assistance provided under 

3 this paragraph shall not be required to show that 

4 the assistance can be met through other means, 

5 except insurance proceeds.’’. 

6 (b) STATE- OR INDIAN TRIBAL GOVERNMENT-ADMINIS7 TERED ASSISTANCE AND OTHER NEEDS ASSISTANCE.— 

8 Section 408(f) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 

9 Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174(f)) is amend10 ed— 

11 (1) by striking ‘‘subsections (c)(1)(B), (c)(4), and 

12 (e)’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘paragraphs 

13 (1)(B), (2)(B), and (4) of subsection (c) and sub14 section (e)’’; and 

15 (2) in paragraph (3)(A) by striking ‘‘subsection 

16 (c)(1)(B), (c)(4), or (e)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraph 

17 (1)(B), (2)(B), or (4) of subsection (c) or subsection 

18 (e)’’. 

19 SEC. 6. STATE-MANAGED HOUSING PILOT AUTHORITY. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 408 of the Robert T. Staf21 ford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 

22 U.S.C. 5174) is amended— 

23 (1) in subsection (f)(3)— 

24 (A) in subparagraph (A)— 


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1 (i) by striking ‘‘A State’’ and inserting 

2 the following: 

3 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—A State’’; and 

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

5 ‘‘(ii) TRANSPARENCY.—The President 

6 shall make public the criteria used to evalu7 ate applications under clause (i) and deter8 mine if a State or Indian tribal government 

9 meets the criteria described in subpara10 graph (B) to administer grants described in 

11 paragraph (1)(A).’’; 

12 (B) in subparagraph (C)(ii)— 

13 (i) in subclause (I) by striking ‘‘; and’’ 

14 and inserting a semicolon; 

15 (ii) in subclause (II) by striking the 

16 period at the end and inserting a semicolon; 

17 and 

18 (iii) by adding at the end the fol19 lowing: 

20 ‘‘(III) outline the approach of the 

21 State to help disaster survivors create 

22 a permanent housing plan; and 

23 ‘‘(IV) outline the approach of the 

24 State to provide individual disaster 


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1 survivors some choice of communities 

2 and properties, as practicable.’’; 

3 (C) by striking subparagraph (F); 

4 (D) by redesignating subparagraphs (G), 

5 (H), (I), and (J) as subparagraphs (F), (G), 

6 (H), and (I), respectively; and 

7 (E) in subparagraph (I), as so redesig8 nated— 

9 (i) in clause (ii) by striking ‘‘Not later 

10 than 2 years after the date of enactment of 

11 this paragraph, the’’ and inserting ‘‘The’’; 

12 and 

13 (ii) in clause (iii) by striking ‘‘2 

14 years’’ and inserting ‘‘10 years’’; and 

15 (2) in subsection (g)— 

16 (A) in paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘para17 graph (2)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraphs (2) and 

18 (3)’’; and 

19 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(3) DISASTER ASSISTANCE.—In the case of as21 sistance provided under subsections (c)(1)(B), 

22 (c)(2)(B), and (c)(4), the Federal share shall be not 

23 less than 75 percent.’’. 

24 (b) GAO ASSESSMENT.—Upon the expiration of the 

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1 ford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 

2 U.S.C. 5174(f)) as a pilot program, the Comptroller Gen3 eral of the United States shall issue a report on the effective4 ness, successes, and challenges of any pilot program carried 

5 out pursuant to such section and make recommendations 

6 on how to improve the provision of assistance under such 

7 section. 

8 SEC. 7. MANAGEMENT COSTS. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 324(b)(2) of the Robert T. 

10 Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 

11 U.S.C. 5165b(b)(2)) is amended by adding at the end the 

12 following: 

13 ‘‘(C) INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE.—A grantee 

14 under section 408(f) may be reimbursed not more 

15 than 12 percent of the total award amount under 

16 each such section. 

17 ‘‘(D) CRISIS COUNSELING ASSISTANCE, 

18 TRAINING, AND CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES.— 

19 A grantee and subgrantee, cumulatively, may be 

20 reimbursed not more than 15 percent of the total 

21 amount of the grant award under either section 

22 416 or 426.’’. 

23 (b) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—Section 408(f)(1) of the 

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1 ance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174), as amended by section 5(b) of 

2 this Act, is amended— 

3 (1) by striking ‘‘(A) GRANT TO STATE.—’’ and 

4 all that follows through ‘‘subsection (g),’’ and insert5 ing ‘‘Subject to subsection (g),’’; and 

6 (2) by striking subparagraph (B). 

7 SEC. 8. FUNDING FOR ONLINE GUIDES FOR POST-DISASTER 

8 ASSISTANCE. 

9 (a) USE OF SERVICES OF OTHER AGENCIES.—Section 

10 201(a) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emer11 gency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5131(a)) is amended— 

12 (1) in paragraph (7), by striking the period at 

13 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

15 ‘‘(8) post-disaster assistance.’’. 

16 (b) GRANTS FOR ONLINE GUIDES FOR ASSISTANCE.— 

17 Section 201 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 

18 Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5131) is amended by 

19 adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(e) FUNDING FOR ONLINE GUIDES FOR ASSIST21 ANCE.— 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the 

23 Federal Emergency Management Agency may provide 

24 funding to a State agency established under sub25 section (c) to establish, update, or operate a website 


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1 to provide information relating to post-disaster recov2 ery funding and resources to a community or an in3 dividual impacted by a major disaster or emergency. 

4 ‘‘(2) MANAGEMENT.—A website created under 

5 this subsection shall be— 

6 ‘‘(A) managed by the State agency; and 

7 ‘‘(B) suitable for the residents of the State 

8 of the State agency. 

9 ‘‘(3) CONTENT.—The Administrator may provide 

10 funding to a State agency under this subsection to es11 tablish a website that contains only 1 or more of the 

12 following: 

13 ‘‘(A) A list of Federal, State, and local 

14 sources of post-disaster recovery funding or as15 sistance that may be available to a community 

16 after a major disaster or emergency. 

17 ‘‘(B) A list of Federal, State, and local 

18 sources of post-disaster recovery funding or as19 sistance that may be available to an individual 

20 impacted by a major disaster or emergency. 

21 ‘‘(C) A technical guide that lists and ex22 plains the costs and benefits of alternatives 

23 available to a community to mitigate the im24 pacts of a major disaster or emergency and preVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:31 Feb 15, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00026 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H1796.RH H1796

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1 pare for sequential hazards such as flooding after 

2 a wildfire. 

3 ‘‘(4) COOPERATION.—A State agency that re4 ceives funding under this subsection shall cooperate 

5 with the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of 

6 Agriculture, the Secretary of Housing and Urban De7 velopment, the Administrator of the Small Business 

8 Administration, and the Administrator of the Federal 

9 Emergency Management Agency in developing a 

10 website under this subsection. 

11 ‘‘(5) UPDATES.—A State agency that receives 

12 funding to establish a website under this subsection 

13 shall update the website not less than once every 6 

14 months.’’. 

15 SEC. 9. INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE DASHBOARD. 

16 Title IV of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 

17 Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170 et seq.) is 

18 amended by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘SEC. 431. INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE DASHBOARD. 

20 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after a dec21 laration by the President that a major disaster exists under 

22 section 401, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency 

23 Management Agency shall publish on a website of the Agen24 cy an interactive web tool displaying the following informa25 tion with respect to such disaster: 


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1 ‘‘(1) The number of applications for assistance 

2 under section 408, including a description of the 

3 number of applications for assistance related to hous4 ing under such section and the number of applica5 tions for assistance to address other needs under sec6 tion 408(e). 

7 ‘‘(2) The number of applications for such assist8 ance that are approved. 

9 ‘‘(3) The number of applications for such assist10 ance that are denied. 

11 ‘‘(4) A ranked list of the reasons for the denial 

12 of such applications, including the number of appli13 cations for each reason for denial. 

14 ‘‘(5) If available, the dollar amount of assistance 

15 provided pursuant to section 408 to applicants who 

16 are— 

17 ‘‘(A) property owners with a household an18 nual income— 

19 ‘‘(i) above the national median house20 hold income; and 

21 ‘‘(ii) below the national median house22 hold income; and 

23 ‘‘(B) renters with a household annual in24 come— 


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1 ‘‘(i) above the national median house2 hold income; and 

3 ‘‘(ii) below the national median house4 hold income. 

5 ‘‘(6) The estimated percentage of residential 

6 property that was destroyed as a result of the major 

7 disaster, if available. 

8 ‘‘(7) Any other information that the Adminis9 trator determines to be relevant. 

10 ‘‘(b) PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION.—The 

11 Administrator shall ensure that none of the information 

12 published under subsection (a) contains the personally iden13 tifiable information of an applicant.’’. 

14 SEC. 10. FEMA REPORTS. 

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

16 date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Fed17 eral Emergency Management Agency shall submit to the 

18 Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the 

19 House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland 

20 Security and Government Affairs of the Senate a report 

21 with respect to fiscal year 2016 through the most recent fis22 cal year ending before the date of enactment of this Act, 

23 and an annual report for any fiscal year beginning on or 

24 after the date of enactment of this Act, describing— 


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1 (1) the average amount of individual assistance 

2 and individual and household assistance provided 

3 under section 408 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 

4 Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 

5 et seq.) to, and the rate of denial of individual assist6 ance and individual and household assistance pro7 vided under such section for— 

8 (A) all individuals; 

9 (B) households; 

10 (C) individuals and households with a re11 ported annual income under 75 percent of the 

12 national median household income; 

13 (D) individuals with a reported annual in14 come over 125 percent of the national median 

15 household income; and 

16 (E) individuals with a reported annual in17 come between 75 percent and 125 percent of the 

18 national median household income; and 

19 (2) an explanation for any factors causing an 

20 increase in the rate of denial of the assistance de21 scribed in paragraph (1), if applicable. 

22 (b) INFORMATION REQUIRED.—In the report sub23 mitted under subsection (a), the Administrator shall de24 scribe the number of homeowners and the number of renters 


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1 for each category of individuals and households described 

2 in subparagraphs (C) through (E) of subsection (a)(1). 

3 SEC. 11. SHELTERING OF EMERGENCY RESPONSE PER4 SONNEL. 

5 Section 403 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 

6 and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170b) is amend7 ed by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(e) SHELTERING OF EMERGENCY RESPONSE PER9 SONNEL.— 

10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For any major disaster for 

11 which the President has authorized emergency protec12 tive measures for an area within the jurisdiction of 

13 a State, tribal, or local government, the Adminis14 trator may reimburse the State, tribal, or local gov15 ernment for costs relating to sheltering emergency re16 sponse personnel, including individuals that are a 

17 part of the same predisaster household as such per18 sonnel, in exclusive-use congregate or non-congregate 

19 settings if the Governor of the State or chief executive 

20 of the tribal or local government determines that the 

21 damage or disruption to such area is of such a mag22 nitude as to disrupt the provision of emergency pro23 tective measures within such area. 

24 ‘‘(2) LIMITATION OF ASSISTANCE.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator 

2 may only reimburse a State, tribal, or local gov3 ernment for the costs of sheltering emergency re4 sponse personnel under paragraph (1) for such a 

5 period of time as the Administrator determines 

6 reasonable based in the individual characteristics 

7 of and impacts to the affected area, including the 

8 extent of damage, the availability of alternative 

9 housing options, the availability of utilities, and 

10 disruptions to transportation infrastructure. 

11 ‘‘(B) MAXIMUM DURATION OF REIMBURSE12 MENT.—The period of reimbursement under sub13 paragraph (A) may not exceed the 6-month pe14 riod beginning on the date on which the incident 

15 period ends. 

16 ‘‘(3) DEFINITION.—In this subsection, the term 

17 ‘emergency response personnel’ means— 

18 ‘‘(A) employees or contracted employees pro19 viding law enforcement, fire suppression, rescue, 

20 emergency medical, emergency management, or 

21 emergency communications services; and 

22 ‘‘(B) elected officials, except members of 

23 Congress, responsible for the overseeing or direct24 ing emergency response operations or recovery 

25 activities.’’. 


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1 SEC. 12. IMPROVED RENTAL ASSISTANCE. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 408(c)(1)(A)(ii) of the Rob3 ert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 

4 Act (42 U.S.C. 5174(c)(1)(A)(ii)) is amended by inserting 

5 ‘‘, including local post-disaster rent increases,’’ after ‘‘ac6 commodation provided’’. 

7 (b) STUDY.—Not later than 1 year after the date of 

8 enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal 

9 Emergency Management Agency shall conduct a study to 

10 examine the unique challenges of renters when seeking Fed11 eral disaster assistance and any disparities of assistance 

12 provided to homeowners and renters pursuant to section 

13 408 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emer14 gency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174) and develop a plan 

15 that addresses any identified challenges and disparities, in16 cluding any recommendations for legislative action. 

17 (c) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Upon completion of the 

18 activities carried out under subsection (b), the Adminis19 trator shall submit to the Committee on Transportation and 

20 Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Com21 mittee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of 

22 the Senate a report containing the study and recommenda23 tions required under subsection (b). 

24 (d) CONSULTATION.—In completing the study and re25 port required under subsections (b) and (c), the AdminisVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:31 Feb 15, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00033 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H1796.RH H1796

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1 trator shall consult with appropriate Federal entities and 

2 stakeholders involved in disaster housing. 

3 SEC. 13. GAO REPORT ON PRELIMINARY DAMAGE ASSESS4 MENTS. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Comptroller General of the 

6 United States shall conduct a study on the practices, in7 cluding the accuracy of such practices, that the Federal 

8 Emergency Management Agency uses when conducting pre9 liminary damage assessments for the purposes of providing 

10 assistance under section 408 of the Robert T. Stafford Dis11 aster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42. U.S.C. 

12 5174). 

13 (b) CONTENTS.—The Comptroller General shall in14 clude in the study conducted under subsection (a) the fol15 lowing: 

16 (1) A comparison of the process and procedures 

17 used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency 

18 to complete preliminary damage assessments to the 

19 process and procedures used by private insurance 

20 companies following a major disaster. 

21 (2) A review of training provided to individuals 

22 conducting preliminary damage assessments. 

23 (3) A comparison of damage estimates for homes 

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1 come to homes owned by individuals at or below the 

2 national median income. 

3 SEC. 14. APPLICABILITY. 

4 The amendments made by sections 4, 5, 7, 8, and 11 

5 shall only apply to amounts appropriated on or after the 

6 date of enactment of this Act. 

7 SEC. 15. GAO REPORT TO CONGRESS ON CHALLENGES 

8 UNDER PUBLIC ASSISTANCE ALTERNATIVE 

9 PROCEDURES. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Comptroller General of the 

11 United States shall conduct a study on the challenges to 

12 States and Territories of the United States in obtaining as13 sistance under section 428 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 

14 Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5189f). 

15 (b) CONTENTS.—In conducting the study described in 

16 subsection (a), the Comptroller General shall study the chal17 lenges for assistance described in subsection (a) faced by the 

18 following: 

19 (1) Rural areas, as such term is defined in sec20 tion 423 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 

21 Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5189a). 

22 (2) Small impoverished communities, as such 

23 term is defined in section 203 of such Act. 

24 (3) Other communities, areas, or individuals 

25 that the Comptroller General determines pertinent. 


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1 (c) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 1 year 

2 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller Gen3 eral shall submit to Congress a report describing the results 

4 of the study required under subsection (a). 


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Union Calendar No. 319 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 1796 

[Report No. 118–390, Part I] 

A BILL 

To improve individual assistance provided by the 

other purposes. Federal Emergency Management Agency, and for 

FEBRUARY 14, 2024 

Reported from the Committee on Transportation and 

Infrastructure with an amendment 

FEBRUARY 14, 2024 

Committees on Financial Services and Small Business 

printed House on the State of the Union and ordered to be discharged; committed to the Committee of the Whole 


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