I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2458 

To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 

Act to establish an emergency preparedness grant program for higher 

education institutions, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 3, 2023 

Mr. CARTER of Louisiana introduced the following bill; which was referred to 

the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

A BILL 

To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to establish an emergency preparedness grant program for higher education institutions, 

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 ‘‘Emergency Prepared5 ness in Higher Education Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION EMERGENCY 

2 PREPAREDNESS GRANT PROGRAM. 

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

4 date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of FEMA 

5 shall establish a grant program within FEMA to create 

6 or expand programs at higher education institutions that 

7 foster, promote, and increase programs, initiatives, and 

8 opportunities for higher education institutions and emer9 gency management and preparedness among higher edu10 cation institutions. 

11 (b) APPLICATIONS.—A higher education institution 

12 seeking a grant under this section shall submit to the Ad13 ministrator an application that contains a description of— 

14 (1) the need for and proposed use of grant 

15 funds to promote emergency management and pre16 paredness among students, administrators, and fac17 ulty at such higher education institution; 

18 (2) how the programs, initiatives, or opportuni19 ties created or expanded with the grant funds will 

20 provide support to students, administrators, and fac21 ulty at such higher education institution who— 

22 (A) seek support for an established emer23 gency management concern; or 

24 (B) need assistance in establishing an 

25 emergency management concern; and 


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1 (3) how the higher education institution will 

2 create or expand programs, initiatives, or opportuni3 ties that— 

4 (A) increase higher education institutions 

5 recovery efforts to disasters or emergencies; 

6 (B) expand access to construction, replace7 ment, renovation, and operations costs resulting 

8 from the disaster or emergency; 

9 (C) assist enrolled students displaced from 

10 disasters and emergencies which operations 

11 were disrupted by a disaster or emergency; and 

12 (D) assist for activities replacing instruc13 tional materials and equipment, paying educa14 tor and staff incentives, modernizing, ren15 ovating, or repairing school buildings. 

16 (c) SELECTION.—In making grants under this sec17 tion, the Administrator shall evaluate applications from 

18 among the same type of higher education institution. 

19 (d) AMOUNT OF GRANT.—A grant awarded under 

20 this section shall be not less than $250,000. 

21 (e) USE OF GRANT FUNDS.—A higher education in22 stitution that receives a grant under the Program shall 

23 use grant amounts to support the creation or expansion 

24 of program initiatives, or opportunities that offer emerVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:13 Apr 12, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2458.IH H2458

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1 gency preparedness resources that support students en2 rolled at the higher education institution, such as— 

3 (1) increasing higher education institutions re4 covery efforts to disasters or emergencies; 

5 (2) expanding access to construction, replace6 ment, renovation, and operations costs resulting 

7 from the disaster or emergency; 

8 (3) assisting enrolled students displaced from 

9 disasters and emergencies which operations were dis10 rupted by a disaster or emergency; and 

11 (4) assisting for activities replacing instruc12 tional materials and equipment; paying educator and 

13 staff incentives; modernizing, renovating, or repair14 ing school buildings. 

15 (f) SUBMISSION REQUIREMENT.—A higher education 

16 institution awarded a grant under this section shall, not 

17 less than 6 months and not more than 12 months after 

18 the receipt of a grant, submit to the Administrator a re19 port that contains, for the period covered by the report, 

20 the number of— 

21 (1) students enrolled at the higher education in22 stitution who were impacted by an emergency and 

23 were assisted with the grant funds; and 


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1 (2) emergency and disaster relief concerns cre2 ated through the expenditure of the grant funds, in3 cluding, with respect to each such concern— 

4 (A) the name of such concern; 

5 (B) a description of the emergency or dis6 aster of the concern; and 

7 (C) the amount of grant funds expended in 

8 creating the concern. 

9 (g) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 18 

10 months after the date on which the first grant is awarded 

11 under the program under this section, and annually there12 after, the Administrator shall submit to Congress a report 

13 that contains information regarding the higher education 

14 institutions to which grants were made under the program 

15 for the period covered by the report, which shall include— 

16 (1) the name of each such higher education in17 stitution and the amount of each such grant; 

18 (2) the number of students assisted with grant 

19 funds— 

20 (A) at each higher education institution to 

21 which a grant was made under the program; 

22 and 

23 (B) in total under the program; 


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1 (3) the number of emergency and disaster con2 cerns created through the expenditure of grant 

3 funds— 

4 (A) at each higher education institution to 

5 which a grant was made under the program; 

6 and 

7 (B) in total under the program; 

8 (4) the number of students impacted by emer9 gency or disaster concerns created through the ex10 penditure of grant funds— 

11 (A) at each higher education institution to 

12 which a grant was made under the program; 

13 and 

14 (B) in total under the program; 

15 (5) the number of students referred to re16 sources of FEMA— 

17 (A) at each higher education institution to 

18 which a grant was made under the program; 

19 and 

20 (B) in total under the program; 

21 (6) the number of students participating in the 

22 programs, initiatives, or opportunities created or ex23 panded through the expenditure of grant funds, 

24 disaggregated, to the maximum extent possible, by 

25 sex, race, and ethnicity— 


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1 (A) at each higher education institution to 

2 which a grant was made under the program; 

3 and 

4 (B) in total under the program; 

5 (7) a statement regarding whether any amounts 

6 made available to carry out this section remain un7 expended, as of the date on which the report is sub8 mitted. 

9 (h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

10 (1) FEMA.—The term ‘‘FEMA’’ means the 

11 Federal Emergency Management Agency. 

12 (2) HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION.—The 

13 term ‘‘higher education institution’’ means any of 

14 the following types of institutions: 

15 (A) A historically Black college or univer16 sity. 

17 (B) A Hispanic-serving institution, as that 

18 term is defined in section 502(a) of the Higher 

19 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1101a(a)). 

20 (C) A Tribal College or University, as that 

21 term is defined in section 316(b) of the Higher 

22 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c(b)). 

23 (D) An Alaska Native-serving institution, 

24 as that term is defined in section 317(b) of the 


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1 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

2 1059d(b)). 

3 (E) A Native Hawaiian-serving institution, 

4 as that term is defined in section 317(b) of the 

5 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

6 1059d(b)). 

7 (F) A Predominantly Black Institution, as 

8 that term is defined in section 318(b) of the 

9 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

10 1059e(b)). 

11 (G) A Native American-serving, nontribal 

12 institution, as that term is defined in section 

13 319(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 

14 (20 U.S.C. 1059f(b)). 

15 (H) An Asian-American and Native Amer16 ican Pacific Islander-serving institution, as that 

17 term is defined in section 320(b) of the Higher 

18 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059g(b)). 

19 (I) An institution of higher education, as 

20 such term is defined in section 101(a) of the 

21 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

22 1001(a)). 

23 (J) A vocational-technical college or uni24 versity. 


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1 (K) A career college or university. 

Æ 


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