IIB 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 259 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 26, 2023 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and 

Governmental Affairs 

AN ACT 

To provide for an online repository for certain reporting 

requirements for recipients of Federal 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Post-Disaster Assist3 ance Online Accountability Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. SUBPAGE FOR TRANSPARENCY OF DISASTER AS5 SISTANCE. 

6 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF REPOSITORY FOR REPORT7 ING REQUIREMENTS.—The Director of the Office of Man8 agement and Budget, in consultation with the Secretary 

9 of the Treasury and the head of each covered Federal 

10 agency, shall establish a subpage within the website estab11 lished under section 2 of the Federal Funding Account12 ability and Transparency Act of 2006 (31 U.S.C. 6101 

13 note) to publish the information required to be made avail14 able to the public under this section. 

15 (b) SUBMISSION OF INFORMATION BY FEDERAL

16 AGENCIES.—Not later than 30 days after the end of a 

17 calendar quarter, each covered Federal agency that made 

18 disaster assistance available to an eligible recipient during 

19 such quarter shall, in coordination with the Director of 

20 the Office of Management and Budget, make available to 

21 the public on the subpage established under subsection (a) 

22 the information described in subsection (c), and ensure 

23 that any data asset of the agency is machine readable. 

24 (c) INFORMATION REQUIRED.—The information de25 scribed in this subsection is, with respect to disaster as26 sistance provided by the covered Federal agency— 


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1 (1) the total amount of disaster assistance pro2 vided by the agency during such quarter; 

3 (2) the amount of disaster assistance provided 

4 by the agency that was expended or obligated to 

5 projects or activities; and 

6 (3) a detailed list of all projects or activities for 

7 which disaster assistance dispersed by the agency 

8 was expended, obligated, or used, including— 

9 (A) the name of the project or activity; 

10 (B) a description of the project or activity; 

11 (C) an evaluation of the completion status 

12 of the project or activity; 

13 (D) any award identification number as14 signed to the project; 

15 (E) the Catalog for Disaster Assistance 

16 number assigned by the Federal Emergency 

17 Management Agency; 

18 (F) the location of the project, including 

19 ZIP Codes; and 

20 (G) any reporting requirement information 

21 being collected by a covered Federal agency 

22 with respect to that agency’s disaster assist23 ance. 

24 (d) GUIDANCE.—Each covered Federal agency, in co25 ordination with the Director of the Office of Management 


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1 and Budget and the Secretary of the Treasury, shall issue 

2 such guidance as is necessary to meet the requirements 

3 of this Act. 

4 (e) AGREEMENT WITH PRIVATE ENTITY.—The Di5 rector, if necessary for purposes of transparency, may 

6 enter into an agreement with a private entity, including 

7 a nonprofit organization, to develop the subpage required 

8 under this section. 

9 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

10 In this Act, the following definitions apply: 

11 (1) COVERED FEDERAL AGENCY.—The term 

12 ‘‘covered Federal agency’’ means— 

13 (A) any agency providing assistance under 

14 the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 

15 Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et 

16 seq.); 

17 (B) the Small Business Administration; 

18 and 

19 (C) the Department of Housing and Urban 

20 Development. 

21 (2) DISASTER ASSISTANCE.—The term ‘‘dis22 aster assistance’’ means any funds that are made 

23 available by the Federal Government in response to 

24 a specified natural disaster, including— 


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1 (A) any assistance provided by the Admin2 istrator of the Small Business Administration 

3 as a result of a disaster declared under section 

4 7(b) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 

5 636(b)); 

6 (B) any assistance provided by the Sec7 retary of Housing and Urban Development 

8 for— 

9 (i) activities authorized under title I 

10 of the Housing and Community Develop11 ment Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.) 

12 related to disaster relief, long-term recov13 ery, restoration of infrastructure and hous14 ing, and economic revitalization in the 

15 most impacted and distressed areas result16 ing from a major disaster declared pursu17 ant to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Re18 lief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 

19 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.); and 

20 (ii) flood insurance coverage provided 

21 under the National Flood Insurance Pro22 gram pursuant to the National Flood In23 surance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4001 et 

24 seq.); and 


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1 (C) any assistance provided under the Rob2 ert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 

3 Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.). 

4 (3) ELIGIBLE RECIPIENT.—The term ‘‘eligible 

5 recipient’’— 

6 (A) means any entity that receives disaster 

7 assistance directly from the Federal Govern8 ment (including disaster assistance received 

9 through grant, loan, or contract) other than an 

10 individual; and 

11 (B) includes a State that receives disaster 

12 assistance. 

13 (4) SPECIFIED NATURAL DISASTER.—The term 

14 ‘‘specified natural disaster’’ means— 

15 (A) a fire on public or private forest land 

16 or grassland described in section 420 of the 

17 Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emer18 gency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5187); 

19 (B) a major disaster declared by the Presi20 dent under section 401 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 

21 5170); 

22 (C) an emergency declared by the Presi23 dent under section 501 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 

24 5191); and 


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1 (D) any other natural disaster for which a 

2 disaster declaration is made by the Federal 

3 Government. 

Passed the House of Representatives January 25, 

2023. 

Attest: CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 

Clerk. 


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