I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3459 

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

Act to expand eligibility for individual and public assistance to certain 

areas and to include cumulative damage from multiple natural catastrophes in the definition of major disaster, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 21, 2021 

Mr. BABIN (for himself and Mr. GARAMENDI) 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 expand eligibility for individual 

and public assistance to certain areas and to include 

cumulative damage from multiple natural catastrophes 

in the definition of major disaster, 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 ‘‘Regional Impact of 

5 Disasters and Emergencies Relief Act’’ or the ‘‘RIDER 

6 Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. CONTIGUOUS AREA. 

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

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

4 amended by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘SEC. 431. CONTIGUOUS AREA. 

6 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Any area under the jurisdiction 

7 of a State or local government that is contiguous to an 

8 area that the President designates as eligible to receive 

9 any form of covered assistance as a result of a major dis10 aster may be deemed by the Administrator of the Federal 

11 Emergency Management Agency to be eligible to receive 

12 such assistance with respect to such disaster. 

13 ‘‘(b) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘covered 

14 assistance’ means— 

15 ‘‘(1) hazard mitigation assistance provided 

16 under section 404; 

17 ‘‘(2) any assistance provided to an individual or 

18 household under sections 408, 410, 415, 416, or 

19 426; and 

20 ‘‘(3) any public assistance provided under sec21 tions 403, 406, or 407.’’. 

22 SEC. 3. CUMULATIVE DAMAGE. 

23 (a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 102(2) of the Robert T. 

24 Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 

25 (42 U.S.C. 5122(2)) is amended— 


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1 (1) by striking ‘‘ ‘Major disaster’ means’’ and 

2 inserting ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘major dis3 aster’ means’’; and 

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

5 ‘‘(B) INCLUSION.—The term ‘major dis6 aster’ includes more than 1 natural catastrophe, 

7 fire, flood, or explosion described in subpara8 graph (A) that occurs in a 12-month period and 

9 that individually does not cause damage of suf10 ficient severity and magnitude to warrant major 

11 disaster assistance under this Act, but that, in 

12 the determination of the President, cumula13 tively causes damage of sufficient severity and 

14 magnitude to warrant such assistance.’’. 

15 (b) INTERIM GUIDANCE.—Not later than 60 days 

16 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator 

17 of the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall issue 

18 interim guidance to implement the amendments made by 

19 subsection (a). 

20 (c) RULEMAKING.—Not later than 18 months after 

21 the date of enactment of this Act, the President, acting 

22 through the Administrator of the Federal Emergency 

23 Management Agency, shall issue such rules and regula24 tions as are necessary to— 


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1 (1) ensure compliance with section 1232 of the 

2 FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (Public Law 115– 

3 254); and 

4 (2) implement the amendments made by sub5 section (a). 

Æ 


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