I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1796 
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 Lou-
isiana) 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 subse-
quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To improve individual assistance provided by the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Disaster Survivors Fairness Act of 2023’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
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. 
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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. 
(c) DEFINITIONS.—Except as otherwise provided, the 
terms used in this Act have the meanings given such terms 
in section 102 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122). 
SEC. 2. INFORMATION SHARING FOR FEDERAL AGENCIES. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF UNIFIED DISASTER APPLI-
CATION SYSTEM.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Administrator of the 
Federal Emergency Management Agency shall estab-
lish and maintain a web-based interagency electronic 
information sharing system, to be known as the 
‘‘unified disaster application system’’, to— 
(A) facilitate the administration of the uni-
versal application for direct Federal disaster as-
sistance established under section 3; 
(B) carry out the purposes of disaster as-
sistance programs swiftly, efficiently, equitably, 
and in accordance with applicable laws, regula-
tions, and the privacy and data protections pro-
vided under this section; and 
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(C) support the detection, prevention, and 
investigation of waste, fraud, abuse, inequitable 
allocation of resources, or discrimination in the 
administration of disaster assistance programs. 
(2) AUTHORITIES OF ADMINISTRATOR.—In es-
tablishing and maintaining the unified disaster ap-
plication system under this subsection, the Adminis-
trator may collect and maintain disaster assistance 
information received from a disaster assistance 
agency, a block grant recipient, or an applicant for 
a disaster assistance program and share such infor-
mation with any other disaster assistance agency or 
block grant recipient using such system. 
(3) REQUIREMENTS.—The Administrator shall 
ensure that the unified disaster application system 
established and maintained under this subsection— 
(A) allows an applicant to receive status 
updates on an application for disaster assist-
ance programs submitted though such system; 
(B) allows for applicants to update disaster 
assistance information throughout the recovery 
journeys of such applicants in accordance with 
established application timeframes; 
(C) allows for the distribution to applicants 
of information about additional recovery re-
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sources that may be available in a disaster 
stricken area; 
(D) provides an applicant with information 
and documentation relating to an application 
for a disaster assistance program submitted by 
such applicant; and 
(E) contains any other capabilities deter-
mined necessary by the head of a disaster as-
sistance agency. 
(b) DATA SECURITY.—The Administrator may facili-
tate the collection of disaster assistance information into 
the unified disaster application system established under 
subsection (a) only after the following requirements have 
been met: 
(1) The Administrator certifies that the unified 
disaster application system substantially complies 
with the data security standards and best practices 
established pursuant to subchapter II of chapter 35 
of title 44, United States Code, and any other appli-
cable Federal information security policy. 
(2) The Secretary of Homeland Security pub-
lishes a privacy impact assessment for the unified 
disaster application system, in accordance with sec-
tion 208(b)(1)(B) of the E-Government Act of 2002 
(44 U.S.C. 3501 note). 
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(3) The Administrator, after consulting with 
disaster assistance agencies, publishes standard 
rules of behavior for disaster assistance agencies, 
block grant recipients, and personnel granted access 
to disaster assistance information to protect such in-
formation from improper disclosure. 
(c) COLLECTION
AND SHARING
OF ADDITIONAL 
RECORDS AND INFORMATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator may au-
thorize the additional collection, maintenance, shar-
ing, and use of disaster assistance information by 
publishing a notice on the unified disaster applica-
tion system established under subsection (a) that in-
cludes a detailed description of— 
(A) the specific amendments to the collec-
tion, maintenance, and sharing of disaster as-
sistance information authorized; 
(B) why each such amendment to how dis-
aster assistance information is collected, main-
tained, or shared is necessary to carry out the 
purposes of a disaster assistance program and 
consistent with the fair information practice 
principles; and 
(C) the disaster assistance agencies and 
block grant recipients that will be granted ac-
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