Title: COUNT Victims Act
Policy area: Emergency Management

Summary:
Counting Our Unexpected Natural Tragedies' Victims Act of 2018 or the COUNT Victims Act
This bill directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to contract with the National Academy of Medicine to conduct a study of matters concerning best practices in mortality counts as a result of a major disaster. A report on the study must be completed and transmitted to FEMA within two years after the contract date of September 30, 2018.
The study shall address approaches to quantifying mortality and significant morbidity among populations affected by major disasters and shall include best practices and policy recommendations.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6048 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6048

 To require a study and report on matters concerning best practices in 
           mortality counts as a result of a major disaster.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 7, 2018

Ms. Velazquez introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
             Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require a study and report on matters concerning best practices in 
           mortality counts as a result of a major disaster.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Counting Our Unexpected Natural 
Tragedies' Victims Act of 2018'' or the ``COUNT Victims Act''.

SEC. 2. STUDY AND REPORT.

    (a) In General.--Not later than September 30, 2018, the 
Administrator of Federal Emergency Management Agency shall enter into a 
contract with the National Academy of Medicine to conduct a study and 
prepare a report as described in subsection (b).
    (b) Study and Report.--
            (1) Study.--
                    (A) In general.--The study described in this 
                subsection shall be a study of matters concerning best 
                practices in mortality counts as a result of a major 
                disaster (as defined in section 102 of the Robert T. 
                Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 
                (42 U.S.C. 5122)).
                    (B) Contents.--The study described in this 
                subsection shall address approaches to quantifying 
                mortality and significant morbidity among populations 
                affected by major disasters, to include best practices 
                and policy recommendations for--
                            (i) equitable and timely attribution, in 
                        order to, among other things, facilitate access 
                        to available benefits;
                            (ii) timely prospective tracking of 
                        population levels of mortality and significant 
                        morbidity, and their causes, in order to 
                        continuously inform response efforts; and
                            (iii) retrospective study of disaster-
                        related mortality and significant morbidity to 
                        inform after-action analysis and improve 
                        subsequent preparedness efforts.
            (2) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date on which 
        the contract described in subsection (a) is entered into, the 
        National Academy of Medicine shall complete and transmit to the 
        Administrator of Federal Emergency Management Agency a report 
        on the study described in paragraph (1).
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $2,000,000 for fiscal years 2018 
through 2020.
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