Title: Local Community Emergency Relief Act of 2020
Policy area: Emergency Management

Summary:
Local Community Emergency Relief Act of 2020
This bill waives cost share requirements for all federal emergency declarations and major disaster declarations during 2020.
Specifically, the bill requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide a 100% cost share in such instances. In general, FEMA disaster assistance requires a 75% cost-share commitment from the federal government with 25% provided from nonfederal sources.
The bill lists activities for which the federal cost share is waived, including

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3806 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3806

    To waive cost share requirements for certain Federal assistance 
  provided under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
                            Assistance Act.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 21, 2020

   Mrs. Hyde-Smith (for herself, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Cassidy, and Mr. 
    Peters) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To waive cost share requirements for certain Federal assistance 
  provided under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
                            Assistance Act.

    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 ``Local Community Emergency Relief Act 
of 2020''.

SEC. 2. WAIVER FOR CERTAIN COST SHARE REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) Covered Declaration Defined.--In this section, the term 
``covered declaration'' means--
            (1) a major disaster declared by the President under 
        section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
        Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170) during calendar year 
        2020; and
            (2) an emergency declared by the President under section 
        501(b) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
        Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5191(b)), or any subsequent major 
        disaster declaration under section 401 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 
        5170) that supersedes the emergency declaration, during 
        calendar year 2020.
    (b) Waiver of Cost Share Requirements.--Notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, including any agreement, the Federal share of any 
assistance awarded under a covered declaration shall be not less than 
100 percent of the eligible costs, and, for purposes of subsection 
(a)(2), shall include assistance provided for the following:
            (1) Miscellaneous costs, such as the costs of cleaning and 
        sanitizing public areas and buildings where individuals who 
        have contracted COVID-19 have been present to prevent the 
        spread of the virus.
            (2) Other needs assistance for uninsured, disaster-related 
        necessary expenses and serious needs, including--
                    (A) child care assistance for families, healthcare 
                workers, first responders, and others whose children 
                cannot attend school due to mandatory school closures 
                and daycare center closures;
                    (B) funeral and burial assistance for fatalities 
                resulting from the COVID-19 disease;
                    (C) increased operating costs for essential 
                government services due to such emergency, including 
                costs for implementing continuity plans, and sheltering 
                or housing for first responders, emergency managers, 
                health providers and other essential employees; and
                    (D) public health costs including, medical 
                services, testing (including serological testing), 
                preventative care, transportation, medical waste 
                disposal, and prescriptions for individuals who have 
                contracted COVID-19.
            (3) Mental health services.
            (4) Critical needs assistance for households with immediate 
        or critical needs for vital resources due to the disruption of 
        community services and higher demand and limited availability 
        of commodities.
            (5) Medical equipment, regardless of whether such equipment 
        is used for emergency or inpatient care, including all Federal 
        agency assets, temporary and permanent, and the non-Federal 
        purchase of such equipment.
            (6) The purchase and distribution of food, water, ice, 
        medicine, and other consumable supplies, including personal 
        protective equipment and inclusive of impacts to food stocks at 
        private, non-profit food banks and the costs of delivery.
            (7) Personal protective equipment decontamination costs.
            (8) Hospital and morgue capacity expansion projects to meet 
        actual or projected COVID-19 surge demands.
            (9) The total costs of maintaining hospital capacity 
        expansion projects as ``warm sites'' during COVID-19 non-peak 
        periods.
            (10) Public health communications campaigns related to 
        providing emergency COVID-19 information, increasing public 
        awareness of the threats, and to mitigate against future spread 
        of the virus.
            (11) Technical assistance to eligible entities.
            (12) Security and law enforcement costs, including 
        overtime, directly related to COVID-19.
    (c) Applicability.--The Federal share described in subsection (b) 
shall apply to assistance provided before, on, or after the date of 
enactment of this Act.
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