I 117th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 8525 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 27, 2022 Mr. Carter of Louisiana (for himself, Mr. Gimenez , and Mr. Neguse ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure A BILL To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish a Disaster Equity and Justice Subcommittee, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Delivering Equity and Justice for Disaster Survivors Act of 2022 . 2. Disaster Equity and Justice Subcommittee Section 508 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 ( 6 U.S.C. 318 ) is amended— (1) by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection (f); and (2) by inserting after subsection (d) the following: (e) Disaster Equity and Justice Subcommittee (1) Establishment Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of the Delivering Equity and Justice for Disaster Survivors Act of 2022 , the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall establish, as a subcommittee of the National Advisory Council, the Disaster Equity and Justice Subcommittee. (2) Membership The members of the Disaster Equity and Justice Subcommittee shall be appointed by the Administrator, in consultation with members of the National Advisory Council and the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council (or any relevant successor organization focused on environmental justice), and shall be composed of the following: (A) Individuals that have the requisite technical knowledge and expertise to address disaster equity and justice issues, including— (i) emergency management and emergency response providers, including those with direct experience serving underrepresented and underserved communities; and (ii) State, local, and Tribal government officials, particularly officials from communities that are underrepresented and underserved, communities of color, and communities that have been disadvantaged by inequitable Federal disaster assistance in the past. (B) Individuals who have the requisite technical or experiential knowledge and expertise to serve on the Disaster Equity and Justice Subcommittee, including— (i) at least 1 academic expert who has studied equity implications of disaster response and recovery efforts; and (ii) at least 1 representative from each of the following: (I) A civil rights organization. (II) A fair or affordable housing organization. (III) A Tribal and Indigenous community rights organization. (IV) An environmental justice organization. (V) A community-based and faith-based organization that aids in disaster recovery and response. (VI) An equity, justice, bias, and non-discrimination training provider. (C) Representatives of other stakeholders and interested and affected parties as the Chair considers appropriate. (3) Chair The Chair of the subcommittee shall be the Administrator. (4) Initial meeting The initial meeting of the Disaster Equity and Justice Subcommittee shall take place not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of the Delivering Equity and Justice for Disaster Survivors Act of 2022 . (5) Consultation with nonmembers The Disaster Equity and Justice Subcommittee shall consult with other relevant agencies and groups which are not represented on the Disaster Equity and Justice Subcommittee to consider new and developing practices and methods that may be beneficial to ensure the equitable and just delivery of programs and aid through the preparedness, response, and recovery cycles to communities and individuals across the United States. (6) Recommendations The Disaster Equity and Justice Subcommittee shall develop recommendations, as appropriate, for improving equitable and just policy and program delivery before, during, and after disasters, including recommendations relating to the following topics: (A) The accessibility, utilization, and receipt of Agency grants and assistance by underserved, under-resourced, and underrepresented populations and communities including— (i) subpopulations and communities of color; (ii) rural and remote communities; (iii) small communities; (iv) low-capacity communities; (v) Tribal and Indigenous communities; and (vi) environmental justice communities. (B) Strategies and policy recommendations to address the inequitable delivery of disaster assistance, grant programs, technical assistance, and training. (C) Effective strategies to prioritize and direct additional preparedness and mitigation funding to improve planning, preparedness, mitigation, and recovery outcomes as well as overall resilience in culturally, economically, and socially vulnerable communities. (D) The capability and capacity of the workforce of the Agency to deliver equitable and culturally competent assistance to underrepresented communities and the most effective training solutions to increase cultural and equity competencies. (E) The capacity and effectiveness of consultation from Tribal and Indigenous communities to the Agency and liaison roles in communicating and addressing needs of all Tribal and Indigenous communities and solutions to address existing deficiencies, including regionally specific recommendations. (F) Any gaps in current State emergency management resources and program delivery resulting in inequitable access to Agency resources across different States. (G) Opportunities and strategies to ensure a portion of Federal contracting and subcontracting agreements are awarded equitably to minority-owned businesses. (H) Identification of opportunities to update and further integrate the National Risk Index into equity considerations across the Agency. (I) Strategies to address any disparate impacts climate change will have on culturally, socially, economically vulnerable communities, with particular consideration given to hazard mitigation, preparedness, and planning resource delivery. (J) The implementation of the Justice40 initiative across relevant Agency programs, as well as recommendations on the data utilized in the identification of eligible recipients of resources from such initiative. (7) Report (A) In general Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of the Delivering Equity and Justice for Disaster Survivors Act of 2022 , the Disaster Equity and Justice Subcommittee shall submit a report to the National Advisory Council that— (i) includes the recommendations developed under paragraph (6); (ii) specifies the time frames for implementing any such recommendations that do not require congressional action; and (iii) identifies any such recommendations that do require congressional action. (B) Review Not later than 30 days after receiving the report under subparagraph (A), the National Advisory Council shall begin a review of such report. The National Advisory Council may ask for additional clarification, changes, or other information from the Disaster Equity and Justice Subcommittee to assist in the approval of such report. (C) Recommendation Upon approval of the report of the Disaster Equity and Justice Subcommittee under subparagraph (B), the National Advisory Council shall submit such report to— (i) the Administrator; (ii) the heads of other Federal agencies with a role in disaster response and recovery, including the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Transportation, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of the Interior, Department of Agriculture, Small Business Administration, Economic Development Administration, United States Coast Guard, National Guard, and Department of Homeland Security; (ii) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate; and (iii) the Committee on Homeland Security, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and the Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives. (8) Interim updates and oversight After the submission of the report by the National Advisory Council under paragraph (7), the Administrator shall— (A) provide annual updates to the congressional committees referred to in clauses (ii) and (iii) of paragraph (7)(C) regarding the status of the implementation of the recommendations contained in such report; and (B) coordinate the implementation of such recommendations, as appropriate. (9) Definitions In this subsection: (A) Indian Tribe The term Indian Tribe has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act ( 25 U.S.C. 5304 ). (B) Tribal and Indigenous community The term Tribal and Indigenous community means a population of people who are members of— (i) a federally recognized Indian Tribe; (ii) a State-recognized Indian Tribe; (iii) an Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian community or organization; or (iv) any other community of Indigenous people located in a State. (C) Tribal government The term Tribal government means the governing body of an Indian Tribe. .