Some Bills to Squeeze Through the House Suspension Calendar
With only a few days left in this session, there are a few Emergency Management-related bills on the calendar which will benefit U.S. folks adversely impacted by big disasters
The US House of Representatives Majority Leader has posted a list of bills that will be considered on the House Floor the week of December 9, 2024 under an expedited process known as the “Suspension Calendar,” including the Disaster Management Costs Modernization Act (HR 7671) that the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) and other professional Emergency Management (EM) advocacy groups have been working on since 2017. In addition, there are several other IAEM-endorsed bills on the list, including:
- The Weather Alert Response and Notification Act (HR 2892)
- The Disaster Contract Improvement Act (S.310)
- The FEMA Loan Interest Payment Relief Act, as amended (HR 2672)
For EMs — and of course, U.S. citizens and their families harmed by an ever-increasing number of big disasters — across the nation, this is potentially great news, particularly since the number of legislative days left in the current Congress is running low. Advocates continue pushing to hopefully get all these bills across the finish line before Congress adjourns.
One bill that is not currently on the list is the Disaster Assistance Simplification Act (S. 1528).
If anyone has an “in” with House Speaker Mike Johnson or House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, please consider reaching out to your contact in those offices to ask that they add the Disaster Assistance Simplification Act to the list of bills to be voted on next week.
Here are some talking points, to help promote getting this bill to the House Floor:
The Disaster Assistance Simplification Act
This bill requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to consolidate federal grant applications for disaster relief for disaster survivors into one centralized and universal application, relieving survivors from the burden of multiple long and strenuous application processes. Last year, the nation yet again set a new record for the most $1 billion disasters, and we may be on track to break that record yet again.
Recently, two major hurricanes have hit the southeast region of the United States, Hurricanes Milton and Helene, causing tragic loss of life and the destruction of countless homes and businesses. Unfortunately, the United States experiences many natural threats and hazards annually, but the Disaster Assistance Simplification Act can help to significantly alleviate the burden of survivors navigating the federal relief process.
There are many types of federal assistance available to disaster survivors from different federal agencies. Due to this governmental complexity, survivors seeking financial assistance from various entities after a disaster must repeatedly and unnecessarily answer the same application questions, while they are experiencing extreme financial and emotional hardship. These detailed applications are incredibly time-consuming and can take weeks or even months; in a situation where time is of the essence. Survivors can become so overwhelmed with the process that they simply give up before receiving the aid they so desperately need.
In its report on improving the federal approach to disaster recovery, the Government Accountability Office identified consolidating the process into one application as an option to improve the federal government’s approach to disaster recovery. This bipartisan bill, led by the Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Rand Paul (R-KY), James Lankford (R-OK) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) passed the Senate unanimously in July 2023.
We urge you to take action and get this bill signed into law before the end of the Congress.