WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) joined Senators Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and James Lankford (R-Okla.) on the Disaster Survivors Fairness Act, bipartisan legislation to reform the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Individual Assistance program and improve how FEMA helps individuals rebuild their lives in the aftermath of a disaster. The Disaster Survivors Fairness Act would provide FEMA with new authorities to increase its ability to fund disaster mitigation projects and expand support to homeowners. During the last three years, the United States has experienced 66 climate disasters with losses of a billion dollars or more.
“Once-in-a-generation natural disasters are now happening every year because of climate change. We’ve seen it in Vermont with back-to-back floods, and in so many other disaster-impacted communities across the country. These extreme weather events don’t discriminate between red states and blue states. We need bipartisan solutions that give communities more flexibility to provide housing resources after a crisis,” said Senator Welch. “The Disaster Survivors Fairness Act is a commonsense way to bridge crucial gaps in FEMA funding and help victims of disasters get the resources needed to rebuild and recover.”
“Severe weather and natural disasters are becoming more frequent, more catastrophic and more costly, leaving people across the country in need of swift federal resources to help assist their recovery,” said Senator Peters. “My commonsense bipartisan legislation would reform the FEMA disaster assistance process and improve how the agency provides assistance to individuals for home repairs, disaster housing, and mitigation activities.”
“It’s past time we end the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to disaster relief and cut the red tape that prevents many communities from accessing the relief they desperately need,” said Senator Tillis. “This common-sense legislation provides greater flexibility for communities in need, saves tax-payer dollars, and helps communities recover faster.”
“When disaster strikes, red tape shouldn’t get in the way of Oklahomans getting assistance from federal agencies,” said Senator Lankford. “The Disaster Survivors Fairness Act streamlines the process to get resources to those who need it most.”
The Disaster Survivors Fairness Act would enable FEMA to reimburse states that implement their own innovative post-disaster housing solutions and bolster development of post-disaster solutions for renters. The bill requires FEMA and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to complete a series of reports and studies that would identify additional challenges regarding the administration of post-disaster assistance for survivors and boost transparency.
Read the full text of the bill.
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