FEMA Act introduces important reforms for disaster recovery 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today a bipartisan bill seeking important improvements to FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO) and Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-WA) released a discussion draft of the legislation in May.  

The new bill calls for empowering and incentivizing states to make effective investments in mitigation, BRIC pre-disaster funding to become a formula program, and changes to pre-and post-disaster public assistance. The proposal is an important starting point for improving an agency that communities across the country rely on. Efficient and effective disaster resilience and recovery are particularly important in the South, where many states and communities are among the most vulnerable in the country to climate impacts like extreme heat, worsening weather events, and flooding.  

Sarah Edwards, legislative counsel in SELC’s Washington, D.C., office, released the following statement.  

“This is a positive first step toward meaningful reform and ensuring FEMA works better for communities both before and after a storm. We look forward to working with members of Congress to build on this proposal and pass a FEMA reform package that results in a reliable federal agency to support communities across the South during some of their most difficult times.”