[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6567 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 6567
To require the Federal Emergency Management Agency to establish a
Territorial Disaster Recovery Program to continuously identify,
monitor, and address factors and capability gaps that hinder the
execution and completion of recovery activities relating to major
disasters by eligible entities located in the territories of the United
States.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 1, 2023
Ms. Velazquez (for herself, Ms. Barragan, Mr. Torres of New York, Mr.
Sablan, Mr. Vargas, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. Meng, Mr. Espaillat, Mr. Green of
Texas, Mr. Goldman of New York, Ms. Clarke of New York, Ms. Ocasio-
Cortez, Ms. Tlaib, Ms. Titus, Mrs. Gonzalez-Colon, and Ms. Plaskett)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Federal Emergency Management Agency to establish a
Territorial Disaster Recovery Program to continuously identify,
monitor, and address factors and capability gaps that hinder the
execution and completion of recovery activities relating to major
disasters by eligible entities located in the territories of the United
States.
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 ``Strengthening Capacity for Disaster
Resilient Territories Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.
(a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The United States territories are particularly
vulnerable to extreme weather events, which have become more
frequent and stronger in recent years.
(2) Category-5 Hurricane Maria, which made its landfall in
Puerto Rico on September 20th, 2017, is considered to be the
second deadliest storm recorded in United States history.
(3) Category-5 Hurricane Irma, which struck the U.S. Virgin
Islands and Puerto Rico on September 6th, 2017, is considered
to be the second-most intense tropical cyclone worldwide in
2017.
(4) Typhoon Mawar, which struck Guam on May 19th, 2023, and
the south of Rota, Northern Mariana Islands on May 24th, 2023,
is considered to be the strongest to hit Guam since 2002.
(5) Super Typhoon Yutu, which struck the Northern Mariana
Islands on October 24th, 2018, is considered to be the
strongest typhoon recorded to impact the Mariana Islands.
(6) Hurricane Fiona made its landfall as a Category-1
Hurricane in Puerto Rico on September 18th, 2022, causing
severe flooding and compounding the damage left by Hurricanes
Irma and Maria.
(7) A major disaster declaration was issued for the
territory of American Samoa on September 16th, 2022, due to
high surf, high winds, and flooding.
(8) Rising sea levels, caused by ocean warming, contribute
to the increased frequency and intensity of hurricanes, and the
fragile condition of coastal environments in the United States
territories. This translates to disrupted economic activity,
such as tourism, agriculture and fishing, damaged dwellings,
and limited drinking water supplies.
(9) The Federal Emergency Management Agency (hereinafter
referred to as ``FEMA'') has obligated significant amounts of
funding to address multiple natural disasters in the United
States territories.
(10) As of October 2023, FEMA had obligated an estimated
$40,980,000,000 in Public Assistance, Hazard Mitigation, Power
Reconstruction and Permanent Work to address damages caused by
Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. In addition, as of September
2023, FEMA had obligated an estimated $328,000,000 in Public
Assistance to address damages caused by Hurricane Fiona in
Puerto Rico.
(11) As of April 2023, FEMA had obligated an estimated
$2,900,000,000 in Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation to
address damages caused by Hurricane Maria in the Virgin
Islands. In addition, as of December 2022, FEMA had obligated
an estimated $89,000,000 in Public Assistance and Hazard
Mitigation to address damages caused by Hurricane Irma in the
Virgin Islands.
(12) After the passage of Typhoon Mangkhut and Super
Typhoon Yutu in Guam and the Northen Mariana Islands, FEMA
obligated a total of $677,200,000 between 2018 and 2020 to aid
response and recovery efforts related to both disasters.
(13) The United States territories have similar
vulnerabilities that result in long and difficult recovery
processes.
(14) The economies of the United States territories depend
heavily on tourism to create revenue. Such dependency
undermines disaster resiliency, given the industry's
susceptibility to external shocks, such as atmospheric
conditions, financial crises, and global pandemics. Any of this
phenomenon can reduce the number of visitors and trigger the
closure of businesses and lay-offs.
(15) The United States territories struggle with high
levels of public debt, which impact their ability to provide
cash advances to initiate disaster recovery projects. Notably--
(A) Puerto Rico is in the midst of debt
restructuring proceedings that, as of 2023, have
reduced Puerto Rico's public debt from over $70 billion
to $37 billion and pension liabilities from $55 billion
to $7 billion;
(B) as of 2019, Virgin Islands' public debt stood
at $2,600,000,000, representing 65 percent of its Gross
Domestic Product; and
(C) as of 2021, Guam's public debt stood at
$2,600,000,000, representing 43 percent of its Gross
Domestic Product.
(16) The physical infrastructure of the United States
territories, including electricity grids and water plants, is
outdated, and has lacked appropriate maintenance and hardening.
(17) The United States territories face housing
affordability and availability challenges that impact their
ability to absorb the influx of the recovery workforce after a
disaster occurs.
(18) The United States territories are situated in remote
locations, which results in higher import costs, significant
delays in the shipping and transportation of construction
materials necessary to carry out recovery projects, and
barriers for staff seeking to travel to the continental United
States to receive recovery training.
(19) The United States territories have limited specialized
staff to adequately navigate and manage recovery programs,
including developing projects for obligation, using Public
Assistance to cover administrative and managerial costs, and
procuring goods and services according to Federal standards.
(20) The United States territories hurdle to find and
procure specialized personnel to advance recovery efforts, such
as engineers and construction contractors, given the high
demand for these professionals by public agencies and large
corporations in the aftermath of disasters.
(21) The United States territories struggle with dangerous
demographic patterns that exacerbate social, financial, and
economic fragilities. From 2010 to 2020, the populations of the
territories shrunk, and at a faster pace than any other
continental state. In such period, Puerto Rico's population was
reduced by 11.8 percent, U.S. Virgin Islands' population by
18.1 percent, Northen Mariana Islands' population by 12.2
percent, American Samoa's population by 10.5 percent, and
Guam's population by 3.5 percent. Additionally, the islands are
experiencing lower birthrates and higher death rates.
(22) The postal addresses used in the United States
territories have not been recognized and registered by the
United States Postal Service, which can result in additional
obstacles for recovery, primarily for individuals and
households seeking to obtain FEMA assistance.
(23) The United States territories have endured consecutive
major disasters, which has made it more difficult for FEMA to
correctly assess recent and older damages, and therefore
obligate funding for Public Assistance projects.
(24) The United States territories encompass a variety of
languages, political sensitivities, and cultural differences
that Federal authorities like FEMA have not traditionally
considered, thereby impacting the territories' full and equal
participation in Federal disaster recovery programs.
(b) Statement of Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act to
establish a program within FEMA to continuously identify, monitor, and
address factors and capability gaps that hinder the execution and
completion of recovery activities by eligible entities located in the
territories of the United States under sections 403, 404, 406, 407, and
502 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance
Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.).
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the
Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
(2) Community.--The term ``community'' means a network of
individuals and families, businesses, governmental and
nongovernmental organizations, and other civic organizations
that reside or operate within a shared geographical boundary
and may be represented by a common political leadership at a
regional, county, municipal, or neighborhood level.
(3) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means an
entity eligible for a grant under section 403, 404, 406, 407,
or 502 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency
Assistance Act (5121 U.S.C. et seq.).
(4) Recovery.--The term ``recovery'' means the capabilities
and actions necessary to recover effectively from a major
disaster declared under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief
and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.),
including--
(A) rebuilding infrastructure systems;
(B) providing adequate interim and long-term
housing for individuals impacted by such incident;
(C) restoring health, social, and community
services;
(D) promoting economic development; and
(E) restoring natural and cultural resources.
(5) Territory of the united states.--The term ``territory
of the United States'' means American Samoa, the Commonwealth
of the Northen Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto
Rico, Guam, the United States Virgin Islands, and any other
territory or possession of the United States.
SEC. 4. TERRITORIAL DISASTER RECOVERY PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Administrator shall establish a Territorial Disaster
Recovery Program (in this section referred to as the ``Program'') to
continuously identify, monitor, and address factors and capability gaps
of local emergency managers, or other applicable emergency response
coordinators, and eligible entities located in the territories of the
United States in carrying out recovery activities relating to major
disasters declared under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.).
(b) Duties.--In carrying out the Program, the Administrator shall--
(1) not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of
this Act, and every 2 years thereafter, identify and analyze
gaps in identifying, applying and receiving assistance, and
carrying out recovery activities described in subsection (a)
that are specific to eligible entities located in the
territories of the United States;
(2) provide technical assistance to the entities described
in paragraph (1) in applying for grants under sections 403,
404, 406, 407, and 502 of such Act that--
(A) is tailored to meet the needs of applicants at
each stage of the administration of projects for which
grants are made under such sections; and
(B) takes into account the challenges of--
(i) applicants who are located in remote or
difficult-to-access areas;
(ii) applicants who are part of a minority
cultural group;
(iii) applicants with limited English
language proficiency; and
(iv) applicants with slow internet speeds
or limited broadband access;
(3) design online and in-person training courses that are
specific to the entities described in paragraph (1) and that
address the capability gaps identified under this section;
(4) develop best practices regarding the administration of
projects in the territories of the United States for which
grants are made under sections 403, 404, 406, 407, and 502 of
such Act;
(5) develop feedback mechanisms for entities receiving
technical assistance or training under this section; and
(6) foster meaningful collaboration with local experts,
community leaders, and other members of the community, that
leads to the performance of activities under this section that
are locally informed and relevant to local needs.
(c) Report to Congress.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, and every 2 years thereafter for the
duration of the Program, the Administrator shall submit to the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the
Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives
and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
of the Senate a report on--
(A) any capability gaps identified under subsection
(b)(1);
(B) the nature of any technical assistance provided
under the Program;
(C) any online or in-person training courses
developed, or planned to be developed under the
Program;
(D) any best practices identified under subsection
(b)(4); and
(E) an analysis of, responses to, and any
activities carried out as a result of feedback received
by applicants for assistance under the Program and
entities receiving such assistance.
(2) Final report.--In the report required to be submitted
in the final year for which the Program is authorized, the
Administrator shall include recommendations on--
(A) whether to continue the Program;
(B) if a continuation of the program is
recommended, the suggested duration of such
continuation; and
(C) the necessary funding to carry out the Program.
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $50,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2024 through 2028.
<all>