Lankford’s Bill to Reform FEMA Individual Assistance Programs Advances in Senate

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK — Legislation led by Senators James Lankford (R-OK), Gary Peters (D-MI), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Peter Welch (D-VT) to reform the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Individual Assistance program has advanced in the Senate.

“When disaster strikes, red tape shouldn’t get in the way of Oklahomans getting assistance from federal agencies,” said Lankford. “The Disaster Survivors Fairness Act streamlines the process to get resources to those who need it most.”    

“Americans across the nation are experiencing the devastation caused by more frequent and catastrophic natural disasters. These individuals must have swift access to federal resources in order to piece their lives back together,” said Peters. “My commonsense bipartisan legislation would reform the FEMA individual disaster assistance process and improve how the agency provides assistance to survivors 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 Tillis. “This common-sense legislation provides greater flexibility for communities in need, saves tax-payer dollars, and helps communities recover faster.”  

“Once-in-a-generation 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 Welch. “The Disaster Survivors Fairness Act is a commonsense way to bridge crucial gaps in FEMA funding and help victims of natural disasters get the resources needed to rebuild and recover.” 

This bill would improve how FEMA provides assistance to individuals to rebuild their lives in the aftermath of a disaster. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, there were 28 weather and climate disasters in 2023, surpassing the previous record of 22 in 2020, and with a price tag of at least $92.9 billion in recovery costs. The bill was advanced by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. It now moves to the full Senate for consideration. This bill comes as communities in the Southeast continue to recover from Hurricane Helene and Oklahomans continue to recover from severe weather events throughout 2024.

The Disaster Survivors Fairness Actwould reform individual federal disaster assistance programs to best support survivors. The bill would provide FEMA with new authorities to increase its ability to fund disaster mitigation projects and expand support to homeowners. The bill would also 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. 

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