Fema Disaster Preparedness Improvement Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. GARAMENDI. Madam Speaker, today I introduce the ``FEMA Disaster Preparedness Improvement Act,'' with support from the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) and the California State Association of Counties. I want to thank my colleague Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA) for his support as the original cosponsor.

This legislation would increase FEMA support for disaster preparedness and emergency response to reflect the needs of communities across the country. As states like California face increasingly severe and frequent natural disasters due to man-made climate change and global public health emergencies, Congress and the federal government must step up.

The people most impacted by disasters and emergencies are often the most vulnerable members of our society: the elderly, the economically disadvantaged, and those with disabilities. All Americans deserve nothing less than the full-throated support of their federal government as they prepare for natural disasters and deal with public health emergencies, and that is exactly what my legislation would ensure.

As a member of California's Congressional delegation, I have seen firsthand the devastation that disasters can have on communities. In 2017 and 2018, our state experienced the most destructive fires recorded in California history. The federal government must be a real partner for states as they prepare for these disasters and seek to make our communities more resilient. My district is also one of the most flood-prone in the entire nation, and Travis Air Force Base housed the first American evacuees from the coronavirus outbreak in East Asia.

That is why the ``FEMA Disaster Preparedness Improvement Act'' would increase the federal cost share under the Hazard Mitigation and Emergency Management Performance Grant Programs to 85 percent, from 75 percent and 50 percent respectively. FEMA's Emergency Performance Grant Program helps state and local officials manage public emergencies including health crises, such as the recent coronavirus outbreak.

My bill would also exempt environmental reviews under federal or state law from the 36-month deadline to complete hazard mitigation projects and make designated ``special flood hazard areas'' under the National Flood Insurance Program automatically eligible for FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grants. Lastly, the bill would direct the Government Accountability Office to report to Congress on the challenges faced by states in utilizing FEMA's Public Assistance Program Alternative Procedures.

Damaged caused by natural disasters in the United States has risen in recent years, with an average of 15 disasters with a cost of over a billion dollars between 2016 and 2018, more than double the average of the previous three decades. Congress must respond to this troubling trend and better support vulnerable communities across the country as they prepare and increase resilience to natural disasters and other public emergencies.

Madam Speaker, I urge all Members to cosponsor the ``FEMA Disaster Preparedness Improvement Act.'' As a senior member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, I plan to make this critical legislation a major priority.

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