Federal Disaster Assistance Coordination Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 255, the Federal Disaster Assistance Coordination Act, introduced by Representatives Gonzalez- Colon, Peters, and Plaskett.

This legislation amends the Disaster Recovery Reform Act to help Federal agencies streamline and consolidate information collection and Preliminary Damage Assessments following disasters.

After a major disaster, there is no time to wait for bureaucracy. However, Federal recovery assistance following disasters is currently hampered by inefficient information collection and assessments conducted by multiple agencies.

This bill will remove information collection barriers that currently impede disaster aid. It creates a working group to identify duplicative assessments and propose their elimination.

Further, it would streamline Federal disaster recovery efforts by concluding that a single agency is sufficient to conduct damage assessments to account for the needs of disaster victims. The Federal Government can and should be doing this work smarter.

Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I am prepared to close. I inquire of my colleague if there are any remaining speakers on his side.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, in closing, this bipartisan bill passed the House on suspension in the 116th and 117th Congresses. It will help disaster survivors by taking a step toward streamlining the Federal Government's fragmented approach to disaster assistance.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source