Should FEMA Give Greater Weight to the Local Effects of Disasters When Reviewing Requests for a Disaster Declaration? (H.R. 1665)

What is H.R. 1665?

(Updated November 16, 2018)

This bill would require the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to give greater consideration to the local effects of disasters when reviewing state or tribal requests for a major disaster declaration. It would also require FEMA to consider whether there have been multiple recent disasters in an area. Currently, FEMA considers the extent of both statewide and localized damage when deciding whether to recommend that the president issue such a declaration.

FEMA would be required to provide a report to relevant congressional committees within one year that details changes made to its regulations in response to this legislation, and the number of disaster declarations that have been declared based on the new criteria.

Argument in favor

FEMA shouldn’t use an arbitrary, per capita formula to determine how much federal assistance an area receives when disaster strikes. It’s common sense that FEMA should give greater weight to the localized impact of the disaster.

Argument opposed

It may not be perfect, but FEMA’s per capita formula for determining disaster awards fairly distributes more funding to areas with greater populations. It’s harsh on rural communities, but that’s how it is.

Impact

Rural areas affected by disasters; and FEMA.

Cost of H.R. 1665

The CBO estimates that enacting this bill would have no additional cost.

Additional Info

In-Depth: Sponsoring Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) introduced this bill to bring fairness to the disaster declaration process by giving greater weight to the localized impact of a disaster when determining the need for federal assistance:

“Eighteen million dollars is the magic number Illinois has to reach to receive any federal public assistance when a disaster occurs. That amount is nearly double that of any of our neighboring states. Time and time again our rural communities have been denied and unfairly punished by this formula. Illinois taxpayers pay into the Disaster Relief Fund and it should be there when they need it. H.R. 1665 simply requires FEMA to put more weight on the localized impact of a disaster, rather than just an arbitrary, per-capita formula, when considering the need for assistance.”

This legislation was passed by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on a voice vote. It has the support of seven bipartisan cosponsors, including six Republicans and one Democrat.

Media:

• Sponsoring Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) Press Release
  
• CBO Cost Estimate
  
• Ripon Advance