Bills
| 3.23.22

Providing $19.1 Billion in Emergency Relief to Help Areas Impacted by Natural Disasters Recover (H.R. 2157)

Do you support or oppose this bill?

What is H.R. 2157?

(Updated January 3, 2020)

This bill was enacted on June 6, 2019

: This bill would provide $19.1 billion in emergency supplemental appropriations to help Americans recover and rebuild from recent natural disasters. It has been amended by the Senate from its original form, and a breakdown of its current provisions can be found below.

Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies

This section of the bill would provide disaster relief through agriculture and rural development programs, in addition to the Food and Drug Administration, including:

  • $3.005 billion for farm disaster assistance to cover producers’ exposure to losses from hurricanes, typhoons, volcanic activities, tornadoes, floods, snowstorms, and wildfires during 2018 and 2019.

  • $600 million would be provided to supplement disaster nutrition assistance for Puerto Rico stemming from 2017 hurricanes.

  • $558 million for the Dept. of Agriculture’s Emergency Conservation Program, which would provide emergency funding and technical assistance to farmers and ranchers to rehabilitate farmland damaged by natural disasters.

  • $480 million would be provided for the Emergency Forest Restoration Program for non-industrial timber restoration.

  • $435 million would be provided for the Emergency Watershed Protection Program for rural watershed recovery.

  • $150 million would be provided for Rural Development Community Facilities grants for small rural communities impacted by natural disasters in 2018.

  • Trade mitigation assistance would be available through the Market Facilitation Program to producers who derive at least 75% of their adjusted gross income from farming, ranching, or forestry related activities.

  • Hemp crop insurance would be available beginning with the 2020 reinsurance year.

Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies

This section would provide funding to recoup disaster-related expenditures and make necessary repairs to federal facilities and equipment damaged by recent natural disasters, including federal law enforcement facilities, scientific infrastructure, and weather forecasting equipment.

Economic Development Assistance programs would receive $600 million to provide grants to communities directly impacted by natural disasters in 2018 and by tornadoes and floods in 2019.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) would receive funding for the following:

  • $11 million for assessments and removal of marine debris;

  • $32 million for mapping and charting affected coastlines and navigation channels;

  • $50 million for improving disaster forecasting capabilities;

  • $50 million for Title IX Fund grants to restore coastal marshes, wetlands, and dunes;

  • $150 million for fishery disasters causing severe economic harm to coastal communities.

The Dept. of Justice (DOJ) would receive $28 million to repair or replace damaged buildings and facilities, and $1.3 million for necessary prisoner transfer costs and to repair and replace equipment. Additionally, the Legal Services Corporation would receive $15 million for legal assistance in areas impacted by natural disasters. The Office of Immigration Review would receive $15 million to educate detainees about the Immigration Court process and thus expedite proceedings.

Defense & Homeland Security

This section would provide $381 million to repair damage caused by Hurricane Florence to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point. It’d also provide $400 million to the Air Force for damages caused by Hurricane Michael to repair facilities and begin the process of rebuilding Tyndall Air Force Base. The bill would prohibit the transfer of these funds to border wall construction.

The Dept. of Homeland Security would receive nearly $526 million for the Coast Guard to repair and upgrade facilities damaged by recent disasters and to cover the cost of response and recovery operations.

Energy & Water Development

This section would provide the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with the following:

  • $1.993 billion would go to repairs of Corps projects, including $908 million for operations & maintenance, $575 million for the Mississippi River and Tributaries account, and $510 million for flood control & coastal emergencies.

  • $740 million would go to the construction of flood and storm damage reduction projects to reduce risk from future floods and hurricanes. Within that total, up to $45 million would start authorized ecosystem restoration projects and up to $25 million could continue projects to reduce risks of flooding and storm damage.

  • $35 million to study potential projects to reduce risk from future floods and hurricanes.

The Bureau of Reclamation would receive $15.5 million to carry out fire remediation activities and as compensation for firefighting costs.

The Dept. of Energy would receive $15.5 million to provide technical assistance related to electric grids in areas impacted by natural disasters.

Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies

The Dept. of the Interior’s agencies would receive the following funding for the repair and reconstruction of infrastructure and meet conservation needs following recent disasters:

  • The National Park Service would receive $50 million in historic preservation grants to repair historic sites and $78 million to repair or replace NPS assets damaged in recent storms.

  • The U.S. Geological Survey would receive $98.5 million for equipment and facility repair & replacement; debris and hazardous waste removal; and data collection in areas affected by disasters (of which $72.3 million is for 2018 disasters).

  • The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would receive $82.4 million for the repair and restoration of facilities, roads, bridges, and assets damaged by natural disasters, of which $50 million would be targeted to coastal resiliency.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would receive $414 million in state revolving funds to bring drinking and waste water systems to a state of resiliency against future storms in areas affected by natural disasters.

The U.S. Forest Service would receive $720 million to repay funds borrowed from non-fire accounts to cover the cost of FY2018 wildfire suppression activities. It’d also receive $134 million to repair national forest visitor and administrative facilities along with roads and trails that were severely damaged by natural disasters, in addition to reducing hazardous fuels on federal and non-federal lands to prevent an increased risk of significant wildfires.

Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies

The Dept. of Labor would receive $50 million, of which $49.5 million would go to disaster response economic recovery through the Dislocated National Reserve fund. The remainder would go to the agency’s inspector general for oversight of relief efforts.

The Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) would receive:

  • $250 million for social services block grants that support activities like counseling services, case management, health services, and renovating, repairing, or constructing facilities related to healthcare.

  • $100 million for substance abuse and mental health services to support behavioral health treatment, crisis counseling, helpline, and related activities.

The Dept. of Education would receive $165 million, which would be allocated as follows:

  • $162 million to help restart operations at schools and colleges in areas damaged by natural disasters, support schools and colleges receiving displaced students, and to otherwise provide services to students affected by disasters.

  • $3 million for federal administration and oversight of activities.

Legislative Branch

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) would receive $10 million to conduct audits and investigations related to federal spending on disasters in 2018 and other disasters as declared.

Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies

This section would provide funding for military construction projects related to disasters, including:

  • The Navy and Marine Corps would receive $600 million for planning and design of projects to replace facilities damaged by Hurricanes Florence and Michael.

  • The Air Force would receive $1 billion for planning and design and construction of projects to replace facilities damaged by Hurricane Michael.

  • The Army National Guard would receive $42.4 million to replace facilities damaged by Hurricanes Florence and Michael.

The Dept. of Veterans Affairs would receive $3 million to repair Veterans Health Administration facilities damaged by covered natural disasters.

Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies

The Dept. of Transportation would receive $1.6 billion for the federal-aid highways emergency relief program and $10.5 million for the Federal Transit Administration’s emergency relief program. The bill would also include language giving the Federal Aviation Administration with access to unused 2017 emergency funds for 2018 disasters.

The Community Development Block Grant program would provide $2.4 billion to communities that need to rebuild housing, businesses, and public infrastructure in areas affected by natural disasters.

EXTENSIONS

  • The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) would be extended through September 30, 2019.

Argument in favor

Congress needs to act quickly to approve this $19 billion disaster relief package that will help federal agencies, states and territories, and individual Americans rebuild from natural disasters in 2018 and 2019.

Argument opposed

While the federal government should provide disaster relief, $19 billion is too much at a time when other priorities go underfunded. States should handle funding for disaster relief instead of federal agencies.

Impact

Americans affected by 2018 and 2019 natural disasters; federal agencies; and Congress.

Cost of H.R. 2157

The CBO estimates that enacting this bill would cost $19.1 billion in fiscal year 2019 and $19.188 billion over the 2019-2029 period.

Additional Info

In-Depth: Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL) issued the following statement on a compromise being reached to allow this disaster relief bill to come to the floor:

“I want to thank President Trump for breaking the gridlock and getting this disaster relief to Americans who so desperately need it. We have been working on this package for several months, and I am pleased to say that help is finally on the way.”

Earlier this year the Senate attempted to advance a $13.45 billion disaster relief package that included less funding for Puerto Rico and more funding for Midwest states affected by recent flooding, but it failed on a 44-49 vote.


Media:

Summary by Eric Revell

(Photo Credit: iStock.com / RicAguiar)