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Scalise provisions included in House-passed bill reauthorizing FEMA for 2 years

September 20, 2012

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. House today passed H.R. 2903 a bill reauthorizing FEMA for two years. Included in the bill were three key provisions authored by Congressman Steve Scalise that speed up recovery times after disasters, and update the factors considered to determine the amount of individual assistance.

“This is another positive step as we work to fix the problems with FEMA that we encountered during Hurricane Katrina, but there’s still more work left to be done,” Scalise said. “This bill expedites disaster recovery for families struggling in the wake of storms by removing some of the red tape that exists in FEMA so people can rebuild more quickly and return to their lives sooner. I thank the sponsors of this bill for including my common sense changes as we work to improve and speed up the FEMA recovery process.”

H.R. 2903 funds FEMA through FY 2014. The specific provisions authored by Scalise included in the bill will:

  • Speed up FEMA’s response time when responding to assistance requests
  • Require FEMA to issue and implement regulations to expedite public assistance payments
  • Require that FEMA update the factors used to determine the amount of individual assistance available for individuals affected by a disaster