Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1214) to require the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to conduct a program to use simplified procedures to…
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1214) to require the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to conduct a program to use simplified procedures to issue public assistance for certain projects under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, and for other purposes, as amended.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1214, as amended.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, the purpose of H.R. 1214, the Disaster SAVE Act, is to speed up small disaster reconstruction projects and lower their costs by removing red tape.
One of my biggest priorities since becoming chairman of the subcommittee has been reducing disaster costs and losses and reducing disaster risks. I was mayor for 11 years, and I saw so many friends' and neighbors' businesses and communities impacted by disasters.
One of the things I hear most often from my colleagues in Congress is frustration about inconsistent guidance from FEMA and funding take backs, even when there is no evidence of misuse. If you have ever had a big disaster in your district, you know exactly what I am talking about.
In my district, FEMA reversed its prior approval and has been fighting for years with the local government over whether or not they should have paved a temporary access road that was built after a major flood. The cost of the gravel road was $230,000. The extra cost to pave it, which the community covered with its own funds, was about $50,000.
The amount of money FEMA has wasted in salaries, administration, and legal fees trying to take back the $230,000 likely exceeds the entire project cost. This is red tape out of control, and it doesn't serve the taxpayers well. We know there is a better way to manage these projects.
Under current law, FEMA runs projects under $130,000 in a manner similar to an insurance settlement. FEMA reviews the damage, makes a cost estimate, and issues a repair grant. The local government is responsible for managing the grant on time and on budget.
In exchange, they have greater flexibility in how they bill back, and they can enhance a project with their own funds. This approach dramatically cuts administrative costs, rebuilds infrastructure faster, eliminates the cost overruns for Federal taxpayers, and gives local governments the flexibility to rebuild in a way that best meets their needs.
The success of FEMA's small project program is well proven thanks to the prior efforts of the Transportation Committee. The former chairman of the subcommittee, from California, worked diligently to give FEMA the flexibility to administratively increase the small project threshold, which finally passed as part of the Hurricane Sandy supplemental package.
H.R. 2114, the Disaster SAVE Act, will raise the current project cap for this program from $130,000 to $500,000 and help all of our constituents avoid the project nightmare my district is experiencing right now. This will speed up rebuilding efforts and reduce disaster recovery costs.
The vast majority of FEMA's rebuilding projects are less than $500,000, but FEMA continues to micromanage the administration of these projects at a tremendous cost in time and money. FEMA testified in 2015 that increasing this threshold would result in lower administrative costs, faster project completions, and fewer deobligations.
After 4 years, the program will sunset and Congress will decide, based on outcomes, lessons learned, and stakeholder input, if the program should continue or not. The House adopted
similar language last year when it passed the FEMA Disaster Assistance Reform Act.
I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, again, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 1214, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.
