Senate To Consider Bipartisan Bill To Unify FEMA Program Deadline Dates
The announcement of bipartisan efforts on Capitol Hill seems few and far between these days, so it’s especially encouraging to see that one of these efforts involves the provision of federal assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Sens. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) proposed legislation to create one application deadline for two FEMA programs that individuals use for federal disaster assistance, which has now been placed on the Senate calendar. FEMA’s Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) and Individuals and Household Program (IHP) currently have different deadlines, which can cause confusion for those seeking assistance when applying under the two programs. The bill recently was approved by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
The Disaster Assistance Deadlines Alignment Act (S. 1858) would amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act by requiring at least 60 days for survivors to submit applications for both the DUA and IHP programs. Currently, the DUA deadline is 30 days and the IHP deadline is 60 days after a federal disaster declaration. “By aligning deadlines for disaster survivors to apply for federal assistance, this bipartisan bill will limit confusion in the application process and ensure that people know exactly when they need to submit their applications to access these critical resources to help rebuild their lives,” according to Sen. Peters.
Certain stakeholders have expressed support for the legislation. “When disasters strike, county officials and emergency responders play a critical role in the immediate response and longer-term efforts to help our communities and residents recover,” said National Association of Counties Executive Director Matthew Chase. “Once federal assistance becomes available, residents often must complete complex, arduous applications with inconsistent deadlines during the most stressful times of their lives. The bipartisan Disaster Assistance Deadlines Alignment Act would align deadlines between FEMA’s Disaster Unemployment Assistance and the Individuals and Households Program, two financial lifelines for our residents. We thank Senators Peters and Rubio for introducing this legislation and urge its passage.”
Other associations, such as the Association of State Floodplain Managers and the American Association of Emergency Managers, also have applauded the legislation. We will follow the progress of this legislation to see if it is enacted.
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