This bill amends federal disaster relief law to allow the President to waive rules that normally prevent disaster victims from receiving duplicate assistance from multiple federal programs. Under current law, if someone receives help from one disaster assistance program, they typically cannot receive the same type of aid from another program—even if they suffered significant losses. The bill lets governors request waivers of this rule on behalf of disaster victims, businesses, or other entities, provided the President determines the waiver serves the public interest and won't lead to waste, fraud, or abuse. Requests must be decided within 45 days, and no income limits can be applied to block eligibility. The bill also requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency to submit a report to Congress within one year on how to better coordinate disaster assistance across federal agencies, with a follow-up update four years later. The waiver authority applies to disasters declared on or after January 1, 2016.
Take Action
Your position
Add a comment
to comment on this bill.
Annotate the text
Highlight any passage on the Summary or Full Text tab to attach a note. Annotations appear on the Annotations tab.