,,ii #aadth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #bifi ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,may #bc1 #bjaf ,mr4 ,johnson introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,homeland ,security and ,governmental ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to require the ,administrator of the ,federal ,emergency ,management ,agency to conduct a comprehensive study relating to disaster costs and losses1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,disaster ,management ,act of #bjaf4 #b4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,administrator ,the term ,administrator means the ,administrator of the ,agency4 7#b7 ,agency ,the term ,agency means the ,federal ,emergency ,management ,agency4 7#c7 ,national ,advisory ,council ,the term ,national ,advisory ,council means the ,national ,advisory ,council of the ,agency4 #c4 ,comprehensive study of disaster losses and ,federal disaster assistance 7a7 ,establishment ,not later than #cj days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,administrator shall commence1 acting through the ,national ,advisory ,council1 a comprehensive study relating to disaster losses and ,federal disaster assistance4 7b7 ,additional membership ,for the purposes of the comprehensive study required under subsection 7a71 as soon as practicable after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,administrator shall ensure the ,national ,advisory ,council includes the following members3 7#a7 ,individuals who have the requisite technical knowledge and expertise on issues related to disaster costs and losses4 7#b7 ,representatives of the insurance industry4 7#c7 ,experts in and representatives of the construction and building industry4 7#d7 ,individuals nominated by national organizations representing ,state and local governments and personnel4 7#e7 ,academic experts4 7#f7 ,representatives of the private industry1 such as vendors1 developers1 and manufacturers of systems1 facilities1 equipment1 and capabilities for emergency management services4 7#g7 ,other members1 as the ,administrator considers appropriate4 7c7 ,consultation with nonmembers ,for the purposes of the comprehensive study required under subsection 7a71 the ,national ,advisory ,council shall consult with other relevant agencies and entities that are not represented on the ,national ,advisory ,council to consider research1 data1 findings1 recommendations1 innovative technologies and developments1 including-- 7#a7 entities engaged in federally funded research2 and 7#b7 academic institutions engaged in relevant work and research4 7d7 ,study requirements ,not later than #abj days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,national ,advisory ,council shall convene to evaluate disaster losses and ,federal disaster assistance1 including consideration of the following3 7#a7 ,trends and contributing factors ,an assessment of trends1 and factors contributing to such trends1 in disaster costs and losses and ,federal disaster assistance1 including the following3 7,a7 ,loss of life and injury4 7,b7 ,property damage and other costs to individuals1 the private sector1 and each level of government4 7,c7 ,presidentially declared disasters4 7,d7 ,disaster assistance available from all ,federal sources4 7#b7 ,disaster roles and responsibility ,fundamental principles that drive national disaster assistance decisionmaking1 including the appropriate roles for each level of government1 the private sector1 and individuals4 7e7 ,recommendations ,the ,national ,advisory ,council shall develop recommendations to reduce disaster costs and losses in the ,united ,states and to more efficiently and effectively deliver ,federal disaster assistance1 including consideration of the following3 7#a7 ,actions to enhance national disaster assistance decisionmaking4 7#b7 ,incentives1 including tax incentives1 to reduce disaster costs and losses and promote a more efficient and effective use of ,federal disaster assistance4 7#c7 ,legislative proposals1 including proposals for implementing the recommendations in the report compiled pursuant to the requirement in section #aaaa of the ,sandy ,recovery ,improvement ,act of #bjac 7,public ,law #aac-b2 #abg ,stat4 #di74 7#d7 ,legal1 societal1 geographic1 technological1 and other challenges to implementation of recommendations4 7#e7 ,projected dollar savings and efficiencies1 including measures of effectiveness1 from recommendations4 7f7 ,report to ,administrator and ,congress ,not later than #a year after the ,national ,advisory ,council convenes under subsection 7d71 the ,national ,advisory ,council shall submit a report containing the data1 analysis1 and recommendations developed under subsections 7d7 and 7e7 to-- 7#a7 the ,administrator2 7#b7 the ,committee on ,transportation and ,infrastructure of the ,house of ,representatives2 and 7#c7 the ,committee on ,homeland ,security and ,governmental ,affairs of the ,senate4 7g7 ,availability of information ,the ,administrator shall make the data collected pursuant to this section publically available on the website of the ,agency4 #d4 ,action plan to improve field operations 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #ahj days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,administrator shall submit to the ,committee on ,homeland ,security and ,governmental ,affairs of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,transportation and ,infrastructure of the ,house of ,representatives a report that includes an action plan to improve field operations after a major disaster or emergency declaration by the ,president under section #dja or #eja1 respectively1 of the ,robert ,t4 ,stafford ,disaster ,relief and ,emergency ,assistance ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #eagj or #eaia74 7b7 ,requirements ,the report required in subsection 7a7 shall1 at a minimum1 include a plan with milestones and implementation timeframes1 to address the following3 7#a7 ,improving the consistency of grant program guidance1 including oral and written guidance1 provided to applicants and potential applicants4 7#b7 ,enhancing record maintenance throughout the lifecycle of a disaster1 including the maintenance and transfer of documents during staff transitions4 7#c7 ,improving technical and other support provided to applicants and grantees to reduce their administrative burden and management costs4 7#d7 ,implementing new technologies to educate and assist applicants1 and continuously inform applicants on the status of their disaster assistance applications and projects4 #e4 ,simplified procedure pilot 7a7 ,pilot program ,not later than #abj days after the enactment of this ,act1 the ,administrator shall establish a pilot program that increases the simplified procedure threshold established under section #dbb of the ,robert ,t4 ,stafford ,disaster ,relief and ,emergency ,assistance ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #eahi7 for the purpose of determining whether such increase can facilitate a more efficient and effective delivery of assistance1 without sacrificing oversight capabilities1 for a major disaster or emergency declaration by the ,president under section #dja or #eja1 respectively1 of the ,robert ,t4 ,stafford ,disaster ,relief and ,emergency ,assistance ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #eagj or #eaia74 7b7 ,increase threshold ,for emergency assistance and major disasters subject to the pilot program established under subsection 7a71 the simplified procedure threshold1 as established under section #dbb of the ,robert ,t4 ,stafford ,disaster ,relief and ,emergency ,assistance ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #eahi71 shall increase to not less than #ejj1jjj and not more than #a1jjj1jjj4 7c7 ,eligible declarations ,a major disaster or emergency declared by the ,president under section #dja or #eja1 respectively1 of the ,robert ,t4 ,stafford ,disaster ,relief and ,emergency ,assistance ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #eagj or #eaia7 may be eligible for the pilot program established under subsection 7a7 if the declaration is made after the date of enactment of this ,act4 7d7 ,review ,the ,president1 acting through the ,administrator1 shall-- 7#a7 review the results of the pilot program established in subsection 7a7 and determine whether the increase in the simplified procedure threshold facilitated a more efficient and effective delivery of assistance1 without sacrificing oversight capabilities1 for a major disaster or emergency declaration under section #dja or #eja1 respectively1 of the ,robert ,t4 ,stafford ,disaster ,relief and ,emergency ,assistance ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #eagj or #eaia72 and 7#b7 not later than ,january #ca1 #bjbj1 report the results of the review required in paragraph 7#a7 to the ,committee on ,homeland ,security and ,governmental ,affairs of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,transportation and ,infrastructure of the ,house of ,representatives4 7e7 ,sunset 7#a7 ,in general ,except as provided in paragraph 7#b71 a major disaster or emergency declared by the ,president under section #dja or #eja1 respectively1 of the ,robert ,t4 ,stafford ,disaster ,relief and ,emergency ,assistance ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #eagj or #eaia7 shall not be eligible for the pilot program established under subsection 7a7 if the declaration is made after ,january #ca1 #bjbj4 7#b7 ,exception ,if the ,administrator1 based on the review conducted under subsection 7d71 determines that an increase in the simplified procedure threshold can facilitate a more efficient and effective delivery of assistance for emergencies and major disasters1 the date in paragraph 7#a7 may be extended to ,april #cj1 #bjbj1 for the purpose of promulgating regulations to increase the simplified procedure threshold4 7f7 ,technical and conforming amendment ,section #dbb7;b7 of the ,robert ,t4 ,stafford ,disaster ,relief and ,emergency ,assistance ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #eahi7;b77 is amended by striking paragraph 7#c7 and inserting the following3 7#c7 ,review ,not later than ,january #ca1 #bjbj1 and every #c years thereafter1 the ,president1 acting through the ,administrator1 shall review the threshold for eligibility under this section4 4 7g7 ,applicability of other law ,in carrying out this section1 the ,administrator shall not be subject to the requirements of-- 7#a7 section #eec of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code2 7#b7 chapter #f of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code2 or 7#c7 subchapter ,i of chapter #ce of title #dd1 ,united ,states ,code4 #f4 ,management costs pilot 7a7 ,pilot program ,not later than #abj days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,administrator shall establish a pilot program that modifies the management cost rates established under section #cbd of the ,robert ,t4 ,stafford ,disaster ,relief and ,emergency ,assistance ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #eafe;b7 for the purpose of determining whether such modifications can facilitate a more efficient and effective administration of disaster assistance grants for a major disaster or emergency declared by the ,president under section #dja or #eja1 respectively1 of the ,robert ,t4 ,stafford ,disaster ,relief and ,emergency ,assistance ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #eagj or #eaia74 7b7 ,specific management costs ,for grantees and subgrantees subject to the pilot program established under subsection 7a71 the ,administrator shall provide the following percentage rates1 in addition to the eligible project costs1 to cover direct and indirect costs of administering the following programs3 7#a7 ,hazard mitigation ,a grantee under section #djd of the ,robert ,t4 ,stafford ,disaster ,relief and ,emergency ,assistance ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #eagj;c7 may be reimbursed not more than #ae percent of the total amount of the grant award under such section #djd1 of which not more than #aj percent may be used by the grantee and not more than #e percent may be used by the subgrantee for such costs4 7#b7 ,public assistance ,a grantee under sections #djc1 #djf1 #djg1 or #ejb of the ,robert ,t4 ,stafford ,disaster ,relief and ,emergency ,assistance ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #eagj;b1 #eagb1 #eagc1 or #eaib7 may be reimbursed not more than #aj percent of the total award amount under such section #djc1 #djf1 #djg1 or #ejb1 of which not more than #f percent may be used by the grantee and not more than #d percent may be used by the subgrantee for such costs4 7c7 ,eligible declarations ,a major disaster or emergency declared by the ,president under section #dja or #eja1 respectively1 of the ,robert ,t4 ,stafford ,disaster ,relief and ,emergency ,assistance ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #eagj or #eaia7 may be eligible for the pilot program established under subsection 7a7 if the declaration is made after the date of enactment of this ,act4 7d7 ,review ,the ,president1 acting through the ,administrator1 shall-- 7#a7 review the results of the pilot program established under subsection 7a7 and determine whether the modifications to the management cost rates in subsection 7b7 facilitated a more efficient and effective administration of disaster assistance grants for a major disaster or emergency declared by the ,president under section #dja or #eja1 respectively1 of the ,robert ,t4 ,stafford ,disaster ,relief and ,emergency ,assistance ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #eagj or #eaia72 and 7#b7 not later than ,january #ca1 #bjbj1 report the results of the review required under paragraph 7#a7 to the ,committee on ,homeland ,security and ,governmental ,affairs of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,transportation and ,infrastructure of the ,house of ,representatives4 7e7 ,sunset 7#a7 ,in general ,except as provided in paragraph 7#b71 a major disaster or emergency declared by the ,president under section #dja or #eja1 respectively1 of the ,robert ,t4 ,stafford ,disaster ,relief and ,emergency ,assistance ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #eagj or #eaia7 shall not be eligible for the pilot program established under subsection 7a7 if the declaration is made after ,january #ca1 #bjbj4 7#b7 ,exception ,if the ,administrator1 based on the review conducted under subsection 7d71 determines that the modifications to management cost rates in subsection 7b7 can facilitate a more efficient and effective administration of disaster assistance grants for a major disaster or emergency declared by the ,president under section #dja or #eja1 respectively1 of the ,robert ,t4 ,stafford ,disaster ,relief and ,emergency ,assistance ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #eagj or #eaia71 the date in paragraph 7#a7 may be extended to ,april #cj1 #bjbj1 for the purpose of promulgating regulations to modify management cost rates4 7f7 ,technical and conforming amendment ,section #cbd7;a7 of the ,robert ,t4 ,stafford ,disaster ,relief and ,emergency ,assistance ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #eafe;b7a77 is amended by striking any administrative expense1 and any other expense not directly chargeable to and inserting direct administrative cost1 and any other administrative expense associated with4 7g7 ,applicability of other law ,in carrying out this section1 the ,administrator shall not be subject to the requirements of-- 7#a7 section #eec of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code2 7#b7 chapter #f of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code2 or 7#c7 subchapter ,i of chapter #ce of title #dd1 ,united ,states ,code4