,i #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #bbi ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,january #c1 #bjai,ms4 ,velzquez 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,thompson of ,mississippi1 ,mr4 ,grijalva1 ,mr4 ,soto1 ,mr4 ,espaillat1 ,mr4 ,serrano1 ,mr4 ,raskin1 and ,mr4 ,lewis7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,transportation and ,infrastructure ,a ,,bill ,to establish a national commission on the ,federal response to the #bjag natural disasters in ,puerto ,rico1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,national ,commission on the ,federal ,response to ,natural ,disasters in ,puerto ,rico ,act of #bjai4 #b4 ,establishment and purpose 7a7 ,establishment ,there is established a ,national ,commission on the ,federal ,response to ,natural ,disasters in ,puerto ,rico 7in this ,act referred to as the ,commission74 7b7 ,purpose ,the purpose of the ,commission is to examine the ,federal preparedness1 response1 and recovery to the #bjag natural disasters in ,puerto ,rico1 including the ,federal ,government's consideration of the following aspects3 7#a7 ,federal preparedness activities prior to ,hurricanes ,irma and ,maria1 including ,federal plans for the #bjag hurricane season and decision making regarding prepositioning contracts and supplies4 7#b7 ,federal response activities during ,hurricanes ,irma and ,maria1 including ,federal coordination1 distribution of assistance1 and contracting4 7#c7 ,federal recovery activities after ,hurricanes ,irma and ,maria1 including ,federal efforts to obtain accurate accounting of the death toll1 damage impacts1 and long-term rebuilding assistance for survivors4 #c4 ,considerations ,to carry out its examination1 the ,commission shall take into consideration the ,federal preparedness1 response1 and recovery efforts in ,puerto ,rico as compared to other jurisdictions that were impacted by the #bjag hurricane season1 as well as the following issues3 7#a7 ,the impact and destruction of ,hurricane ,irma1 ,hurricane ,maria1 the resulting landslides1 and flooding4 7#b7 ,the adequacy of the death toll methodology and processes1 and whether previous death counts and mortality estimates slowed or otherwise affected ,federal response efforts4 7#c7 ,the ,federal emergency and contingency plans in place before the #bjag hurricane season4 7#d7 ,the ,federal preparedness guidelines issued ahead of the #bjag hurricane season4 7#e7 ,the vulnerability of ,puerto ,rico's economic situation on ,federal preparedness4 7#f7 ,the implications of ,puerto ,rico's reliance on imported oil for power generation4 7#g7 ,the adequacy of the telecommunications network in ,puerto ,rico4 7#h7 ,the capacity of the local government and ,federal ,government to quickly mobilize and respond to disasters and emergencies in ,puerto ,rico4 7#i7 ,the impact of the uncertainty in long-term ,federal health care funding on medical and emergency readiness4 7#aj7 ,the implication of ,puerto ,rico's treatment under the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf and its impact on readiness4 7#aa7 ,the adequacy of available data and its effects on the ,federal response4 7#ab7 ,the geographic1 ecological1 and infrastructure issues that could have affected response efforts4 7#ac7 ,a comparison of response efforts in other ,united ,states jurisdictions vis-a-vis efforts in ,puerto ,rico for the #bjag hurricane season4 #d4 ,composition and compensation of ,commission 7a7 ,members ,the ,commission shall be composed of #h members1 of whom two shall be appointed by the ,speaker of the ,house of ,representatives1 two shall be appointed by the ,majority ,leader of the ,senate1 two shall be appointed by the ,minority ,leader of the ,house of ,representatives1 and two shall be appointed by the ,minority ,leader of the ,senate4 7b7 ,chair and ,vice ,chair ,the ,commission1 by majority vote1 shall choose a ,chair and ,vice ,chair4 7c7 ,qualifications and restrictions 7#a7 ,in general ,individuals shall be selected for appointment on the ,commission solely on the basis of their professional qualifications1 experience1 and expertise in relevant fields1 including disaster response and emergency preparedness4 7#b7 ,restrictions ,individuals may not be an officer or employee of the ,federal ,government or any ,state1 or a current elected official of the local government4 7d7 ,appointment 7#a7 ,in general ,all members of the ,commission shall be appointed not later than #cj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act4 7#b7 ,presidential authority ,the ,president shall have no authority to terminate the appointment of any member of the commission4 7e7 ,vacancies ,any vacancy in the ,commission shall not affect its powers1 but shall be filled in the same manner in which the original appointment was made not later than #fj days after the date on which the vacancy occurs4 7f7 ,compensation 7#a7 ,in general ,members of the ,commission may be compensated for travel expenses necessary to conduct the work and services for the ,commission4 7#b7 ,travel expenditures ,members shall be allowed travel expenditures1 including per diem in lieu of subsistence1 in the same manner as persons employed intermittently in the ,government service are allowed expenses under section #egjc of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code4 7g7 ,staff 7#a7 ,in general ,with a majority vote of the ,commission1 members may recruit personnel to assist with the ,commission's work1 including the creation of the report4 7#b7 ,personnel ,any such personnel may include private citizens1 employees or detailees of the ,federal ,government1 or employees of the territorial government4 #e4 ,functions and powers of the ,commission 7a7 ,quorum 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #fj days after the date on which all members of the ,commission have been appointed1 the ,commission shall meet and begin the operations of the ,commission4 7#b7 ,subsequent meetings ,each subsequent meeting shall occur upon the call of the ,chair or a majority of its members4 7#c7 ,quorum ,a majority of the members of the ,commission shall constitute a quorum1 but a lesser number may hold meetings4 7b7 ,public meetings ,the ,commission shall host not less than #aj public meetings in locations that are accessible to individuals of every municipality with elected officials1 local community leaders1 academic institutions1 for-profit and non-for-profit organizations1 and individuals in ,puerto ,rico to the extent appropriate4 7c7 ,written input ,the ,commission shall allow participants both in ,puerto ,rico and the mainland to provide written input to be included in an appendix of the final report4 7d7 ,hearings 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,commission may hold hearings1 take testimony1 and receive evidence for its investigation4 7#b7 ,protection of information ,any public hearings of the ,commission shall be conducted in a manner consistent with the protection of information provided to or developed for or by the ,commission as required by any applicable statute1 regulation1 or ,executive order4 7e7 ,subpoenas ,the ,commission may issue subpoenas requiring the attendance and testimony of witnesses1 and requiring the submission of data1 books1 records1 correspondence1 memoranda1 papers1 documents1 electronic files1 metadata1 tapes1 and materials of any nature relating to any matter under investigation4 7f7 ,information from agencies ,the ,commission may secure directly from any executive department1 bureau1 agency1 board1 commission1 office1 independent establishment1 or instrumentality of the ,government1 information1 suggestions1 estimates1 and statistics4 7g7 ,,gsa services ,the ,administrator of ,general ,services shall provide to the ,commission on a reimbursable basis administrative support and other services for the performance of the ,commission's functions4 7h7 ,federal assistance from other agencies ,departments and agencies of the ,united ,states may provide to the ,commission such services1 funds1 facilities1 staff1 and other support services as they may determine advisable and as may be authorized by law4 7i7 ,postal services ,the ,commission may use the ,united ,states mails in the same manner and under the same conditions as other departments and agencies of the ,united ,states4 #f4 ,reports of ,commission 7a7 ,report ,not later than #ab months after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,commission shall submit to the ,president and ,congress a final report on the causes and circumstances surrounding the natural disasters in ,puerto ,rico1 including preparedness and immediate response1 and providing recommendations to guard against future natural disasters outside of the continental ,united ,states1 which shall contain findings1 conclusions1 and recommendations as have been agreed to by a majority of ,commission members and shall-- 7#a7 be made available to the public in the ,english and ,spanish languages2 7#b7 include findings for the issues described in section #b2 and 7#c7 include-- 7,a7 the number and nature of complaints filed to the ,inspectors ,general for ,federal agencies responsible in the aftermath of the #bjag natural disasters2 7,b7 details on ,federal procurement and acquisition practices in the aftermath of the #bjag natural disasters2 7,c7 details on disaster mitigation protocols given cultural and language differences2 and 7,d7 disaster response processes taking into account demographics 7age1 race1 gender1 income7 and the impact on segments of the population with disabilities4 7b7 ,appendix ,an appendix to the final report shall include written input of participants in ,puerto ,rico and the mainland4 7c7 ,interim report ,not later than #f months after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,commission shall provide to ,congress an interim report4 #g4 ,sunset ,the ,commission shall terminate on the day that is #ij days after the date on which the final report is submitted4 #h4 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated #c1jjj1jjj to carry out this ,act1 to remain available until expended4