,i  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #dceh  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,september #ag1      
#bjai,mr4 ,katko 7for himself and ,mr4  
,cunningham7 introduced the following   
bill2 which was referred to the         
,committee on ,transportation and       
,infrastructure  ,a ,,bill  ,to direct  
the ,administrator of the ,federal      
,emergency ,management ,agency to submit
 to ,congress a report on preliminary   
damage assessment and to establish      
damage assessment teams in the ,federal 
,emergency ,management ,agency1 and for 
other purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this 
,act may be cited as the ,preliminary   
,damage ,assessment ,improvement ,act of
 #bjai4  #b4 ,findings ,congress finds  
the following3  7#a7 ,preliminary damage
 assessments play a critical role in    
assessing and validating the impact and 
magnitude of a disaster4  7#b7 ,through 
the preliminary damage assessment       
process1 representatives from the       
,federal ,emergency ,management ,agency 

work with ,state and local officials to 
gather information that serves as the   
basis for disaster assistance requests4 
7#c7 ,various factors can impact the    
duration of a preliminary damage        
assessment and the corresponding        
submission of a major disaster request1 
however1 the average time between when a
 disaster occurs1 and the submission of 
a corresponding disaster request has    
been found to be approximately twenty   
days longer for flooding disasters4     
7#d7 ,with communities across the       
country facing increased instances of   
catastrophic flooding and other extreme 
weather events1 accurate and efficient  
preliminary damage assessments have     
become critically important to the      
relief process for impacted states and  
municipalities4  #c4 ,report to         
,congress  7a7 ,in general ,not later   
than #ij days after the date of         
enactment of this ,act1 the             
,administrator of the ,federal          
,emergency ,management ,agency shall    

submit to ,congress a report describing 
the preliminary damage assessment       
process1 as carried out by the ,federal 
,emergency ,management ,agency in the #e
 years before the date of enactment of  
this ,act4  7b7 ,contents ,the report   
described in subsection 7a7 shall       
contain the following3 7#a7 ,the process
 of the ,federal ,emergency ,management 
,agency for deploying disaster          
assessment teams to conduct preliminary 
damage assessments4  7#b7 ,the number of
 ,agency staff participating on disaster
 assessment teams4  7#c7 ,the training  
and experience of such staff described  
in paragraph 7#b74  7#d7 ,a calculation 
of the average amount of time disaster  
assessment teams described in paragraph 
7#a7 are deployed to a disaster area4   
7#e7 ,the efforts of the ,agency to     
maintain a consistent liaison between   
the ,agency and communities within a    
disaster area4  #d4 ,preliminary damage 
assessment  7a7 ,in general ,not later  
than #a year after the date of enactment

 of this ,act1 the ,administrator of the
 ,federal ,emergency ,management ,agency
 shall establish damage assessment teams
 under section #bjf4cc7;b7 of title #dd1
 ,code of ,federal ,regulations1 within 
the ,federal ,emergency ,management     
,agency to conduct preliminary damage   
assessments with ,state and local       
governments and appropriate relief or   
disaster assistance organizations4  7b7 
,damage assessment teams ,damage        
assessment teams described under        
subsection 7a7 shall consist of         
full-time employees of the ,agency with 
expertise in working with ,state and    
local governments and appropriate relief
 or disaster assistance organizations4  
7c7 ,report to ,congress ,not later than
 #b years after the date of enactment of
 this ,act1 the ,administrator shall    
submit to ,congress a report--  7#a7    
describing the establishment of disaster
 assessment teams described under       
subsection 7a72  7#b7 assessing whether 
the duration of the deployment of a     

disaster assessment team to conduct a   
preliminary damage assessment is longer 
based on specific disaster conditions2  
7#c7 assessing the practicality of      
forming specific disaster assessment    
teams for each specific disaster        
condition2 and  7#d7 legislative        
recommendations to improve the          
operation1 deployment1 and staffing of  
disaster assessment teams4  7d7         
,definition of ,state and local         
government ,for purposes of this ,act1  
the terms ,state and local government   
have the meanings given such terms in   
section #ajb of the ,robert ,t4         
,stafford ,disaster ,relief and         
,emergency ,assistance ,act 7#db        
,u4,s4,c4 #eabb74