,,ib ,union ,calendar ,no4 #dgc #aafth  
,,congress  #b;d ,session  ,h4 ,r4 #dceh
 ,report ,no4 #aaf-ege ,,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  ,november #af1        
#bjbj;,additional sponsors3 ,mr4 ,rice  
of ,south ,carolina1 ,mr4 ,sablan1 and  
,mr4 ,delgado  ,november #af1           
#bjbj,reported with an amendment2       
committed to the ,committee of the      
,whole ,house on the ,state of the      
,union and ordered to be printed,strike 
out all after the enacting clause and   
insert the part printed in italic,for   
text of introduced bill1 see copy of    
bill as introduced on ,september #ag1   
#bjai  ,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
 #bjbj4  #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 
validate information gathered by ,state 
and local officials 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 supported 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 personnel to      
support 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 ,state1 local1 ,tribal1 
and territorial officials 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 a training regime under
 section #bjf4cc7;b7 of title #dd1 ,code
 of ,federal ,regulations1 within the   
,federal ,emergency ,management ,agency 
to ensure preliminary damage assessments
 are conducted and reviewed under       
consistent guidelines4  7b7 ,annual     
report ,the ,administrator shall        
annually submit to ,congress a report on

 the number and type of instances under 
which ,federal ,emergency ,management   
,agency personnel have overturned       
decisions made by personnel in the      
field4  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 guidelines    
from ,federal ,emergency ,management    
,agency personnel described under       
subsection 7a72  7#b7 assessing whether 
the duration of the deployment of       
,federal ,emergency ,management ,agency 
personnel to conduct a preliminary      
damage assessment is longer based on    
specific disaster conditions2 and  7#c7 
containing legislative recommendations  
to improve the operation1 deployment1   
and staffing of disaster personnel4  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  ,november #af1       
#bjbj,reported with an amendment2       
committed to the ,committee of the      
,whole ,house on the ,state of the      
,union and ordered to be printed