,i #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #ajdhf ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,september #ag1 #bjbf,mr4 ,bell 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,hurd of ,colorado1 ,mr4 ,moskowitz1 ,mr4 ,carter of ,louisiana1 ,mr4 ,bishop1 ,mr4 ,mfume1 ,mr4 ,sherman1 ,mr4 ,fields1 ,ms4 ,budzinski1 ,ms4 ,wasserman ,schultz1 ,mr4 ,menefee1 ,mr4 ,garcia of ,california1 ,mr4 ,johnson of ,georgia1 ,mr4 ,subramanyam1 ,mr4 ,mrvan1 ,ms4 ,lois ,frankel of ,florida1 ,ms4 ,tokuda1 ,mr4 ,soto1 ,mr4 ,krishnamoorthi1 ,mr4 ,sorensen1 and ,mr4 ,riley of ,new ,york7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,transportation and ,infrastructure1 and in addition to the ,committees on ,science1 ,space1 and ,technology1 and ,financial ,services1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,a ,,bill ,to provide for the continuation of ,,fema operations during a lapse in appropriations1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,relief ,without ,delay ,act4 #b4 ,continuation of ,,fema operations during a lapse in appropriations ,notwithstanding any other provision of law1 in the event of a lapse in appropriations1 the ,administrator of ,,fema shall-- 7#a7 continue all disaster relief1 recovery1 and mitigation operations funded through the ,disaster ,relief ,fund2 7#b7 obligate and disburse ,disaster ,relief ,fund balances for all existing and future disaster declarations1 including individual and public assistance under sections #djc1 #djf1 #djg1 #djh1 and #ejb of the ,robert ,t4 ,stafford ,disaster ,relief and ,emergency ,assistance ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #eagj;b1 #eagb1 #eagc1 #eagd1 and #eaib72 and 7#c7 maintain personnel and contract support necessary to ensure uninterrupted processing of claims and payments4 #c4 ,use of ,disaster ,relief ,fund 7a7 ,availability ,all unobligated balances in the ,disaster ,relief ,fund shall remain available to the ,administrator of ,,fema for expenditure during a lapse in appropriations4 7b7 ,prohibition on diversion ,no funds from the ,disaster ,relief ,fund may be withheld1 sequestered1 or reprogrammed during a lapse in appropriations1 except as necessary to comply with section #acda of title #ca1 ,united ,states ,code 7commonly referred to as the ,anti-,deficiency ,act74 #d4 ,exception from government shutdown restrictions ,for purposes of section #acda of title #ca1 ,united ,states ,code 7commonly referred to as the ,anti-,deficiency ,act71 operations of ,,fema authorized under this ,act shall be considered essential to protect human life and property1 and therefore exempt from shutdown restrictions4 #e4 ,reporting on ,disaster ,relief ,fund obligations and disbursements 7a7 ,reporting ,not later than #fj days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 and monthly thereafter1 the ,administrator of ,,fema shall submit to the appropriate committees of ,congress a report on the status of all projects and activities funded through the ,disaster ,relief ,fund4 7b7 ,contents of report ,each monthly report under subsection 7a7 shall include1 with respect to the preceding month-- 7#a7 the total unobligated balance of the ,disaster ,relief ,fund2 7#b7 the total amount of ,disaster ,relief ,fund funds obligated2 7#c7 the total amount of ,disaster ,relief ,fund funds disbursed2 7#d7 a breakdown by disaster declaration 7major disaster or emergency71 including-- 7,a7 the name and date of each declaration2 7,b7 the ,states1 territories1 or tribal areas affected2 7,c7 the total funds obligated to date2 7,d7 the total funds disbursed to date2 and 7,e7 the percentage of obligated funds that have been disbursed2 7#e7 a list of all public assistance projects submitted for approval and obligation2 7#f7 a list of all projects that have been approved for obligation2 7#g7 a list of all funds for projects that have been disbursed2 7#h7 a list of all projects for which obligation decisions remain pending for more than #ahj days2 and 7#i7 any funds withheld1 deferred1 or reprogrammed for future use1 with an explanation of the reason and estimated disbursement timeline4 7c7 ,public availability ,the ,administrator shall make each report required under this section publicly available on the website of the ,federal ,emergency ,management ,agency not later than #aj days after the submission of each report4 7d7 ,standardization of reporting ,not later than #ij days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,administrator shall establish a uniform reporting template for ,disaster ,relief ,fund obligation and disbursement data1 consistent with ,federal open data standards1 and update such data on a rolling monthly basis4 7e7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,obligation ,the term obligation means a legally binding commitment by the ,federal ,emergency ,management ,agency to make payments under specific disaster recovery programs or projects4 7#b7 ,appropriate committees of ,congress ,the term appropriate committees of ,congress means the ,committees on ,appropriations and ,transportation and ,infrastructure of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committees on ,appropriations and ,homeland ,security and ,governmental ,affairs of the ,senate4 #f4 ,unmet needs assessment required ,the ,secretary of ,housing and ,urban ,development shall1 not later than #fj days after a the ,president declares a major disaster under the ,robert ,t4 ,stafford ,disaster ,relief and ,emergency ,assistance ,act and quarterly thereafter-- 7#a7 use ,federal disaster and housing data available to the ,secretary to-- 7,a7 evaluate damage to housing and infrastructure in the area impacted by the disaster2 and 7,b7 identify shortages in affordable housing and broader economic recovery needs2 and 7#b7 submit to the ,congress a report about the analysis conducted under paragraph 7#a7 that identifies any unmet needs in the area impacted by the disaster that could be addressed using amounts appropriated for ,community ,development ,block ,grant ,disaster ,recovery and other related ,federal disaster programs4 #g4 ,national tornado detection and warning improvement plan 7a7 ,in general ,the ,administrator of ,,noaa1 in coordination with the ,administrator of ,,fema1 shall establish a program to improve tornado detection1 forecasting1 and warning capabilities4 7b7 ,program elements ,the program established under subsection 7a7 shall include-- 7#a7 investment in next-generation radar1 satellite1 and sensor technologies2 7#b7 development of advanced forecasting models1 including the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning2 7#c7 expansion of localized1 impact-based warning systems2 7#d7 improvements to warning systems2 and 7#e7 integration of ,federal forecasting capabilities into ,state and local emergency management systems4 #h4 ,community tornado resilience grant program 7a7 ,establishment ,the ,administrator of ,,fema shall establish a program to award grants to ,state and local emergency management agencies to support tornado preparedness and resilience in high-risk areas4 7b7 ,eligible uses ,grants awarded under this section may be used for-- 7#a7 construction or retrofitting of community storm shelters1 including shelters located in schools1 mobile home communities1 and other high-risk locations2 7#b7 installation or modernization of warning systems2 7#c7 deployment of backup power for warning systems2 7#d7 development of local emergency preparedness plans and public education initiatives2 and 7#e7 other projects determined appropriate by the ,administrator to enhance tornado resilience4 7c7 ,priority ,in awarding grants under this section1 the ,administrator shall prioritize-- 7#a7 communities with high tornado risk2 7#b7 underserved and low-income communities2 and 7#c7 communities with limited access to existing warning systems or shelters4 #i4 ,interagency coordination ,the ,administrator of ,,noaa and the ,administrator of ,,fema shall coordinate with ,state1 local1 ,tribal1 and territorial governments to improve tornado preparedness and response1 including by-- 7#a7 data sharing and integration of forecasting systems2 7#b7 joint planning for emergency response2 and 7#c7 support for public education and outreach campaigns4 #aj4 ,report to ,congress 7a7 ,in general ,upon implementation of this ,act1 the ,administrator of ,,noaa1 in coordination with the ,administrator of ,,fema1 shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on such implementation4 7b7 ,contents ,the report required under subsection 7a7 shall include a description of-- 7#a7 any improvements in tornado detection and forecasting capabilities2 7#b7 the status of upgrades to warning systems2 7#c7 grants awarded under section #h1 and how such grants have been used to support tornado preparedness and resilience2 7#d7 any remaining gaps in tornado preparedness and resilience2 and 7#e7 any recommendations for further legislative or administrative action4 7c7 ,appropriate congressional committees defined ,in this section1 the term appropriate congressional committees means-- 7#a7 the ,committees on ,transportation and ,infrastructure1 ,science1 ,space1 and ,technology1 and ,appropriations of the ,house of ,representatives2 and 7#b7 the ,committees on ,homeland ,security and ,governmental ,affairs1 ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation1 and ,appropriations of the ,senate4 #aa4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,disaster ,relief ,fund ,the term ,disaster ,relief ,fund means the fund established under section #ajb7d7 of the ,robert ,t4 ,stafford ,disaster ,relief and ,emergency ,assistance ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #eabb7d774 7#b7 ,,fema ,the term ,,fema means the ,federal ,emergency ,management ,agency4 7#c7 ,high-risk area ,the term high-risk area means a geographic area identified by the ,administrator1 in coordination with ,,noaa1 as having a high frequency or elevated risk of tornado activity4 7#d7 ,,noaa ,the term ,,noaa means the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration4