,,ii  #aaith ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #ddcc  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,april #bi1    
#bjbf,mr4 ,bennet 7for himself and ,mr4 
,hickenlooper7 introduced the following 
bill2 which was read twice and referred 
to the ,committee on ,banking1 ,housing1
 and ,urban ,affairs  ,a ,,bill  ,to    
provide for a procedure for ,congress to
 carry out a reversal of a decision by  
the ,president not to declare a major   
disaster requested by the ,governor of a
 ,state under the ,robert ,t4 ,stafford 
,disaster ,relief and ,emergency        
,assistance ,act1 and for other         
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,disaster           
,declaration ,transparency ,act of      
#bjbf4  #b4 ,process for congressional  
reversal of refusal to declare major    
disaster ,section #dja of the ,robert   
,t4 ,stafford ,disaster ,relief and     
,emergency ,assistance ,act 7#db        
,u4,s4,c4 #eagj7 is amended by adding at
 the end the following3  7d7            

,notification to ,congress  7#a7        
,covered refusal ,in this subsection1   
the term covered refusal means an       
instance in which--  7,a7 the ,governor 
of a ,state requests a declaration by   
the ,president of a major disaster under
 subsection 7a72 and  7,b7 the          
,president declines to declare such a   
major disaster-- 7i7 contrary to a      
recommendation provided by the          
,administrator of the ,federal          
,emergency ,management ,agency2 or  7ii7
 based on a recommendation by the       
,administrator of the ,federal          
,emergency ,management ,agency not to   
approve the declaration that is contrary
 to established precedent4  7#b7        
,notification requirement ,not later    
than #bd hours after issuing a covered  
refusal1 the ,president shall submit to 
the ,speaker of the ,house of           
,representatives and the ,president of  
the ,senate a written explanation of the
 covered refusal4  7e7 ,declaration by  
joint resolution  7#a7 ,definitions ,in 

this subsection3 7,a7 ,covered joint    
resolution ,the term covered joint      
resolution means only a joint resolution
 of either ,house of ,congress-- 7i7    
introduced not later than #ad calendar  
days after the date on which ,congress  
receives a notification under subsection
 7d77#b7 relating to a covered refusal2 
and  7ii7 the sole matter after the     
resolving clause of which is as follows3
 ,that the ,president shall declare a   
major disaster under section #dja of the
 ,robert ,t4 ,stafford ,disaster ,relief
 and ,emergency ,assistance ,act 7#db   
,u4,s4,c4 #eagj7 relating to 1 the      
blanks being filled in with a           
description of the disaster that is the 
subject of the covered refusal4  7,b7   
,covered refusal ,the term covered      
refusal has the meaning given the term  
in subsection 7d74  7#b7 ,introduction  
,a covered joint resolution may be      
introduced-- 7,a7 in the ,house of      
,representatives1 by the majority leader
 7or the majority leader's designee7 or 

the minority leader 7or the minority    
leader's designee72 and  7,b7 in the    
,senate1 by the majority leader 7or the 
majority leader's designee7 or the      
minority leader 7or the minority        
leader's designee74  7#c7 ,floor        
consideration in house of               
representatives  7,a7 ,discharge from   
committee ,if a committee of the ,house 
of ,representatives to which a covered  
joint resolution has been referred has  
not reported the joint resolution within
 #b calendar days after the date of     
referral of the joint resolution1 the   
committee shall be discharged from      
further consideration of the joint      
resolution and the joint resolution     
shall be placed on the appropriate      
calendar4  7,b7 ,moving to consideration
 ,at any time after a covered joint     
resolution has been placed on the       
appropriate calendar1 it is in order for
 the sponsor of the joint resolution 7or
 a designee7 to move for the            
consideration of that joint resolution4 

7,c7 ,points of order2 motions ,all     
points of order against the covered     
joint resolution and its consideration  
are waived4 ,if the motion under        
subparagraph 7,b7 is agreed to1 the     
joint resolution shall remain the       
unfinished business of the ,house until 
disposed of1 except as provided in      
paragraph 7#e74  7,d7 ,no amendments ,a 
covered joint resolution shall not be   
subject to amendment in the ,house of   
,representatives4  7,e7 ,debate ,general
 debate on a covered joint resolution   
shall not exceed #d hours1 which shall  
be equally divided and controlled by the
 sponsor of the joint resolution 7or a  
designee7 and an opponent4  7,f7 ,final 
passage ,at the conclusion of debate1   
the previous question shall be          
considered as ordered on the resolution1
 and the ,house of ,representatives     
shall vote on final passage without     
intervening motion4  7#d7 ,consideration
 in the senate  7,a7 ,reporting and     
discharge ,if the committee of the      

,senate to which a covered joint        
resolution was referred has not reported
 the joint resolution within #b calendar
 days after the date of referral of the 
joint resolution1 that committee shall  
be discharged from further consideration
 of the joint resolution and the joint  
resolution shall be placed on the       
appropriate calendar4  7,b7 ,proceeding 
to consideration ,notwithstanding ,rule 
,,xxii of the ,standing ,rules of the   
,senate1 it is in order at any time     
after the committee of the ,senate to   
which a covered joint resolution was    
referred reports the joint resolution to
 the ,senate or has been discharged from
 consideration of the joint resolution  
7even though a previous motion to the   
same effect has been disagreed to7 to   
move to proceed to the consideration of 
the joint resolution1 and all points of 
order against the joint resolution 7and 
against consideration of the joint      
resolution7 are waived4 ,the motion to  
proceed is not debatable4 ,the motion is

 not subject to a motion to postpone4   
7,c7 ,no amendments ,an amendment to a  
covered joint resolution1 or a motion to
 postpone1 or a motion to proceed to the
 consideration of other business1 or a  
motion to recommit a covered joint      
resolution1 is not in order4  7,d7      
,consideration  7i7 ,limitation on      
debate ,consideration in the ,senate of 
a covered joint resolution shall be     
limited to not more than #aj hours1     
which shall be equally divided between1 
and controlled by1 the majority leader  
and the minority leader1 or by their    
designees4  7ii7 ,vote on adoption      
,whenever all the time for debate on a  
covered joint resolution has been used  
or yielded back1 the vote on the passage
 of the resolution shall occur without  
any intervening motion or amendment1    
except that a single quorum call at the 
conclusion of the debate if requested in
 accordance with the ,rules of the      
,senate may occur immediately before    
such vote4  7,e7 ,rulings of the chair  

on procedure ,appeals from the decisions
 of the ,chair relating to the          
application of the rules of the ,senate1
 as the case may be1 to the procedure   
relating to a covered joint resolution  
shall be decided without debate4  7,f7  
,consideration of veto messages ,debate 
in the ,senate of any veto message with 
respect to a covered joint resolution1  
including all debatable motions and     
appeals in connection with the joint    
resolution1 shall be limited to #aj     
hours1 to be equally divided between1   
and controlled by1 the majority leader  
and the minority leader or their        
designees4  7#e7 ,rules relating to     
senate and house of representatives     
7,a7 ,treatment of senate joint         
resolution in house ,in the ,house of   
,representatives1 the following         
procedures shall apply to a covered     
joint resolution received from the      
,senate 7unless the ,house has already  
passed a joint resolution relating to   
the same proposed action73 7i7 ,the     

joint resolution shall be referred to   
the appropriate committees4  7ii7 ,if a 
committee to which a joint resolution   
has been referred has not reported the  
joint resolution within #b calendar days
 after the date of referral1 that       
committee shall be discharged from      
further consideration of the joint      
resolution4  7iii7 ,beginning on the    
third legislative day after the         
committee to which a joint resolution   
has been referred reports the joint     
resolution to the ,house or has been    
discharged from further consideration   
thereof1 it shall be in order to move to
 proceed to consider the joint          
resolution in the ,house4 ,all points of
 order against the motion are waived4   
,such a motion shall not be in order    
after the ,house has disposed of a      
motion to proceed on the joint          
resolution4 ,the previous question shall
 be considered as ordered on the motion 
to its adoption without intervening     
motion4 ,the motion shall not be        

debatable4 ,a motion to reconsider the  
vote by which the motion is disposed of 
shall not be in order4  7iv7 ,the joint 
resolution shall be considered as read4 
,all points of order against the joint  
resolution and against its consideration
 are waived4 ,the previous question     
shall be considered as ordered on the   
joint resolution to final passage       
without intervening motion except #d    
hours of debate equally divided and     
controlled by the sponsor of the joint  
resolution 7or a designee7 and an       
opponent4 ,a motion to reconsider the   
vote on passage of the joint resolution 
shall not be in order4  7,b7 ,treatment 
of house joint resolution in senate  7i7
 ,receipt before passage ,if1 before the
 passage by the ,senate of a covered    
joint resolution1 the ,senate receives  
an identical joint resolution from the  
,house of ,representatives1 the         
following procedures shall apply3 7,i7  
,that joint resolution shall not be     
referred to a committee4  7,,ii7 ,with  

respect to that joint resolution-- 7aa7 
the procedure in the ,senate shall be   
the same as if no joint resolution had  
been received from the ,house of        
,representatives2 but  7bb7 the vote on 
passage shall be on the joint resolution
 from the ,house of ,representatives4   
7ii7 ,receipt after passage ,if1        
following passage of a covered joint    
resolution in the ,senate1 the ,senate  
receives an identical joint resolution  
from the ,house of ,representatives1    
that joint resolution shall be placed on
 the appropriate ,senate calendar4      
7iii7 ,no companion measure ,if a       
covered joint resolution is received    
from the ,house1 and no companion joint 
resolution has been introduced in the   
,senate1 the ,senate procedures under   
this subsection shall apply to the      
,house joint resolution4  7,c7          
,application to revenue measures ,the   
provisions of this paragraph shall not  
apply in the ,house of ,representatives 
to a covered joint resolution that is a 

revenue measure4  7#f7 ,rules of house  
of representatives and senate ,this     
subsection is enacted by ,congress--    
7,a7 as an exercise of the rulemaking   
power of the ,senate and the ,house of  
,representatives1 respectively1 and as  
such is deemed a part of the rules of   
each ,house1 respectively1 and          
supersedes other rules only to the      
extent that it is inconsistent with such
 rules2 and  7,b7 with full recognition 
of the constitutional right of either   
,house to change the rules 7so far as   
relating to the procedure of that       
,house7 at any time1 in the same manner1
 and to the same extent as in the case  
of any other rule of that ,house4  4