Pappas Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Victims of Natural Disasters

Today, Congressman Chris Pappas and Congressman Tom Rice (R-SC) introduced a bipartisan bill to ensure post-disaster services are delivered timely and taxpayer dollars are spent efficiently, cutting down on waste and fraud. The legislation is a companion bill to S.3512, sponsored by Senator Rick Scott (R-FL).

The Disaster Contract Improvement Act would establish oversight on debris removal through the creation of an Advisory Working Group and tasks the FEMA Administrator with implementing guidance and procedures for debris removal contracts.

"Natural disasters, including incidents of severe flooding on New Hampshire's Seacoast, are exacting costly damage on a more frequent basis," said Pappas. "This bipartisan legislation would greatly improve FEMA's ability to quickly respond to natural disasters and provide needed goods and services to those affected. Helping our communities recover quickly from these disasters is of the utmost importance, and I'll keep working to improve this process."

The Advisory Working Group this bill would create would be comprised of representatives from FEMA, the Army Corps of Engineers, State, Tribal, and Local governments, the USDA natural resources and Conservation Service, as well as experts, including those in the debris services contractor industry. The FEMA Administrator, working with this new group, would have one year after the bill's enactment to develop and implement guidance and procedures associated with the debris removal contracts.

Background:

Following Hurricane Katrina, Congress required the Federal Emergency Management Office (FEMA) to establish advance contracts for goods and services to enable the government to quickly and effectively mobilize resources in the aftermath of a disaster.

FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers used advance contracts for $4.5 billion in goods and services after Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, and the California fires of 2017. In an audit report released in 2018, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that FEMA's guidance on the use of these types of contracts is unclear, and that inconsistent information from FEMA could impair its efforts to help state and local governments use advance contracts.

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