Think Differently About Emergencies Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6294, a bipartisan bill to help people and individuals with disabilities before and after disasters.

As was well stated by Mr. Molinaro, all Americans must have equal access to disaster recovery resources, and people with disabilities might need a little more.

Census data released in 2023 concluded that individuals with disabilities are far more likely to face major hardships, including displacement from their homes, after a disaster. Such outcomes are unacceptable, and the Federal Government must work with urgency to eliminate that disparity.

This legislation will equip Congress with the knowledge required to improve outcomes for individuals with disabilities. The bill requires FEMA and the GAO to review and report on the assistance available to individuals with disabilities before and after disasters.

This is much-needed information as approximately 13 percent of Americans, Mr. Speaker, 42.5 million people live with a disability, and the Americans with Disabilities Act requires the Federal Government to provide these individuals with equal access to disaster-related programs.

I am also pleased that this legislation places a particular emphasis on individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities since their needs have been overlooked in existing Federal disaster guidance documents.

I support this bill. I urge my colleagues to do the same, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, we must ensure that FEMA is complying with the law and providing Americans with disabilities equal access to Federal disaster assistance.

This legislation will do that.

I compliment Ms. Titus and Mr. Molinaro for bringing this bipartisan legislation to us. I support it, and I urge my colleagues to do so.

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