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Bill
Notes

S. 2109 — what changed

Directing Dollars to Disaster Relief Act of 2015

From Reported in Senate to Engrossed in Senate. 3 sections amended between Reported in Senate and Engrossed in Senate.

Sec. 2 Definitions

In this Act—

(1)
changed the term administrative cost means a cost incurred by the Agency in support of the delivery of disaster assistance for a major disaster;cost—
(A)
added means a cost incurred by the Agency in support of the delivery of disaster assistance for a major disaster; and
(B)
added does not include a cost incurred by a grantee or subgrantee;
(2)
the term Administrator means the Administrator of the Agency;
(3)
the term Agency means the Federal Emergency Management Agency;
(4)
the term direct administrative cost means a cost incurred by a grantee or subgrantee of a program authorized by the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) that can be identified separately and assigned to a specific project;
(5)
the term hazard mitigation program means the hazard mitigation grant program authorized under section 404 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170c);
(6)
the term individual assistance program means the individual assistance grant program authorized under sections 408, 410, 415, 416, 426, and 502(a) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174, 5177, 5182, 5183, 5189d, and 5192(a));
(7)
the term major disaster means a major disaster declared by the President under section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170);
(8)
the term mission assignment has the meaning given the term in section 641 of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 (6 U.S.C. 741); and
(9)
the term public assistance program means the public assistance grant program authorized under sections 403(a)(3), 406, 418, 419, 428, and 502(a) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170b(a)(3), 5172, 5185, 5186, 5189f, and 5192(a)).

Sec. 3 Integrated plan for administrative cost reduction

(a)
In general— Not later than 365 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall—
(1)
develop and implement an integrated plan to control and reduce administrative costs for major disasters, which shall include—
(A)
steps the Agency will take to reduce administrative costs;
(B)
milestones needed for accomplishing the reduction of administrative costs;
(C)
added strategic goals for the average annual percentage of administrative costs of major disasters for each fiscal year;
(D)
renumbered was (2)(3)(4) the assignment of clear roles and responsibilities, including the designation of officials responsible for monitoring and measuring performance; and
(E)
renumbered was (2)(3)(5) a timetable for implementation;
(2)
compare the costs and benefits of tracking the administrative cost data for major disasters by the public assistance, individual assistance, hazard mitigation, and mission assignment programs, and if feasible, track this information; and
(3)
clarify Agency guidance and minimum documentation requirements for a direct administrative cost claimed by a grantee or subgrantee of a public assistance grant program.
(b)
Congressional update— Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall brief the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives on the plan required to be developed under subsection (a)(1).
(c)
changed Updates— If the Administrator modifies the plan or the timetable under subsection (a), the Administrator shall submit to Congress the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a report notifying Congress of the modification, which shall include the details of the modification.

Sec. 4 Reporting requirement

(a)
changed In general—Annual report— Except as provided in subsection (b), Not later than November 30 of the total amount obligated each year for major disasters by the Agency from 7 years beginning on the Disaster Relief Fund for a fiscal year, date of enactment of this Act, the amount obligated for administrative costs Administrator shall not exceed submit to Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the milestones set by Senate and the Agency in Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a report on the development and implementation of the integrated plan developed required under section 3(a)(1).3 for the previous fiscal year.
(b)
changed Waiver—Report updates—
(1)
changed In general—Three year update— The Not later than 3 years after the date on which the Administrator may waive submits a requirement described in report under subsection (a) if (a), the Administrator—Administrator shall submit an updated report for the previous 3-fiscal-year period.
(A)
removed has completed an assessment described in paragraph (3); and
(B)
removed submits to the appropriate committees of Congress a written explanation as to why the Agency exceeded the milestones set by the Agency in the plan developed under section 3(a)(1) for administrative costs of major disasters for the specified fiscal year.
(2)
changed Public availability—Five year update— Not later than 30 days 5 years after the date on which the Administrator submits the written explanation to Congress a report under paragraph (1), subsection (a), the Administrator shall make the explanation publicly available on the website of submit an updated report for the Agency.previous 5-fiscal-year period.
(c)
added Contents of reports— Each report required under subsections (a) and (b) shall contain, at a minimum—
(1)
added the total amount spent on administrative costs for the fiscal year period for which the report is being submitted;
(2)
added the average annual percentage of administrative costs for the fiscal year period for which the report is being submitted;
(3)
added an assessment of the effectiveness of the plan developed under section 3(a)(1);
(4)
added an analysis of—
(A)
added whether the Agency is achieving the strategic goals established under section 3(a)(1)(C); and
(B)
added in the case of the Agency not achieving such strategic goals, what is preventing the Agency from doing so;
(5)
added any actions the Agency has identified as useful in improving upon and reaching the goals for administrative costs established under section 3(a)(1)(C); and
(6)
added any data described in section 3(a)(2), if the Agency determines it is feasible to track such data.
(d)
added Public availability— Not later than 30 days after the date on which the Administrator submits a report to Congress under this section, the Administrator shall make the report publicly available on the website of the Agency.
(3)
removed Assessment— Not later than 60 days after the last day of a fiscal year, the Administrator shall conduct an assessment of the administrative costs of major disasters for the fiscal year in order to determine whether a waiver is needed under this subsection.