Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Natural Disaster Resilience and Recovery Accountability Act”.
Natural Disaster Resilience and Recovery Accountability Act
A BILL
To establish a Commission on Federal Natural Disaster Resilience and Recovery to examine and recommend reforms to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Federal Government’s approach to natural disaster resilience and recovery, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Commission on Federal Natural Disaster Resilience and Recovery
Establishment— There is established within the Office of Management and Budget a Commission on Federal Natural Disaster Resilience and Recovery.
Duties— The duties of the Commission shall be to examine and recommend administrative and legislative reforms to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and budget funding of Federal agency programs and activities supporting natural disaster resilience and recovery.
Membership—
In general— The Commission shall be composed of 15 members, appointed by the Director of the Office. One such member shall be an employee of the Office. Each other member shall, to the extent practicable, be an official, emergency manager, or emergency response provider from State, local, and Tribal governments, the private sector, and nongovernmental organizations, representing multiple geographic (including urban and rural) areas, including—
individuals from the emergency management field and emergency response providers, including fire service, law enforcement, hazardous materials response, emergency medical services, and emergency management personnel, or organizations representing such individuals;
health scientists, emergency and inpatient medical providers, and public health professionals;
experts from Federal, State, local, and Tribal governments, and the private sector, representing standards-setting and accrediting organizations, including representatives from the voluntary consensus codes and standards development community, particularly those with expertise in the emergency preparedness and response field;
State, local, and Tribal government officials with expertise in preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation, including Adjutants General;
elected State, local, and Tribal government executives;
experts in public and private sector infrastructure protection, cybersecurity, and communications;
representatives of individuals with disabilities and other populations with special needs; and
such other individuals as the Director determines to be appropriate.
Expertise— In making appointments under paragraph (1), the Director shall give consideration to individuals with expertise in—
natural disaster resilience and recovery;
emergency management at the Federal, State, local, territorial or Tribal level;
critical infrastructure;
transportation;
housing; and
intergovernmental relations.
Appointment deadline— All appointments to the Commission shall be made not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act.
Chair and vice chair— The Commission shall have a chair and vice-chair. The chair shall be a member of the Commission elected by an affirmative vote of at least eight members of the Commission and the vice chair shall be the Commission member who is an employee of the Office.
Compensation—
In general— A member of the Commission who is not an officer or employee of the Federal Government—
shall not be considered a Federal employee for any purpose other than for purposes of chapter 81 of title 5, United States Code, (relating to compensation for injury) and sections 2671 through 2680 of title 28, United States Code, (relating to tort claims); and
shall be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates authorized for employees of agencies under subchapter I of chapter 57 of such title 5 while away from their homes or regular places of business in the performance of services for the Commission.
Federal employees— A member of the Commission who is an officer or employee of the Federal Government shall not receive any additional compensation for service as such a member.
Administration—
Meetings—
First meeting— The Commission shall first meet not later than 240 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
Other matters— The Commission may, for the purpose of carrying out this Act, meet virtually or in-person to hold hearings, sit and act at times and places, take testimony, and receive evidence as the Commission considers appropriate.
Executive branch assistance— The heads of the following agencies shall advise and consult with the Commission on matters within their respective areas of responsibility:
The Small Business Administration.
The Department of Agriculture.
The Department of Homeland Security.
The Department of Labor.
The Department of the Interior.
The Department of Energy.
The Department of Transportation.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The Environmental Protection Agency.
The Department of Justice.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The United States Army Corps of Engineers.
The Corporation for National and Community Service.
The Department of Commerce.
The Department of the Treasury.
The Office of Management and Budget.
Any other agency, as determined by the Commission.
Information from Federal agencies— The Commission may request from any Federal agency such information as the Commission considers necessary to carry out its duties. Upon request of the Chairperson of the Commission, the head of a Federal agency shall furnish such information to the Commission.
Postal services— The Commission may use the United States mails in the same manner and under the same conditions as other departments and agencies of the Federal Government.
Rules of procedure— The chair and vice chair shall, with an affirmative vote of at least eight members of the Commission, establish written rules of procedure for the Commission, which shall include a quorum requirement to conduct official business.
Staff—
In general— The chair of the Commission may, without regard to the civil service laws and regulations, appoint and terminate support personnel as may be necessary to enable the Commission to perform its duties.
Executive director— The Commission, by an affirmative vote of at least eight members of the Commission, shall appoint an executive director of the Commission.
Compensation— The chair of the Commission may fix the compensation of the executive director and other personnel without regard to chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of title 5, United States Code, relating to classification of positions and General Schedule pay rates, except that the rate of pay for the executive director and other personnel may not exceed the rate payable for level V of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of such title.
Detail of Government employees— A Federal Government employee may be detailed to the Commission, without reimbursement, and such detail shall be without interruption or loss of civil service status or privilege.
Reports—
Final report— Not later than 2 years after the date of the first meeting of the Commission, the Commission shall submit, to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate, a report describing recommendations to improve the Federal Government’s approach to natural disaster resilience and recovery. Such report shall include the following:
Specific and actionable policy recommendations, including legislative recommendations, as applicable, to improve the effectiveness of the Federal approach to natural disaster resilience and recovery, including consideration of the 11 options presented in the Government Accountability Office report titled “Disaster Recovery: Actions Needed to Improve the Federal Approach”, issued on November 15, 2022 (GAO–23–104956).
A comprehensive review all federally funded activities, Federal financial assistance and grant, and agency programs related to natural disaster resilience and recovery using, to the extent practical, data systems and metrics consistently across the Federal agencies, including budget information and the Federal Program Inventory established under section 9601 of Public Law 116–283 and section 1122 of title 31, United States Code, in order to evaluate the effectiveness of such activities and programs to meet established goals and statutory requirements.
A complete list of all federally funded natural disaster resilience and recovery programs and activities along with prior funding information, program goals, statutory authority of such programs and activities with relevant law citations, and reference to related financial assistance and grant programs.
Consideration of potential administrative changes to the roles and responsibilities of the various Federal agencies involved in natural disaster resilience and recovery.
Policies that aim to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Federal Government’s approach to natural disaster resilience and recovery, to increase the access and efficacy of respective Federal programs to all impacted individuals and entities, and to recommend appropriate investments in natural disaster resilience to reduce duplication and inefficiency.
Other areas of natural disaster resilience and recovery that are not outlined in this Act, as determined by the Commission.
Specific policy recommendations— To the maximum extent practicable, the report under paragraph (1) shall include specific short- and long-term legislative and administrative policy recommendations.
Interim reports— Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act and every 6 months thereafter, the Commission shall submit to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate interim reports relating to any matter described in paragraph (1).
Termination— The Commission shall terminate on the date that is 60 days after the date on which the Commission submits its final report to Congress pursuant to subsection (e)(1).
Authorization of appropriations— Amounts authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act shall be derived solely from amounts otherwise appropriated for the Office, and no additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act.
Definitions— In this Act—
the term “Commission” means the Commission on Federal Natural Disaster Resilience and Recovery established under subsection (a);
the term “natural disaster” means a weather event (relating to cold or hot weather), flood, earthquake, tornado, hurricane, or ice storm, or an event meeting such other criteria as the Commission may determine to be appropriate; and
the term “Office” means the Office of Management and Budget.