Official Summaries

Restoring Access to Mountain Homes Act

This bill authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide Public Assistance (PA) grant funding, under certain conditions, to reimburse government entities covered under the major disaster declaration for North Carolina relating to Tropical Storm Helene for the costs of repairing, replacing, or restoring private roads and bridges damaged by Helene.

Under current law, the PA program provides grants for repairing disaster damage to infrastructure owned or legally maintained by government entities (or certain nonprofits). The bill authorizes PA funding for permanent repair work on privately owned and maintained roads and bridges significantly damaged by Helene in North Carolina, as costs incurred by state, tribal, or local governments for such work are eligible for reimbursement.   

Also, under current law, the costs of repairing damage that existed before the disaster are generally ineligible for PA. The bill makes the repair, replacement, or restoration costs eligible for reimbursement under PA regardless of pre-existing condition.

Additionally, the bill contains criteria and conditions for reimbursement, including that to be eligible a road or bridge must be used as the sole means of accessing primary residences or essential community services. Reimbursement is under PA’s alternative procedures, and the bill requires FEMA to determine eligible costs based on estimates prepared by engineers.

Recipients of funds from FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program (IHP) before the bill’s enactment may use IHP funds for repairs eligible under the bill without those costs counting against their maximum amount of IHP assistance.

Current Full Text

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 267 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 267

  To make certain repairs, replacements, and restorations of private 
   roads and bridges eligible for reimbursement under the Robert T. 
 Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 28, 2025

 Mr. Budd (for himself and Mr. Tillis) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security 
                        and Governmental Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To make certain repairs, replacements, and restorations of private 
   roads and bridges eligible for reimbursement under the Robert T. 
 Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Restoring Access to Mountain Homes 
Act''.

SEC. 2. REIMBURSEMENT FOR REPAIR, REPLACEMENT, AND RESTORATION WORK ON 
              PRIVATE ROADS AND BRIDGES IMPACTED BY TROPICAL STORM 
              HELENE.

    (a) Eligibility for Reimbursement.--Notwithstanding any provision 
of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 
(42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) or the regulations governing the public 
assistance program of the Federal Emergency Management Agency under 
such Act, the State, Indian Tribal, and local governments in North 
Carolina covered under major disaster declaration FEMA-4827-DR-NC 
(relating to Tropical Storm Helene) shall be eligible for reimbursement 
for the cost of repairs, replacements, or restoration to private roads 
and bridges, without regard to pre-existing condition, under section 
428 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 5189f) that--
            (1) are used as the sole means of access to primary 
        residences or essential community services;
            (2) are significantly damaged or destroyed as a direct 
        result of Tropical Storm Helene as identified in FEMA-4827-DR-
        NC; and
            (3) does not duplicate work that has already been 
        completed.
    (b) Conditions of Reimbursement.--Reimbursement under this section 
shall be subject to the following conditions:
            (1) Private roads or bridges shall be inspected by 
        appropriate State, Indian Tribal, or local government officials 
        or their designees to verify the scope, need, and cost-
        effectiveness of any mitigation measures for the proposed 
        repair, replacement, or restoration.
            (2) The State, Indian Tribal, or local governments 
        requesting assistance shall ensure that the private roads or 
        bridges being repaired, replaced, or restored remain open for 
        disaster recovery activities for the duration of the repair, 
        replacement, or restoration process.
            (3) The State or Indian Tribal governments shall be 
        responsible for documenting all costs associated with repairs, 
        replacements, or restorations within their jurisdiction in 
        accordance with Federal Emergency Management Agency policy.
            (4) The State, Indian Tribal, or local government applying 
        for public assistance funding shall obtain authority or 
        permission to perform the work to permanently repair, replace, 
        or restore the private roads and bridges.
            (5) The State, Indian Tribal, or local government applying 
        for public assistance funding shall ensure the work under this 
        section is performed in compliance with all applicable State 
        and Federal regulations and requirements that pertain to work 
        that is permanent in nature.
    (c) Duplication of Benefits.--
            (1) In general.--Any individual or household that has 
        received assistance prior to the date of enactment of this Act 
        pursuant to section 408 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 
        Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174) for the 
        purposes of repairing a private road or bridge eligible under 
        this section may proceed with such repairs or return any such 
        assistance to have such repair eligible pursuant to this 
        section.
            (2) Calculation.--In the event the individual or household 
        chooses to proceed with such repairs utilizing assistance 
        provided pursuant to section 408 of the Robert T. Stafford 
        Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174) 
        for a private road or bridge, such assistance shall not be 
        counted against the maximum amount of assistance for such 
        individual or household under such section.
    (d) Eligible Cost.--
            (1) In general.--In determining eligible costs, the 
        Administrator shall base such determinations on properly 
        conducted and certified cost estimates prepared by 
        professionally licensed engineers (mutually agreed upon by the 
        Administrator and the applicant).
            (2) Use of estimates.--Once certified by a professionally 
        licensed engineer under paragraph (1) and accepted by the 
        Administrator, the estimates on which grants made pursuant to 
        this section are based shall be presumed to be reasonable and 
        eligible costs, as long as there is no evidence of fraud.
                                 <all>