Bill Details
S.773 - 119th Congress
Status
Latest action
2025-02-27 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Introduced Date
2025-02-27
Policy Area
Emergency Management
Committees
View committees (1)
Cosponsors
5
0
0
AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would change how some federal disaster recovery money can be used. Right now, certain disaster grants include money for “management costs,” which are the expenses of running and overseeing recovery work. The bill would let states, Indian Tribes, and territories use any leftover management-cost money for other disaster recovery needs instead of losing it when a project is closed. It is meant to encourage faster closeout of disaster projects and make better use of unused funds. The bill also asks the Government Accountability Office to study whether the current set-aside for management costs is the right amount.
- Unused management-cost money could be moved to other recovery work, including helping build local capacity to prepare for, recover from, or reduce damage from disasters.
- Those leftover funds could also pay management costs for other disasters, emergencies, preparedness work, or mitigation projects.
- The money would stay available for up to 5 years after it is made available for reuse.
- The changes would apply only to new disaster or emergency grants tied to declarations and funding made on or after the date the bill becomes law, and no extra federal money would be added to carry it out.
Official Summaries
No summaries available
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 773 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 773
To amend section 324 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and
Emergency Assistance Act to incentivize States, Indian Tribes, and
Territories to close disaster recovery projects by authorizing the use
of excess funds for management costs for other disaster recovery
projects.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 27, 2025
Ms. Hassan (for herself and Mr. Lankford) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland
Security and Governmental Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend section 324 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and
Emergency Assistance Act to incentivize States, Indian Tribes, and
Territories to close disaster recovery projects by authorizing the use
of excess funds for management costs for other disaster recovery
projects.
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 ``Disaster Management Costs
Modernization Act''.
SEC. 2. USE OF EXCESS FUNDS FOR MANAGEMENT COSTS.
(a) In General.--Section 324 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5165b) is amended--
(1) in subsection (b)(2)--
(A) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) and (B) as
clauses (i) and (ii), respectively, and adjusting the
margins accordingly; and
(B) in the matter preceding clause (i), as so
redesignated, by striking ``provide the following
percentage rates'' and inserting ``provide--
``(A) excess funds for management costs as
described in subsection (c); and
``(B) the following percentage rates'';
(2) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection (d); and
(3) by inserting after subsection (b) the following:
``(c) Use of Excess Funds for Management Costs.--
``(1) Definition.--In this subsection, the term `excess
funds for management costs' means the difference between--
``(A) the amount of the applicable specific
management costs authorized under subsection (b)(1) and
subsection (b)(2)(B); and
``(B) as of the date on which the grant award is
closed, the amount of funding for management costs
activities expended by the grantee or subgrantee
receiving the financial assistance for costs described
in subparagraph (A).
``(2) Availability of excess funds for management costs.--
The President may make available to a grantee or subgrantee
receiving financial assistance under section 403, 404, 406,
407, or 502 any excess funds for management costs.
``(3) Use of funds.--Excess funds for management costs made
available to a grantee or subgrantee under paragraph (2) may be
used for--
``(A) activities associated with building capacity
to prepare for, recover from, or mitigate the impacts
of a major disaster or emergency declared under section
401 or 501, respectively; and
``(B) management costs associated with any--
``(i) major disaster;
``(ii) emergency;
``(iii) disaster preparedness measure; or
``(iv) mitigation activity or measure
authorized under section 203, 204, 205, or 404.
``(4) Availability.--Excess funds for management costs made
available to a grantee or subgrantee under paragraph (2) shall
remain available to the grantee or subgrantee until the date
that is 5 years after the date on which the excess funds for
management costs are made available under paragraph (2).''.
(b) Applicability.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall
apply with respect to any grant award in relation to a major disaster
or emergency declared under section 401 or 501, respectively, of the
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42
U.S.C. 5170, 5191)--
(1) the declaration of which is made on or after the date
of enactment of this Act; and
(2) that is funded with amounts appropriated on or after
the date of enactment of this Act.
(c) GAO Study.--Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit
to 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--
(1) on the actual management costs described in section 324
of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5165b) during the period of a major
disaster declaration under section 401 of such Act (42 U.S.C.
5170) to determine whether the amount set aside for those
management costs after the date of enactment of this Act is
appropriate; and
(2) that includes--
(A) the management costs described in section 324
of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5165b) for each major
disaster declared under section 401 of such Act (42
U.S.C. 5170) during the 5-year period preceding the
date of the report;
(B) the amount set aside for those management
costs;
(C) the use of those management costs;
(D) the length of each such major disaster; and
(E) the reason for the length of each such major
disaster.
(d) No Additional Funds.--No additional funds are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out the amendments made by subsection (a).
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