Rural Disaster Declaration Fairness Act

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5626 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5626

  To require rulemaking by the Administrator of the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency to address considerations in evaluating the need for 
   public and individual disaster assistance, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 21, 2023

   Mr. Bost introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
             Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require rulemaking by the Administrator of the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency to address considerations in evaluating the need for 
   public and individual disaster assistance, 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 ``Rural Disaster Declaration Fairness 
Act''.

SEC. 2. REGULATORY ACTION REQUIRED.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 120 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency (in this Act referred to as the ``Administrator'' and 
``FEMA'', respectively) shall amend the rules of the Administrator 
under section 206.48 of title 44, Code of Federal Regulations, as in 
effect on the date of enactment of this Act, in accordance with the 
provisions of this Act.
    (b) New Criteria Required.--The amended rules issued under 
subsection (a) shall provide for the following:
            (1) Public assistance program.--Such rules shall provide 
        that, with respect to the evaluation of the need for public 
        assistance, FEMA shall consider the economic circumstances of 
        the local economy of the affected area, including factors such 
        as the local assessable tax base and local sales tax, the 
        median income, and the poverty rate.
            (2) Individual assistance program.--Such rules shall 
        provide that, with respect to the evaluation of the severity, 
        magnitude, and impact of the disaster and the evaluation of the 
        need for assistance to individuals, FEMA shall consider the 
        economic circumstances of the affected area, including factors 
        such as the local assessable tax base and local sales tax, the 
        median income, and the poverty rate.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amended rules issued under subsection (a) 
shall apply to any disaster for which a Governor requested a major 
disaster declaration under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) and was denied on or 
after January 1, 2012.
    (d) Cost Sharing.--Section 406(b) of the Robert T. Stafford 
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5172) is 
amended by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the following:
            ``(1) Minimum non-federal share.--The non-Federal share of 
        assistance under this section shall be not less than 10 percent 
        of the eligible cost of repair, restoration, reconstruction, or 
        replacement carried out under this section.''.
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