“To establish alternate procedures for lump sum payments for certain covered small disasters, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section establishes alternative procedures under the Stafford Act allowing a state governor or Indian tribal government to request a lump sum payment equal to 80% of estimated Public Assistance Program (PAP) costs—disregarding 44 C.F.R. § 206.47(b)—for a covered small disaster, in lieu of standard PAP assistance under §§ 403, 406, 407, and 502 (which provide grants to state, local, tribal, territorial governments, and eligible private nonprofits for debris removal, emergency protective measures, infrastructure repair or replacement, and related costs). A covered small disaster is a major disaster declared under § 401 or emergency under § 501 with PAP-eligible damages of ≤125% of the state's per capita indicator. (1) The state or tribe must annually designate interest to FEMA, indicate the request with its major disaster declaration, maintain an approved administrative plan, and agree on the amount within 90 days (or default to standard PAP). (2) The fixed payment cannot be adjusted for actual costs except in unforeseen circumstances at no fault of the applicant, precludes any further PAP aid for the disaster, and must be used flexibly for recovery addressing disaster impacts for PAP-eligible entities while complying with environmental, historic preservation, civil rights laws (e.g., NEPA), and FEMA resiliency standards—with the state or tribe ensuring compliance. (3) The provision requires annual expense reports to FEMA, preserves eligibility for other title IV or V programs (e.g., § 404 fire management assistance), and does not affect non-PAP programs.