PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Mar 19, 2015
FEMA Disaster Assistance Reform Act of 2015
Authorizes appropriations for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for FY2016-FY2018 for management and administration.
Directs FEMA, through the National Advisory Council, to undertake and report on a comprehensive study of disaster costs and losses.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to:
authorize through FY2018 the National Urban Search and Rescue Response System and grants to implement the Emergency Management Assistance Compact;
include public broadcasting facilities within the definition of "private nonprofit facility" for purposes of disaster assistance eligibility;
establish a three-year statute of limitation for reclaiming disaster relief funds and for collecting debts related to disaster assistance;
allow a waiver for the collection of certain disaster-related debts;
increase the threshold for determining the eligibility of certain small projects for expedited disaster assistance payments;
establish rates for reimbursing states and local governments for direct and indirect administrative costs incurred to implement disaster recovery projects;
authorize the President, whether or not a major disaster is declared, to provide hazard mitigation assistance in any area affected by a fire; and
allow recipients of hazard mitigation assistance to use such assistance for activities to reduce the risk of future damage, hardship, loss, or suffering in any area affected by a wildfire or earthquake hazards.
Directs FEMA to: (1) study and report on physical testing standards for electric utility facilities, (2) report to specified congressional committees on agency plans to provide guidance to applicants for disaster assistance on FEMA disaster funding procedures and to maintain appropriate records during the lifecycle of a disaster, and (3) identify in its report new technologies to assist the disaster workforce during a disaster or emergency.
People & committees
Rep. Barletta, Lou [R-PA-11] · R–PA
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H1016-1020)
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.(text: CR H1016-1020)
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 1471.
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H1015-1023)
Mr. Barletta moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 333.
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. H. Rept. 114-436.
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. H. Rept. 114-436.
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management Discharged.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management.
Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.
Source last updated: Apr 7, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
AI Conversation Starters
Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.
Analyze H.R.1471 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
Examine H.R.1471 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.
Examine H.R.1471 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.
Examine H.R.1471 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.