Sponsors (3)
The bill aims to streamline and make federal disaster assistance more transparent and faster through centralized data processes and technology use, but it creates upfront costs, transition risks for local partners, and potential privacy exposures that must be managed.
State and local governments would get clearer, consolidated processes for collecting disaster-assistance information, reducing administrative burden and enabling faster access to federal aid for affected communities.
Rural and urban communities could see faster disaster assessments and potentially quicker repairs and relief because the bill encourages use of emerging technologies (e.g., unmanned aircraft systems) to speed evaluations.
Taxpayers and residents would gain better transparency and accountability through public reporting and a machine-readable website that lets the public track federal disaster assistance awarded.
Taxpayers could face increased federal costs to implement new data systems and public websites, which might reduce funds available for direct recovery aid or require higher spending.
State and local governments may incur transition costs or experience delays if centralizing assessments or mandating a single-agency approach disrupts established workflows during implementation.
Residents and applicants could face privacy and security risks if consolidated, publicly released datasets are not properly redacted, potentially exposing personally identifiable information.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Directs FEMA to study and plan consolidation of disaster assistance data collection, convene an interagency working group to reduce duplicate damage assessments, and publicly report findings within two years.
Requires FEMA to complete a study and plans within two years to streamline and consolidate disaster assistance applicant and grantee information collection, create public reporting (including a website), and convene a recurring interagency working group to identify and reduce duplicate preliminary damage assessments and explore faster assessment technologies. The bill directs coordination with SBA, HUD, inspector general groups, and other agencies and requires a single comprehensive public report and optional committee briefings within 180 days of that report.
Introduced January 3, 2025 by Mike Ezell · Last progress January 14, 2025