Great Lakes Wire

WASHINGTON, DC – Bipartisan legislation authored by U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) to create one application deadline for two Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) programs that individuals use for federal disaster assistance has advanced in the Senate. FEMA’s Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) and Individuals and Household Program (IHP) currently have different deadlines, which can cause confusion for disaster survivors who may have trouble tracking when they need to apply for each program. The senator’s bipartisan legislation would ensure these programs have the same deadline to reduce the burden on people who need them to rebuild their lives after disasters. The bill was advanced by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee where Peters serves as Chair. It now moves to the full Senate for consideration.

“By aligning deadlines for disaster survivors to apply for federal assistance, this bipartisan bill will limit confusion in the application process and ensure that people know exactly when they need to submit their applications to access these critical resources to help rebuild their lives,” said Senator Peters.   

The bipartisan Disaster Assistance Deadlines Alignment Act would help reduce confusion for disaster survivors by requiring at least 60 days for survivors to submit applications for both the DUA and IHP programs. Currently, the DUA deadline is 30 days and the IHP deadline is 60 days after a federal disaster declaration.

As Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Peters has led several efforts to strengthen our federal disaster preparedness and response. Peters' bipartisan bill to simplify the federal application process by creating a universal FEMA application across federal agencies advanced Committee. Peters secured $500 million in funding as part of the bipartisan infrastructure bill for a program he created to help states establish revolving loan programs for local governments to carry out mitigation projects that reduce the risk of shoreline erosion, extreme flooding, and other natural disasters. Peters’ bipartisan legislation to protect FEMA Reservists from losing their full-time employment when they are called up to assist communities with disaster response was also signed into law. Finally, Peters’ bill to help protect pets and other animals during and in the aftermath of natural disasters and emergencies was also signed into law.

Below are statements in support of Peters’ bipartisan legislation:

“When disasters strike, county officials and emergency responders play a critical role in the immediate response and longer-term efforts to help our communities and residents recover,” said National Association of Counties Executive Director Matthew Chase. “Once federal assistance becomes available, residents often must complete complex, arduous applications with inconsistent deadlines during the most stressful times of their lives. The bipartisan Disaster Assistance Deadlines Alignment Act would align deadlines between FEMA’s Disaster Unemployment Assistance and the Individuals and Households Program, two financial lifelines for our residents. We thank Senators Peters and Rubio for introducing this legislation and urge its passage.”

"SBP is proud to support efforts that streamline the disaster recovery process and allow more survivors to access the assistance they need,” said SBP Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer Reese May. “Aligning the application timelines for FEMA's Individuals and Households Program and Disaster Unemployment Assistance prevents further confusion among applicants and eases access to disaster assistance for survivors."

“We know that navigating the impacts of disasters can present an enormous burden to families. By streamlining deadlines for disaster unemployment with other FEMA programs, it can limit the complexity for those impacted,” said Team Rubicon Chief Programs Officer David Burke. “Team Rubicon supports the Disaster Assistance Deadlines Alignment Act of 2023 as one small step to help disaster survivors.”

"Federal assistance complexity after disasters is a barrier to help, and floods can often take weeks after a disaster declaration to recede.  Aligning Disaster Unemployment Assistance with IHP deadlines which reduces complexity, and giving an extra 30 days or more to file for assistance, will be very helpful to many flood survivors in putting their lives back to normal,” said Chad Berginnis, Executive Director, Association of State Floodplain Managers.

“American Flood Coalition Action is proud to support this common sense proposal to simplify the federal disaster assistance process by aligning program deadlines,” said Brandon Renz, Senior Government Relations Director at American Flood Coalition Action. “We appreciate Chairman Peters and Senator Rubio’s bipartisan efforts to support survivors navigating federal programs as they rebuild their lives in the wake of major floods and other disasters.”

“The International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) applauds Chairman Peters, Ranking Member Paul, and Senator Rubio for their commitment to the simplification of the application process for disaster survivors, and we endorse S.1858, the Disaster Assistance Deadlines Alignment Act,” said Cathy M. Clark, M.A., President, IAEM-USA. “This bill is another common-sense reform that will align application deadlines between Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) and Individuals and Households Program (IHP) when both are approved after a major disaster.”

Original source can be found here