Front view of the Capitol

Congressman Carter Passes Eight Bills in Transportation and Infrastructure Committee

September 19, 2024
Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Troy A. Carter Sr. (D-LA) praised eight bills that he either introduced or cosponsored that passed in the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure this week.

 

Congressman Carter is the lead sponsor of H.R. 9037, the Federal Emergency Mobilization Accountability (FEMA) Workforce Planning Act, bipartisan legislation that requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to submit a plan to Congress every three years that includes specific retention, recruitment, and deployment goals for its workforce.

 

“In Louisiana, we’ve seen how storms are increasingly more dangerous and unpredictable. My FEMA Workforce Planning Act is a critical step toward ensuring FEMA is better equipped to respond to disasters by creating clear goals for employee recruitment, retention, and training,” said Rep. Carter. “By requiring regular updates and audits, the bill promotes accountability and ensures that FEMA's staffing plans are aligned with the evolving needs of disaster response. This bipartisan legislation is a smart move toward filling gaps in FEMA's workforce, which in turn will help communities receive the support they need in times of crisis.”

 

In 2023, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report called “FEMA Disaster Workforce: Actions Needed to Improve Hiring Data and Address Staffing Gaps.” The report said that FEMA faced challenges deploying staff with the right skills and training to meet the needs of communities impacted by federally declared disasters. It also said that FEMA is short 6,200 workers, which means the agency is 35% short of the staff it needs. At the height of FEMA workforce deployments in October 2017, GAO found that 54 percent of staff were serving in a capacity in which they were not formally certified according to FEMA’s qualification system standards.

 

Congressman Carter is also a cosponsor on several bills that will strengthen benefits for disaster victims and communities working to recover:

 

H.R.6083, the Duplications of Benefits Victims Relief Act, clarifies that a post-disaster loan from the Small Business Administration (SBA) is not considered disqualifying for receiving other federal recovery funding. During past disasters in Louisiana, most notably the floods of 2016, recovery funds promised to victims were reduced or eliminated if a homeowner had qualified for a federal disaster recovery loan from the SBA. Because the homeowner was already approved for federal relief, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) stated it would be a “duplication of benefits” for them also to receive a federal recovery grant from the Community Development Block Grant—Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program. While SBA loans are required to be repaid to the federal government, CDBG-DR grants are one-time payments to victims and do not require repayment.

 

H.R. 5623, the Addressing Addiction After Disasters Act, improves the federal Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program by allowing FEMA to provide services for substance use disorder and alcohol use disorder. Studies show that after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in 2005, alcohol consumption increased by about 185% from before the storm, and the annual hospitalization rate for substance use disorders increased by approximately 30%.

 

H.R. 2672, the FEMA Loan Interest Payment Relief Act amends the Stafford Act to reimburse local governments and electric cooperatives for the interest on loans used for disaster recovery efforts. Many of these entities, particularly smaller and rural municipalities, need immediate funds for recovery and infrastructure repairs, but FEMA reimbursements often take time, leaving them with high-interest loan payments. This bill relieves them of that financial burden, allowing them to focus on recovery rather than loan costs.

 

Background

 

In total, Congressman Carter is a cosponsor of or introduced the following bills that passed in the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure today:

 

  • H.R. 9037, the Federal Emergency Mobilization Accountability (FEMA) Workforce Planning Act (Introduced)
  • H.R. 2672, the FEMA Loan Interest Payment Relief Act
  • H.R. 8530, the Improving Federal Building Security Act of 2024
  • ANS to H.R. 9135, the Ensuring Airline Resiliency to Reduce Delays and Cancellations Act
  • ANS to H.R. 8505, the Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act
  • H.R. 6083, the Duplications of Benefits Victims Relief Act
  • ANS to H.R. 5623, the Addressing Addiction After Disasters Act
  • H.R. 8995, the Baby Changing on Board Act

 

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