Bipartisan legislation to create one application deadline for two Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) programs that individuals use for federal disaster assistance has passed the Senate. The legislation was authored by U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Rand Paul (R-KY), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and Marco Rubio (R-FL).
FEMA’s Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) and Individuals and Households Program (IHP) currently have different application deadlines, which can cause confusion for disaster survivors who may have trouble tracking when they need to apply for each program. The senators’ 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 now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.
“Survivors of natural disasters depend on the federal government for assistance to recover. By aligning the deadlines for in-demand disaster assistance programs, this bipartisan legislation will decrease confusion and make it simpler for families to access critical federal resources,” said Chairman Peters.
“When natural disaster strikes, people already have enough stress and confusion to contend with, and it is imperative that the government does not exacerbate the situation by imposing complicated and confusing rules,” said Ranking Member Paul. “In order to ensure a smoother and more efficient experience for those seeking aid, I supported the Disaster Assistance Deadlines Alignment Act which would simplify the federal disaster assistance process by aligning the deadlines for two programs.”
“Unnecessarily complicated bureaucracy often stands in the way of the government helping its citizens,” said Senator Rubio. “I was proud to work with Senator Peters to pass this bill, and I look forward to seeing this common sense bill become law.”
Ultimately, 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.
Read more at the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
