INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF EMERGENCY MANAGERS

Budget/Appropriations

Issues in the President's FY 2016 Budget request for the Federal Emergency Management Agency including Emergency Management Performance Grant, Emergency Management Institute, Pre Disaster Mitigation, proposed National Preparedness Grant Program.

TargetedSENATE · HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES · Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) · Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS)

Homeland Security

Budget related issues for the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA of interest to local emergency managers, including Emergency Management Performance Grant, Emergency Management Institute, Pre Disaster Mitigation, proposed National Preparedness Grant Program.

TargetedSENATE · HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES · Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) · Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS)

Disaster Planning/Emergencies

HR 1471, FEMA Disaster Assistance Reform Act of 2015. Support of provisions in the bill to improve disaster assistance for local areas. Issues of interest to local emergency managers such as reauthorizing the urban search and rescue program and provide additional liability protection, reauthorization of the emergency management assistance compact grants, providing a 3 year statute of limitations on recoupment of public assistance disaster grants when no fraud, improving field transition after disasters, making mitigation funding available after fire grants, and providing management costs to subgrantees. S. 1573-- National Weather Service Improvement Act. Opposed provision in original bill as introduced which would have consolidated the Weather Forecast function from 122 local weather forecast offices to 6 regional offices. Provision was dropped in substitute bill. Opposition to provision in HR 2647, the Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2015 that amended the Stafford Disaster Relief Act to transfer funds from the Disaster Relief act to Departments of Interior and Department of Agriculature for fire suppression on public lands. ------ Support for strong National Weather Service field operations which are essential to local government emergency managers. (not a specific bill).