# Plain Language Summary: Resiliency Enhancement Act of 2023

This bill expands federal disaster assistance to cover more types of essential services in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Specifically, it adds five new categories of critical infrastructure that can receive federal funding after major disasters: solid waste management (garbage collection and disposal), stormwater management (drainage and flooding prevention), public housing, transportation infrastructure (roads, bridges, public transit), and medical care. Previously, these services weren't explicitly included in the federal disaster assistance program, which meant communities had to fight harder to get funding for repairs in these areas after hurricanes or other major disasters.

The bill applies this expanded assistance to any major disaster declared in Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands up through September 30, 2022. This means if these territories experienced hurricanes or other disasters during that timeframe, they can now access federal money to rebuild and repair these five categories of infrastructure that weren't covered before. For residents in these territories, this could mean faster recovery of essential services—getting roads fixed, hospitals operational, housing restored, and garbage collection running again after a disaster strikes.

The practical impact is straightforward: when disaster hits, people in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands will have an easier time getting federal help to restore the basic services their communities depend on. Instead of having to prove that damage to roads, hospitals, or housing qualifies for assistance under vague or limited categories, these services are now explicitly recognized as eligible for federal disaster recovery funding.

Resiliency Enhancement Act of 2023

Plaskett, Stacey E.

Resiliency Enhancement Act of 2023 This bill extends the provision of disaster assistance for critical services to solid waste management, stormwater management, public housing, transportation infrastructure, and medical care. Such assistance is also extended to any major disaster in Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands subsequent to Hurricane Irma or Hurricane Maria on or before September 30, 2022.