# Plain Language Summary: National Disaster Safety Board Act of 2021

This bill creates a new independent federal agency called the National Disaster Safety Board that would investigate natural disasters and other hazardous events to figure out what went wrong and how to prevent similar deaths and injuries in the future. Think of it as similar to how the National Transportation Safety Board investigates plane crashes—except this board would focus on hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. The board would automatically review any natural disaster that kills 10 or more people, and it could also investigate smaller incidents if they caused significant damage, displacement, or injuries, or if local governments request an investigation.

The key thing to understand is that this board's job is not to assign blame or punish anyone. Instead, it's designed to be a fact-finding mission that looks at the big picture—why people died, what systems failed, and what could be done differently next time. The board would examine everything from emergency response procedures to building codes to warning systems. It would pay special attention to how disasters affect vulnerable populations like low-income communities, elderly people, and those with disabilities, publishing detailed data broken down by race, ethnicity, age, and other factors to identify patterns. For example, if a hurricane consistently kills more people in certain neighborhoods, the board would investigate why and make recommendations to fix those problems.

The board would work with state, local, and tribal governments during investigations, and those governments would get a chance to review and comment on the board's findings before they're published. The board would also coordinate with other federal agencies and investigations happening at the same time, though the board's review would take priority. Importantly, the board couldn't interfere with active rescue and emergency response efforts—it would work around ongoing lifesaving operations. The ultimate goal is to use lessons learned from one disaster to prevent deaths and injuries in future disasters across the entire country, not just in the area where the disaster happened.

National Disaster Safety Board Act of 2021

Porter, Katie

National Disaster Safety Board Act of 2021 This bill provides funding for and establishes within the executive branch a National Disaster Safety Board to study and make recommendations concerning the underlying causes of disaster-related fatalities and property damage. Specifically, the board shall review and establish the facts, circumstances, and cause or probable cause of the loss of life, human injury, and economic injury due to a natural hazard with 10 or more fatalities. The bill defines natural hazard to mean a major disaster that is naturally occurring, to include any naturally occurring heat wave or wildfire, and to exclude a technological disaster. The Government Accountability Office shall audit the board at least once every two years.