Right now, if a local government wants federal money to buy properties in flood-prone areas or tear down buildings at risk from disasters, they have to go through their state government first. This bill creates a test program that lets some local governments skip that middle step and apply directly to FEMA for this money. The idea is to speed things up and give communities more control over protecting themselves from natural disasters like floods and severe storms.

FEMA will pick up to 20 local governments total—two from each of its 10 regions, with only one per state—to try out this new direct application process. But not every community can participate. FEMA has to make sure the local government can actually handle the paperwork and requirements on its own, and the state has to give a thumbs up too. FEMA will look at things like whether the community has successfully completed hazard mitigation projects before and how much danger it faces from severe weather.

This is a temporary experiment that will run for up to eight years, and each participating community can stay in the program for up to four years. The goal is to test whether letting local governments apply directly works better than the current system. FEMA also has to report back to Congress every year about how the pilot program is going and whether it should become permanent.

Direct Property Acquisitions Act

Lankford, James

Direct Property Acquisitions ActThis bill requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to establish a pilot program for local governments selected by FEMA to apply directly to FEMA for Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) assistance for property acquisition and structure demolition or relocation projects. FEMA must also submit annual reports.Under current&nbsp;FEMA regulations, local governments are ineligible to apply directly to FEMA for HMGP assistance and must apply indirectly through a state or Indian tribal government. The bill authorizes local governments, if determined eligible and selected by&nbsp;FEMA, to apply directly to FEMA for HMGP assistance for property acquisition. The pilot program must terminate within eight years after&nbsp;FEMA’s initial selection. Local governments may participate for up to 48 months.&nbsp;The bill requires&nbsp;FEMA to select up to two local governments from each of FEMA’s 10 regions (only one per state) to participate. For a local government to be eligible,&nbsp;FEMA must determine it is capable of meeting all applicable federal and state requirements for administering hazard mitigation assistance with limited assistance from the state, and FEMA must receive positive feedback from the state regarding its eligibility. In making this determination,&nbsp;FEMA must consult with the state and provide written justification for its decision based on factors including the local government’s history of implementing hazard mitigation projects and level of risk from severe weather.Additionally, the bill requires&nbsp;FEMA to submit to specified congressional committees an annual report evaluating the pilot program’s effectiveness and future.&nbsp;