This bill gives FEMA the power to skip or reduce certain environmental and historic preservation rules when helping communities buy property or tear down and relocate buildings after disasters. Normally, these projects have to follow strict environmental laws (like the National Environmental Policy Act) and rules protecting historic buildings. This bill lets FEMA speed things up by waiving those requirements when they're working with their three main disaster recovery funding programs: the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, and Flood Mitigation Assistance.

Before FEMA can skip these rules, they have to talk to state and local officials for up to 30 days to make sure the waiver is actually necessary. FEMA also has to think carefully about whether skipping these requirements could cause serious environmental damage and how it affects disaster recovery efforts. The idea is that after a major disaster, communities need to act quickly to protect themselves from future hazards, and these environmental and historic preservation rules can sometimes slow things down.

To make sure this power isn't abused, FEMA has to report to Congress every year for five years explaining how often they've used this authority, whether it actually helped speed up recovery, and what they've learned. This keeps Congress informed and allows them to decide later whether this flexibility should continue or be changed.

Expediting Hazard Mitigation Assistance Projects Act

Lankford, James

Expediting Hazard Mitigation Assistance Projects ActThis bill authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to waive or reduce environmental or historic preservation requirements for property acquisition and structure demolition or relocation projects receiving assistance under certain hazard mitigation programs.Specifically, this authority applies to such projects receiving funding under FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, or Flood Mitigation Assistance program. The bill authorizes FEMA to waive or reduce environmental and historic preservation requirements for these projects as&nbsp;FEMA determines appropriate, such as requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 or the National Historic Preservation Act.Before waiving or reducing such requirements, the bill requires&nbsp;FEMA to consult with state and local officials, for no more than 30 days, on the necessity of the waiver or reduction. Also, before making such a determination,&nbsp;FEMA must consider factors including details of the acquisition and demolition or relocation project, the implications for disaster recovery, and whether the waiver or reduction could cause serious environmental issues.FEMA must report annually to Congress for five years on topics including FEMA's use of its authority under the bill, the extent to which this authority expedited or enhanced the acquisition process under FEMA's programs, and related recommendations.