Rural Disaster Assistance Fairness Act of 2005

Rural Disaster Assistance Fairness Act of 2005 - Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to require the President to designate a Small State Advocate within the Federal Emergency Management Agency to advocate for the fair treatment of rural communities in the provision of assistance under such Act.

Requires the Under Secretary for Emergency Preparedness and Response of the Department of Homeland Security to report to specified congressional committees on the extent to which disaster declaration regulations: (1) meet the needs of States with populations of less than 1 million; and (2) comply with existing statutory restrictions on the use of arithmetic formulas and sliding scales based on income or population.

[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2338 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2338

     To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
   Assistance Act to direct the President to designate a Small State 
          Advocate in the Federal Emergency Management Agency.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 12, 2005

  Mrs. Cubin introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
             Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
   Assistance Act to direct the President to designate a Small State 
          Advocate in the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Rural Disaster Assistance Fairness 
Act of 2005''.

SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF SMALL STATE ADVOCATE.

    Title III of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act (15 U.S.C. 5141 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 
the following:

``SEC. 326. DESIGNATION OF SMALL STATE ADVOCATE.

    ``(a) In General.--The President shall designate in the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency a Small State Advocate.
    ``(b) Responsibilities.--The Small State Advocate shall be an 
advocate for the fair treatment of rural communities in the provision 
of assistance under this Act.
    ``(c) Duties.--The Small State Advocate shall--
            ``(1) participate in the disaster declaration process under 
        section 401, and the emergency declaration process under 
        section 501, to ensure that the needs of rural communities are 
        being addressed;
            ``(2) assist small population States in the preparation of 
        requests for major disaster or emergency declarations; and
            ``(3) conduct such other activities as the Under Secretary 
        for Emergency Preparedness and Response of the Department of 
        Homeland Security considers appropriate.''.

SEC. 3. REPORT TO CONGRESS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary for Emergency Preparedness 
and Response of the Department of Homeland Security shall submit to the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
Affairs of the Senate a report detailing the extent to which existing 
disaster declaration regulations--
            (1) meet the particular needs of States with populations of 
        less than 1,000,000 individuals; and
            (2) comply with existing statutory restrictions on the use 
        of arithmetic formulas and sliding scales based on income or 
        population.
    (b) Statutory Construction.--Nothing in this section may be 
construed to authorize major disaster or emergency assistance that is 
not authorized as of the date of enactment of this Act.
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