Emergency Preparedness in Higher Education Act
This bill directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to establish a grant program to support activities at institutions of higher education related to emergency management.
[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2458 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2458
To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency
Assistance Act to establish an emergency preparedness grant program for
higher education institutions, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 3, 2023
Mr. Carter of Louisiana 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 establish an emergency preparedness grant program for
higher education institutions, and for other purposes.
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 ``Emergency Preparedness in Higher
Education Act''.
SEC. 2. HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS GRANT
PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Administrator of FEMA shall establish a
grant program within FEMA to create or expand programs at higher
education institutions that foster, promote, and increase programs,
initiatives, and opportunities for higher education institutions and
emergency management and preparedness among higher education
institutions.
(b) Applications.--A higher education institution seeking a grant
under this section shall submit to the Administrator an application
that contains a description of--
(1) the need for and proposed use of grant funds to promote
emergency management and preparedness among students,
administrators, and faculty at such higher education
institution;
(2) how the programs, initiatives, or opportunities created
or expanded with the grant funds will provide support to
students, administrators, and faculty at such higher education
institution who--
(A) seek support for an established emergency
management concern; or
(B) need assistance in establishing an emergency
management concern; and
(3) how the higher education institution will create or
expand programs, initiatives, or opportunities that--
(A) increase higher education institutions recovery
efforts to disasters or emergencies;
(B) expand access to construction, replacement,
renovation, and operations costs resulting from the
disaster or emergency;
(C) assist enrolled students displaced from
disasters and emergencies which operations were
disrupted by a disaster or emergency; and
(D) assist for activities replacing instructional
materials and equipment, paying educator and staff
incentives, modernizing, renovating, or repairing
school buildings.
(c) Selection.--In making grants under this section, the
Administrator shall evaluate applications from among the same type of
higher education institution.
(d) Amount of Grant.--A grant awarded under this section shall be
not less than $250,000.
(e) Use of Grant Funds.--A higher education institution that
receives a grant under the Program shall use grant amounts to support
the creation or expansion of program initiatives, or opportunities that
offer emergency preparedness resources that support students enrolled
at the higher education institution, such as--
(1) increasing higher education institutions recovery
efforts to disasters or emergencies;
(2) expanding access to construction, replacement,
renovation, and operations costs resulting from the disaster or
emergency;
(3) assisting enrolled students displaced from disasters
and emergencies which operations were disrupted by a disaster
or emergency; and
(4) assisting for activities replacing instructional
materials and equipment; paying educator and staff incentives;
modernizing, renovating, or repairing school buildings.
(f) Submission Requirement.--A higher education institution awarded
a grant under this section shall, not less than 6 months and not more
than 12 months after the receipt of a grant, submit to the
Administrator a report that contains, for the period covered by the
report, the number of--
(1) students enrolled at the higher education institution
who were impacted by an emergency and were assisted with the
grant funds; and
(2) emergency and disaster relief concerns created through
the expenditure of the grant funds, including, with respect to
each such concern--
(A) the name of such concern;
(B) a description of the emergency or disaster of
the concern; and
(C) the amount of grant funds expended in creating
the concern.
(g) Report to Congress.--Not later than 18 months after the date on
which the first grant is awarded under the program under this section,
and annually thereafter, the Administrator shall submit to Congress a
report that contains information regarding the higher education
institutions to which grants were made under the program for the period
covered by the report, which shall include--
(1) the name of each such higher education institution and
the amount of each such grant;
(2) the number of students assisted with grant funds--
(A) at each higher education institution to which a
grant was made under the program; and
(B) in total under the program;
(3) the number of emergency and disaster concerns created
through the expenditure of grant funds--
(A) at each higher education institution to which a
grant was made under the program; and
(B) in total under the program;
(4) the number of students impacted by emergency or
disaster concerns created through the expenditure of grant
funds--
(A) at each higher education institution to which a
grant was made under the program; and
(B) in total under the program;
(5) the number of students referred to resources of FEMA--
(A) at each higher education institution to which a
grant was made under the program; and
(B) in total under the program;
(6) the number of students participating in the programs,
initiatives, or opportunities created or expanded through the
expenditure of grant funds, disaggregated, to the maximum
extent possible, by sex, race, and ethnicity--
(A) at each higher education institution to which a
grant was made under the program; and
(B) in total under the program;
(7) a statement regarding whether any amounts made
available to carry out this section remain unexpended, as of
the date on which the report is submitted.
(h) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) FEMA.--The term ``FEMA'' means the Federal Emergency
Management Agency.
(2) Higher education institution.--The term ``higher
education institution'' means any of the following types of
institutions:
(A) A historically Black college or university.
(B) A Hispanic-serving institution, as that term is
defined in section 502(a) of the Higher Education Act
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1101a(a)).
(C) A Tribal College or University, as that term is
defined in section 316(b) of the Higher Education Act
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c(b)).
(D) An Alaska Native-serving institution, as that
term is defined in section 317(b) of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059d(b)).
(E) A Native Hawaiian-serving institution, as that
term is defined in section 317(b) of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059d(b)).
(F) A Predominantly Black Institution, as that term
is defined in section 318(b) of the Higher Education
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059e(b)).
(G) A Native American-serving, nontribal
institution, as that term is defined in section 319(b)
of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1059f(b)).
(H) An Asian-American and Native American Pacific
Islander-serving institution, as that term is defined
in section 320(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965
(20 U.S.C. 1059g(b)).
(I) An institution of higher education, as such
term is defined in section 101(a) of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)).
(J) A vocational-technical college or university.
(K) A career college or university.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.
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