Two bipartisan disaster relief bills supported by U.S. Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO) earlier this week received approval from the U.S. House of Representatives and moved to the U.S. Senate for consideration.
“These two bills passed by the House will greatly improve accountability in how federal agencies invest these critical resources,” Sen. Graves said on July 24. “Improved transparency and data collection will result in wiser investments for North Missourians trying to recover and rebuild their homes, businesses, and lives after floods and other disasters.”
The House approved the Disclosing Aid Spent to Ensure Relief (DISASTER) Act, H.R. 1984, and the Post-Disaster Assistance Online Accountability Act, H.R. 1307.
If enacted, H.R. 1984 would require the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to submit an annual report to Congress on all disaster-related assistance provided by the federal government, according to the congressional record summary, which noted that the report would have to include all federal obligations related to disaster response, recovery, mitigation efforts, and administrative costs.
Likewise, H.R. 1307 would establish a centralized location to publish information on disaster assistance provided by federal agencies, among other provisions, according to the congressional record.
H.R. 1984 and H.R. 1307, both of which the House approved by voice vote, advanced to the Senate on July 25 and have been referred to the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee for consideration.
“It’s critical that disaster relief money is spent wisely so the folks who need it most are the ones who are actually receiving it,” said Rep. Graves. “It’s unthinkable that our federal government doesn’t truly know how we spend the taxpayers’ money to recover from disasters, but that’s the case today.”