Hoeven’s bipartisan bill extends deadline for using federal disaster competition funds

U.S. Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) on June 18 introduced bipartisan legislation to extend the deadline for the City of Minot, N.D., and other National Disaster Resiliency Competition (NDRC) awardees to utilize the program’s funding.

“Our bill will help ensure awardees do not run up against the current 2022 deadline, giving them the time they need to safely get back to work and finish these critical disaster protection and resiliency efforts for their communities,” Sen. Hoeven said.

Launched in 2014, the NDRC was a two-phased process that ultimately awarded nearly $1 billion in U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Disaster Recovery funds to 13 states and communities that developed numerous integrated proposals, such as those to help communities respond to climate change, save public resources, revitalize and modernize infrastructure, and improve access to opportunity for vulnerable populations, according to HUD.

Due to the limited pool of NDRC funding and the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the awardees’ have not yet received the resources they need to proceed.

If enacted, S. 4017 would extend the deadline to Sept. 30, 2025, providing three additional years, which would allow the City of Minot to spend its $74.3 million NDRC award. Minot is using its award for integrated projects to reduce flood risk and improve water management, build affordable resilient neighborhoods, and foster economic resilience and diversification, according to its executive summary for the NRDC.

“The Minot region has made real strides since the 2011 flood, rebuilding and growing while also protecting against future flooding, and the $74 million NDRC award that we worked to fund and secure through the Senate Appropriations Committee is an important part of these efforts,” Sen. Hoeven said. “However, the challenges of the COVID-19 public health emergency have delayed many of the projects funded by this program.”

Sen. Hoeven sponsored S. 4017 with cosponsor U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) to help ensure awardees like the City of Minot may fully implement their plans to recover from previous disasters, protect against future risks, and improve long-term community resiliency, according to his office.

The bill has been referred for consideration to the U.S. Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee.