The U.S. House of Representatives on March 30 voted 409-17 to pass legislation sponsored by U.S. Rep. Tom Rice (R-SC) to improve the transparency of disaster case management staff turnover at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The bill has now advanced to the U.S. Senate.
If enacted, the FEMA Caseworker Accountability Act, H.R. 5343, which Rep. Rice sponsored in September 2021 with cosponsor U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), would direct the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report to Congress on case management personnel turnover at FEMA, according to the text of the bill.
“I’m proud to see the FEMA Caseworker Accountability Act overwhelmingly pass the U.S. House of Representatives,” Rep. Rice said. “I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to get this important legislation signed into law.”
Specifically, H.R. 5343 would require that the GAO report include the average and median length of employment for such personnel, the steps that FEMA is taking or plans to take to lower the turnover rate, the number of FEMA personnel detailed to work disaster recovery, and personnel rotations, the bill text says.
“South Carolina’s 7th District recovers from disaster after disaster. Over the years, we’ve continually seen how case management staff turnover rates at FEMA have extended the process for our communities to receive the assistance they need,” said Rep. Rice. “I’ve heard this from constituents in the district and local officials alike.”
The Senate on March 31 received H.R. 5343 for consideration and referred it to the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee for action.
The legislation is one of the six disaster relief bills introduced in the 117th Congress by Rep. Rice, according to his staff.