By: National Special Districts Coalition
The 118th Congress is wrapping up its first session this week with a slate of bills on the suspension calendar – meaning the legislation would require a 2/3 majority for passage – including legislation (H.R. 6503) that would extend the authorization for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) through March 8, 2024. The FAA’s authority was set to expire at the end of the year. While lawmakers have made significant progress toward a long-term package, H.R. 6503 would give negotiators additional time to craft a final bill.
The House will also consider a measure – the Promoting Resilient Buildings Act (H.R. 5473) – that extends a sunsetting provision from the 2018 Disaster Recovery Reform Act (DRRA) that gives local governments, home builders, and homeowners flexibility in their natural disaster mitigation plans. If the building code definition is left to expire, FEMA will revert the definition to the single latest edition of codes when reviewing state, local, and tribal Hazard Mitigation Plans. H.R. 5473 would allow home builders and municipalities to abide by rules published in the two latest editions of building codes, rather than just the single latest edition, when developing their Hazard Mitigation Plans, inspecting homes, or building a house.
Finally, and of particular interest to healthcare districts, the lower chamber will consider the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act (H.R. 5378), which is intended to improve price transparency requirements for insurers, hospitals, and pharmacy benefit managers. It also seeks to advance site-neutral payment reform, where patients pay the same amount for the same services regardless of where the service is performed.
The full House schedule is available here.
Across Capitol Hill, the U.S. Senate is working to find consensus on the Biden administration’s $110.5 supplemental foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and others. GOP senators voted to block the measure last week because it did not include language to stem the flow of migrants at the southern border. According to top negotiators in the Senate, very little progress has been made since the failed vote, so it remains to be seen if the border and immigration policy dispute can be resolved before Congress adjourns for the year. Absent a bipartisan breakthrough, the foreign aid package will likely remain in limbo. It should be noted that much of the Senate agenda has been consumed by these talks.
Legislation Introduced to Help Combat Catastrophic Wildfires
Representatives Val Hoyle, D-Ore., and Joe Neguse, D-Colo., recently introduced legislation – the Wildfire Resilient Communities Act (H.R. 6525) – that seeks to combat catastrophic wildfire through forest health and community risk reduction projects. Specifically, H.R. 6525 would provide $30 billion for hazardous fuels reduction, which is intended to help ensure that there is stable funding for land management agencies to expand wildfire risk reduction projects. The bill also would reauthorize and increase funding for the Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) program to help communities develop and execute community wildfire risk reduction plans.
For its part, the NSDC Advocacy team has encouraged the sponsors of the legislation to expand the CWDG program to include water infrastructure for firefighting as an eligible use. In addition, H.R. 6525 would permanently reauthorize the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program, which promotes collaborative and science-based restoration of priority forest landscapes.
Finally, the bill would establish a “County Stewardship Fund” to provide counties with 25 percent of stewardship contract receipts from federal land to support local government services. Companion legislation in the Senate is sponsored by Senator Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and cosponsored by Senator Alex Padilla, D-Calif.
FEMA Releases Annual National Preparedness Report
FEMA recently released its annual National Preparedness Report, which provides an overview of the nation’s current disaster risk and capability landscape and outlines progress toward achieving the national preparedness goal of a secure and resilient country. Among other things, the report continues to highlight pressing issues, including rising costs and the frequency and severity of disasters. It also identifies key areas for improvement, including preparedness for large-scale disasters and cyber threats, individual and household preparedness, and increased building code adoption.
Relevant Hearings and Markups
House Oversight – The committee will hold a Member Day hearing Monday afternoon to hear about the oversight priorities of their fellow lawmakers. The hearing will be broadcast live here, beginning at 4pm ET.
House Transportation and Infrastructure – On Wednesday afternoon, the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment will hear from invited stakeholders about the upcoming reauthorization of the Water Resources Development Act, or WRDA. WRDA, which is typically renewed every two years, authorizes water resources projects and programs overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Additional information on the hearing, including a full witness list, is available here. On Wednesday morning, the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit will hold an oversight hearing on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. More details on the hearing can be accessed here.
House Homeland Security – On Tuesday morning, the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection will hold a hearing entitled, “Considering DHS’ and CISA’s Role in Securing Artificial Intelligence.” Additional information on the hearing, including a full witness list, can be found here.
Senate Appropriations – On Tuesday morning, the Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development will hold a hearing on “Communities in Crises: What Happens When Disaster Recovery Funds are Delayed.” Additional information on the hearing can be found here.
Contact Cole Arreola-Karr, NSDC Federal Advocacy Director, at colek@nationalspecialdistricts.org for questions or concerns.
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