On September 16, Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, along with Representatives Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), Dina Titus (D-Nev.), Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) and Lucille Roybal-Allard, introduced the FEMA Assistance Relief Act of 2020 (H.R. 8266). The bill would ease the financial burden on states and local governments who have been approved for Stafford Act Emergency and Major Disaster declarations, by:
- Adjusting the FEMA cost-share for all emergencies and major disasters declared in calendar year 2020 to not less than 90 percent federal and 10 percent non-federal, up from the normal 75 percent federal and 25 percent non-federal.
- Adjusting the FEMA cost-share for all COVID-19 related declarations to 100 percent federal
- Clarifying that, under COVID-19 declarations, FEMA should continue to reimburse for certain expenses, including personal protective equipment (PPE) for public schools, transit and courthouses following recent changes to FEMA’s COVID-19 Public Assistance guidance.
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is set to hold a markup of the legislation on September 30 at 10:00 AM EST. To view the hearing, click here.
NACo, along with our state and local association partners, sent a letter of support to U.S. House leadership on September 29 urging swift passage of the legislation in order to provide necessary assistance during an unparalleled 2020 disaster season and increase financial flexibility for counties to continue to combat the pandemic.
NACo is continuing to work with our congressional champions to adjust the non-federal cost share to ensure that we can continue to provide critical services to our residents.
