House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to hold mark-up of FEMA cost-share adjustment legislation supported by NACo
Key Takeaways
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.
Attachments
Related News
County Countdown – June 30, 2025
Every other week, NACo's County Countdown reviews top federal policy advocacy items with an eye towards counties and the intergovernmental partnership. This week features the Senate reconciliation debate, transparency on sanctuary designations and more.
DHS releases list identifying sanctuary jurisdictions; includes nearly 400 counties
NACo, along with the National League of Cities, and the International Municipal Lawyers Association, requested additional clarification on the methodology used to create the list, and noted concerns around the legal challenges that localities face when complying with ICE detainers. As of this time, NACo has yet to hear of a county receiving a formal notification that they were included on the list.
U.S. House of Representatives introduces legislation to expand Medicaid coverage for behavioral health treatment facilities
On June 20, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced the Increasing Behavioral Health Treatment Act in the U.S. House of Representative. This bill aims to improve access to behavioral health care nationwide by removing long-standing Medicaid funding restrictions for behavioral health treatment in certain facilities, providing new flexibility for states and counties to meet growing behavioral health needs.