Task force to address backlog of open declared disasters

(a) Establishment The Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall establish a declared disasters task force (in this section referred to as the Task Force) to develop processes and mechanisms necessary for the Administrator to eliminate the current backlog of open declared disasters. (b) Composition (1) In general The Task Force established under subsection (a) shall include the following members: (A) The Administrator, who shall serve as the chair of the Task Force. (B) The Associate Administrator within the Office of Response and Recovery. (C) The Regional Administrator for Region 4. (D) The Regional Administrator for Region 6. (E) The Regional Administrator for Region 9. (F) The Division Director for Public Assistance within the Office of Response and Recovery. (G) Any other subject matter expert who is employed by the Agency, as the Administrator determines appropriate. (2) Detailees Members of the Task Force may detail employees who are employed by the Agency to assist the Administrator in fulfilling the duties of the Task Force. (c) Duties The Task Force established under subsection (a) shall— (1) establish a temporary office within the Agency to address open declared disasters; (2) identify the barriers the Agency has experienced in closing out the backlog; (3) examine any challenges in reducing the number of open declared disasters that are caused by carrying out the program under section 205 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5135); (4) make recommendations on how to expedite the appeals of assistance denial process under section 423 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5189a); (5) identify any barriers preventing the closeout of the excessive backlog; and (6) coordinate efforts with any processes implemented by Agency to address the number of open declared disasters, including the Backlog Administrative Closeout Process as outlined in the Public Assistance Backlog Strategy Implementation Guidance adopted June 2024. (d) Completion of Task Force activities (1) Submission of results Not later than 1 year after the establishment of the Task Force under subsection (a), the Task Force shall submit to the Administrator the results of the activities carried out under subsection (c). (2) Sunset The Task Force established under this section shall be terminated upon submission of the results pursuant to paragraph (1). (e) Briefings (1) Initial briefing Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall brief the appropriate congressional committees on the status of the Agency’s progress in reducing the backlog and any other activities of the Task Force. (2) Semiannual briefings The Administrator shall provide semiannual briefings to the appropriate congressional committees until the Agency closes out 800 declared disasters in its backlog. (3) Yearly Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter so long as any excessive open declared disasters remain, the Administrator shall provide to the appropriate congressional committees a briefing on the Agency’s closeout of its excessive backlog. Such briefing may be conducted concurrently with a semiannual briefing under paragraph (2). (f) Definitions In this section: (1) Appropriate congressional committees The term appropriate congressional committees means— (A) the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives; (B) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate; and (C) the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate. (2) Backlog The term backlog means, with respect to a declared disaster— (A) the period of performance for the declared disaster has concluded; and (B) products and services carried out by the Agency remain to be delivered. (3) Declared disasters The term declared disasters means— (A) any major disaster declared under section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170), including any grant program relating to such a major disaster; (B) any emergency declared under section 501 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5191), including any grant program relating to such an emergency; and (C) any assistance provided for fire management under section 420 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5187), including any grant program relating to such fire management. (4) Excessive backlog The term excessive backlog means any declared disaster that— (A) is an open declared disaster; and (B) the declaration of which occurred not earlier than 10 years ago. (g) Closeout requirements (1) In general The Administrator shall direct each Regional Administrator to close out a declared disaster in the backlog or the excessive backlog, and disperse the remaining fund balances, as soon as is practicable after the date on which 90 percent of the costs expended for all approved projects or awards relating to such declared disasters are validated. (2) Agreements A closeout described under paragraph (1) shall include reaching an agreement for projects or awards that are in active litigation, as the Administrator considers appropriate. (3) Cost estimates The Administrator shall close out a declared disaster described in paragraph (1), notwithstanding section 3716(e) of title 31, United States Code, based on cost estimates. (h) GAO Review Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a review and submit a report to Congress evaluating— (1) the effectiveness of the activities of the Task Force described in subsection (c); and (2) the progress of the Administrator in reducing the excessive backlog.