HR-744 : Still Just a Bill

The Disaster Management Costs Modernization Act, also known as H.R. 744, amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. The purpose of the amendment is to incentivize States, Indian Tribes, and Territories to close disaster recovery projects by allowing the use of excess funds for management costs for other disaster recovery projects.

• Excess Funds: Defines "excess funds for management costs" as the difference between the amount authorized for specific management costs and the amount actually spent by the grantee or subgrantee.
• Availability: Allows the President to make excess funds available to grantees or subgrantees receiving financial assistance under sections 403, 404, 406, 407, or 502 of the Stafford Act.
• Use of Funds: Specifies that excess funds may be used for activities associated with building capacity to prepare for, recover from, or mitigate the impacts of a major disaster or emergency and management costs associated with any major disaster, emergency, disaster preparedness measure, or mitigation activity.
• Availability Timeline: States that excess funds remain available for 5 years after they are made available.
• Applicability: Applies to grant awards related to major disasters or emergencies declared on or after the date of enactment of this Act and funded with amounts appropriated on or after that date.
• GAO Study: Requires the Comptroller General of the United States to submit a report to Congress within 180 days of enactment regarding actual management costs during a major disaster declaration to determine if the amount set aside for those management costs is appropriate.
• No Additional Funds: States that no additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to carry out the amendments made by this Act.