Included in H.R. 4, the House FAA reauthorization measure, were a number of disaster recovery related measures concerning temporary housing assistance, data reporting, duplication of benefits, and transparency in contracting
By PVA National Staff
Included in H.R. 4, the House FAA reauthorization measure, were a number of disaster recovery related measures concerning temporary housing assistance, data reporting, duplication of benefits, and transparency in contracting. Of particular interest to people with disabilities are provisions of the bill that would increase funding for disaster mitigation and raise the ceiling on certain costs that can be excluded from maximum financial assistance that can be provided to survivors. Because funding for pre-disaster planning and development as well as post-disaster recovery is considered federal financial assistance, any construction undertaken for these purposes must comply with Section 504 accessibility guidelines. Thus, the monies in the House bill offer the potential for enhancing accessibility in post-disaster rebuilding efforts. In addition, the bill would exclude costs associated with repairing or replacing accessibility-related improvements or personal property from counting against a household’s maximum allowable disaster financial assistance. The Senate has not yet determined whether it will include these House disaster relief provisions in its version of the FAA bill but advocates remain cautiously optimistic that they will be included in any final agreement.
