{"format":1,"id":"117-hr-3709","congress":117,"number":"H.R. 3709","kind":"bill","group":"bills","title":"Preliminary Damage Assessment Improvement Act of 2021","title_source":"Short Title(s) as Passed House","official_title":"To direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to submit to Congress a report on preliminary damage assessments and make necessary improvements to processes in the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and for other purposes.","titles":[{"type":"Official Title as Introduced","title":"To direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to submit to Congress a report on preliminary damage assessments and make necessary improvements to processes in the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and for other purposes."},{"type":"Short Titles from RFS (Referred to Senate) bill text","title":"Preliminary Damage Assessment Improvement Act of 2021"},{"type":"Display Title","title":"Preliminary Damage Assessment Improvement Act of 2021"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Reported to Senate","title":"Preliminary Damage Assessment Improvement Act of 2021"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Introduced","title":"Preliminary Damage Assessment Improvement Act of 2021"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Passed House","title":"Preliminary Damage Assessment Improvement Act of 2021"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Reported to House","title":"Preliminary Damage Assessment Improvement Act of 2021"}],"outcome":"passed_house","law_number":null,"introduced":"2021-06-04","chambers":{"house":{"status":"roll_call","date":"2021-11-04","vote":{"id":"117-2021-h362","question":"On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass","title":"Preliminary Damage Assessment Improvement Act","result":"Passed","yea":402,"nay":11,"present":0,"not_voting":20,"source":"https://clerk.house.gov/evs/2021/roll362.xml"}},"senate":{"status":"na","date":null,"vote":null}},"president":{"status":"na","date":null},"vice_president_tie_breaker":null,"latest_action":{"text":"Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 545.","date":"2022-11-14"},"nominees":null,"amendments":[],"other_votes":[],"crs_summary":{"date":"2022-11-14","stage":"Reported to Senate","blocks":[{"k":"h","t":"Preliminary Damage Assessment Improvement Act of 2021"},{"k":"p","t":"This bill directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to (1) submit to Congress a report describing the preliminary damage assessment process, as carried out by FEMA in the five years before this bill's enactment; and (2) convene an advisory panel to assist FEMA in improving critical components of that process."}],"words":58},"summary":{"main_subject":{"text":"Directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency to report to Congress on its preliminary damage assessment process and to convene an advisory panel to assist in improving that process.","cites":[{"label":"Sec. 3","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3709/text/eh#H5296166451024D7382E5AB7D0AEEB63D"},{"label":"Sec. 4","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3709/text/eh#H86A964E320DA4F03B617EF3B602370BB"}]},"core_areas":["FEMA preliminary damage assessment reporting","Advisory panel on preliminary damage assessment improvements"],"what_it_does":[{"text":"Requires the FEMA Administrator to submit to Congress, not later than 90 days after enactment, a report describing the preliminary damage assessment process as supported by FEMA in the 5 years before enactment.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 3","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3709/text/eh#H5296166451024D7382E5AB7D0AEEB63D"}},{"text":"Requires the report to cover FEMA's process for deploying personnel, the number, training and experience of staff on disaster assessment teams, the average time teams are deployed to a disaster area, and FEMA's efforts to keep a consistent liaison with State, local, tribal, and territorial officials.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 3","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3709/text/eh#H5296166451024D7382E5AB7D0AEEB63D"}},{"text":"Requires the Administrator, not later than 6 months after enactment, to convene an advisory panel of State, local, territorial, or tribal emergency management personnel and their representative organizations to assist FEMA in improving the preliminary damage assessment process.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 4","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3709/text/eh#H86A964E320DA4F03B617EF3B602370BB"}},{"text":"Sets panel membership at no fewer than 2 representatives from national emergency management organizations and no fewer than 1 representative from each of the 10 FEMA regions, including rural and urban jurisdictions to the furthest extent practicable.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 4","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3709/text/eh#H86A964E320DA4F03B617EF3B602370BB"}},{"text":"Directs the panel to consider a training regime, a common technological platform for data from State and local governments and FEMA, and a review of FEMA instruction materials, and to identify ways to streamline consideration of assessments.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 4","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3709/text/eh#H86A964E320DA4F03B617EF3B602370BB"}},{"text":"Requires an interim report to Congress within 18 months of enactment, and within 2 years requires the Administrator to issue regulations needed to implement the panel's recommendations and submit a final report to Congress.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 4","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3709/text/eh#H86A964E320DA4F03B617EF3B602370BB"}}],"unexpected":[],"version":{"type":"Engrossed in House","date":"2021-11-04","rule":"passed","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3709/text/eh"},"current":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","approved":"2026-10-15","approved_by":"checks"},"sources":{"congress_gov":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3709","text":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3709/text"},"card":{"image":"card/item/117-hr-3709.png","v":"0471f06e41e2","alt":"Votes on Record. H.R. 3709, 117th Congress: Preliminary Damage Assessment Improvement Act of 2021. House: 402 Yea, 11 Nay. Outcome: Passed House, 4 Nov 2021."}}