{"format":1,"id":"117-hr-7211","congress":117,"number":"H.R. 7211","kind":"bill","group":"bills","title":"Small State and Rural Rescue Act","title_source":"Short Title(s) as Passed House","official_title":"To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, review a final rule of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and for other purposes.","titles":[{"type":"Official Title as Introduced","title":"To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, review a final rule of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and for other purposes."},{"type":"Short Titles from RFS (Referred to Senate) bill text","title":"Small State and Rural Rescue Act"},{"type":"Display Title","title":"Small State and Rural Rescue Act"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Reported to Senate","title":"Small State and Rural Rescue Act"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Passed House","title":"Small State and Rural Rescue Act"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Reported to House","title":"Small State and Rural Rescue Act"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Introduced","title":"Small State and Rural Rescue Act"}],"outcome":"passed_house","law_number":null,"introduced":"2022-03-24","chambers":{"house":{"status":"roll_call","date":"2022-06-14","vote":{"id":"117-2022-h269","question":"On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass","title":"Small State and Rural Rescue Act","result":"Passed","yea":396,"nay":14,"present":0,"not_voting":17,"source":"https://clerk.house.gov/evs/2022/roll269.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. 650.","date":"2022-12-14"},"nominees":null,"amendments":[],"other_votes":[],"crs_summary":{"date":"2022-12-14","stage":"Reported to Senate","blocks":[{"k":"h","t":"Small State and Rural Rescue Act"},{"k":"p","t":"This bill addresses requests for, and other matters pertaining to, disaster assistance provided through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), with a focus on small states and rural communities."},{"k":"p","t":"The bill expands the duties of FEMA's Small State and Rural Advocate to include assistance for states in the collection and presentation of material in the disaster or emergency declaration request relevant to demonstrate severe localized impacts within the state for a specific incident."},{"k":"p","t":"Additionally, the Government Accountability Office must review FEMA's implementation of its final rule regarding factors considered when evaluating a governor's request for a major disaster declaration. In particular, the review must focus on requests for a major disaster declaration authorizing individual assistance."}],"words":121},"summary":{"main_subject":{"text":"Adds to the duties of the Small State and Rural Advocate under the Stafford Act and directs the Comptroller General to review FEMA's 2019 final rule on factors for individual assistance major disaster declaration requests.","cites":[{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/7211/text/eh#HC05BC9AA102749E7903F0E8BF3B6F473"},{"label":"Sec. 3","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/7211/text/eh#HB62F16ECCD8F4213B529CE68B0E4AB30"}]},"core_areas":["Duties of the FEMA Small State and Rural Advocate in disaster declaration requests","GAO review of FEMA's Individual Assistance Declaration Factors"],"what_it_does":[{"text":"Amends section 326(c) of the Stafford Act to add a duty for the Small State and Rural Advocate: assisting States in collecting and presenting material in a declaration request to demonstrate severe localized impacts within the State for a specific incident.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/7211/text/eh#HC05BC9AA102749E7903F0E8BF3B6F473"}},{"text":"Lists items that material may include: per capita personal income by local area as calculated by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, and a disaster impacted population profile as reported by the Bureau of the Census.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/7211/text/eh#HC05BC9AA102749E7903F0E8BF3B6F473"}},{"text":"Lists impacts to community infrastructure that the material may include, such as disruptions to life-saving and life-sustaining services, to essential community services, and to transportation, infrastructure, and utilities.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/7211/text/eh#HC05BC9AA102749E7903F0E8BF3B6F473"}},{"text":"Requires the Comptroller General to review FEMA's implementation of its final rule published on March 21, 2019, which revised the factors FEMA considers when evaluating a Governor's request for a major disaster declaration authorizing individual assistance.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 3","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/7211/text/eh#HB62F16ECCD8F4213B529CE68B0E4AB30"}},{"text":"Requires the review to assess the criteria FEMA uses for individual assistance requests, how consistently it uses the updated Individual Assistance Declaration Factors, and their impact, if any, on equity in disaster recovery outcomes, and to include recommendations.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 3","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/7211/text/eh#HB62F16ECCD8F4213B529CE68B0E4AB30"}},{"text":"Requires the Comptroller General to submit a report on the review within 1 year after enactment to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 3","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/7211/text/eh#HB62F16ECCD8F4213B529CE68B0E4AB30"}}],"unexpected":[],"version":{"type":"Engrossed in House","date":"2022-06-14","rule":"passed","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/7211/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/7211","text":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/7211/text"},"card":{"image":"card/item/117-hr-7211.png","v":"a9f533a36db6","alt":"Votes on Record. H.R. 7211, 117th Congress: Small State and Rural Rescue Act. House: 396 Yea, 14 Nay. Outcome: Passed House, 14 Jun 2022."}}