Bill Summary
The Budgeting for Disasters Act requires Congress to plan and budget in advance for natural disasters and other emergencies, rather than relying on emergency funding. This act also establishes a new point of order requiring a two-thirds majority vote for emergency spending. The act also calls for a review by the Comptroller General of past emergency spending and makes recommendations for improving the definition of emergency requirements, time limits for spending emergency funds, and cost-sharing among federal, state, and local governments.
Possible Impacts
1. This legislation could affect taxpayers by requiring Congress to budget in advance for disasters. This could potentially result in higher taxes to cover the cost of emergency spending and relief efforts.
2. People living in areas prone to natural disasters could be affected by this legislation as it may impact the availability and timeliness of emergency relief funds.
3. Government agencies responsible for managing emergency funds and disaster relief efforts may be affected by the changes to the budgeting process and the new requirements for GAO review and recommendations. This could potentially lead to changes in how funds are allocated and spent, which could impact the effectiveness of emergency response efforts.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1579 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1579
To require Congress to budget in advance for disasters, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 21, 2019
Mr. Romney (for himself, Mr. Lee, Mr. Braun, and Mr. Toomey) introduced
the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee
on the Budget
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require Congress to budget in advance for disasters, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Budgeting for Disasters Act''.
SEC. 2. TERMINATION OF EXEMPTIONS FROM THE ANNUAL BUDGET CAPS.
Subparagraphs (D) and (F) of section 251(b)(2) of the Balanced
Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901(b)(2))
shall not apply with respect to fiscal year 2020, or any fiscal year
thereafter.
SEC. 3. EMERGENCY SPENDING POINT OF ORDER.
(a) In General.--Section 314(e)(2) of the Congressional Budget Act
of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 645(e)(2)) is amended by striking ``three-fifths''
each place it appears and inserting ``two-thirds''.
(b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall--
(1) take effect on the date of enactment of this Act; and
(2) apply with respect to fiscal year 2020, and each fiscal
year thereafter.
SEC. 4. GAO REVIEW OF EMERGENCY SPENDING.
(a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit
to Congress a report that--
(1) reviews amounts appropriated for each of fiscal years
2009 through 2018 that were--
(A) designated as being for an emergency
requirement;
(B) designated as being for disaster relief; or
(C) made available to provide assistance under the
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.);
(2) identifies and reviews amounts appropriated for any of
fiscal years 2009 through 2018 that were designated as being
for an emergency requirement and designated as being for
disaster relief; and
(3) provide recommendations to--
(A) clarify the definition of emergency
requirements for purposes of appropriated amounts being
designated as being for an emergency requirement;
(B) implement an appropriate time limit for
recipients to spend appropriated amounts that are
designated as being for an emergency requirement;
(C) improve cost-sharing relating to major
disasters and emergencies among Federal, State, and
local governments; and
(D) improve forecasting and budgeting for
appropriations for emergency requirements and disaster
relief.
(b) Definitions.--In this section--
(1) the term ``emergency'' means an emergency declared by
the President under section 501 of the Robert T. Stafford
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5191);
(2) the term ``designated as being for an emergency
requirement'', with respect to amounts appropriated, means that
the amounts are designated as an emergency requirement pursuant
to--
(A) section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget
and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C.
901(b)(2)(A)(i)); or
(B) a provision of a concurrent resolution on the
budget;
(3) the term ``designated as being for disaster relief'',
with respect to amounts appropriated, means that the amounts
are designated as being for disaster relief pursuant to section
251(b)(2)(D) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit
Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901(b)(2)(D)); and
(4) the term ``major disaster'' means a major disaster
declared by the President under section 401 of the Robert T.
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42
U.S.C. 5170).
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