WASHINGTON – In the wake of the catastrophic summer storms that washed out bridges and roads and flooded businesses and homes, US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is cosponsoring new legislative amendments to provide additional disaster relief.
One amendment would provide $26 billion in emergency funding for three core federal disaster programs – FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund, HUD’s Community Block Grant Disaster Recovery program, and SBA’s disaster loan program.
The Reforming Disaster Recovery Act would permanently authorize the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Block Grant Disaster Recovery program, and make a number of reforms to slash red tape and help release funding to affected communities faster.
A third amendment, the Disaster Relief Funding for Highways, Roads and Bridges, would provide $484 million for the Federal Highway Administration’s Emergency Relief program.
The Disaster Relief Funding for Public Transportation amendment would provide $100 million in funding for public transit systems affected by major disasters.
The final amendment, Reducing SNAP Delays for Disaster Survivors, would require USDA to coordinate with FEMA to reduce delays for disaster survivors to receive food benefit assistance under the Disaster-SNAP program.
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