(Washington, DC) – Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher’s (TX-07) bill, co-sponsored by Reps. Pete Olson (TX-22), G.K. Butterfield (NC-01) and Mark Meadows (NC-11) passed unanimously out of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure with bipartisan support from across the country. The Hazard Eligibility and Local Projects (HELP) Act will expedite the start of mitigation projects after natural disasters, even while waiting for federal assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) hazard mitigation grant program.

Under current law, local and state agencies applying for federal money to begin recovery projects must wait until they receive an answer from FEMA before purchasing land or starting construction on their project. Purchasing the land or starting construction without an answer disqualifies the project from receiving federal assistance. This process prevents important recovery projects from starting and helping the community as quickly as possible.

The HELP Act will allow certain eligible disaster mitigation projects to begin without the risk of losing potential federal funds. It represents a change to the one-size-fits-all approach to reviewing projects that frequently delays mitigation work.

“I am pleased that the HELP Act passed the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee this morning, and grateful to Chairman DeFazio and my fellow committee members for the wide bipartisan support for this bill,” Congresswoman Fletcher said. “Working together, we can make government programs more efficient and effective. Here, by allowing certain disaster mitigation and recovery projects to begin more quickly without jeopardizing potential federal funding, the HELP Act provides a common-sense solution to a real problem that will have a meaningful impact at home and across the country.”

Hurricane Harvey hit Congresswoman Fletcher and Congressman Olson’s districts in August 2017. Harvey was a category 4 storm and unprecedented rain event that caused an estimated $125 billion in damages.

Reps. Butterfield and Meadows saw Hurricane Florence devastate their districts in 2018.

You can watch the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee mark-up of the HELP Act here.