(Washington, DC) – Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) announced that the Hazard Eligibility and Local Projects (HELP) Act, her bipartisan legislation to speed up the start of recovery projects after natural disasters, has been introduced in the Senate.  

The HELP Act is the first original bill Congresswoman Fletcher filed in Congress.  It passed the House of Representatives on December 17, 2019 with bipartisan support, 409 to 7.  The legislation was introduced in the Senate earlier this month by Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Doug Jones (D-AL), Richard Burr (R-NC), John Cornyn (R-TX), Ted Cruz (R-TX), James Lankford (R-OK), and Mike Rounds (R-SD).

“I am proud of the HELP Act and all it represents—bipartisan, common-sense, meaningful legislation born of a partnership with our community in Houston that will benefit all Americans,” said Congresswoman Fletcher.  “I’m pleased that the bill is one step closer toward becoming law.  I would like to thank Senators Tillis, Jones, Burr, Cornyn, Cruz, Lankford, and Rounds for introducing the HELP Act in the Senate.” 

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 speed up the start of recovery projects after natural disasters, even while waiting for federal assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) hazard mitigation grant program.  It represents a change to the one-size-fits-all approach to reviewing projects that frequently delays mitigation work.

In the House of Representatives, this bill had bipartisan support from original co-sponsors Representatives Pete Olson (TX-22), G.K. Butterfield (NC-01), and Mark Meadows (NC-11).  You can watch Congresswoman Fletcher’s floor speech on the bill here.