{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senate-passes-peters-paul-and-rubio-bipartisan-bill-to-create-one-deadline-to-apply-for-fema-disaster-assistance-programs-for-individuals", "Senate Passes Peters, Paul & Rubio Bipartisan Bill to Create One Deadline to Apply for FEMA Disaster Assistance Programs for Individuals", "2023-08-01", "2023", "2023-08", "Democrat", "Senate", "MI", "Gary C. Peters", "P000595", "www.peters.senate.gov", "garypeters", "https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Bipartisan legislation authored by U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Rand Paul (R-KY), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and Marco Rubio (R-FL) to create one application deadline for two Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) programs that individuals use for federal disaster assistance has passed the Senate. FEMA\u2019s Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) and Individuals and Households Program (IHP) currently have different application deadlines, which can cause confusion for disaster survivors who may have trouble tracking when they need to apply for each program. The senators\u2019 bipartisan legislation would ensure these programs have the same deadline to reduce the burden on people who need them to rebuild their lives after disasters. The bill now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.\n\n\u201cSurvivors of natural disasters depend on the federal government for assistance to recover. By aligning the deadlines for in-demand disaster assistance programs, this bipartisan legislation will decrease confusion and make it simpler for families to access critical federal resources,\u201d said Chairman Peters.\n\n\u201cWhen natural disaster strikes, people already have enough stress and confusion to contend with, and it is imperative that the government does not exacerbate the situation by imposing complicated and confusing rules,\u201d said Ranking Member Paul. \u201cIn order to ensure a smoother and more efficient experience for those seeking aid, I supported the Disaster Assistance Deadlines Alignment Act which would simplify the federal disaster assistance process by aligning the deadlines for two programs.\"\n\n\u201cUnnecessarily complicated bureaucracy often stands in the way of the government helping its citizens,\u201d said Senator Rubio. \u201cI was proud to work with Senator Peters to pass this bill, and I look forward to seeing this common sense bill become law.\u201d\n\nThe bipartisan Disaster Assistance Deadlines Alignment Act would help reduce confusion for disaster survivors by requiring at least 60 days for survivors to submit applications for both the DUA and IHP programs. Currently, the DUA deadline is 30 days and the IHP deadline is 60 days after a federal disaster declaration.\n\nBelow are statements in support of the senators\u2019 bipartisan legislation:\n\n\u201cWhen disasters strike, county officials and emergency responders play a critical role in the immediate response and longer-term efforts to help our communities and residents recover,\u201d said National Association of Counties Executive Director Matthew Chase. \u201cOnce federal assistance becomes available, residents often must complete complex, arduous applications with inconsistent deadlines during the most stressful times of their lives. The bipartisan Disaster Assistance Deadlines Alignment Act would align deadlines between FEMA\u2019s Disaster Unemployment Assistance and the Individuals and Households Program, two financial lifelines for our residents. We thank Senators Peters, Paul and Rubio for leading this legislation and urge its passage into law.\u201d\n\n\u201cSBP is proud to support efforts that streamline the disaster recovery process and allow more survivors to access the assistance they need,\u201d said SBP Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer Reese May. \u201cAligning the application timelines for FEMA's Individuals and Households Program and Disaster Unemployment Assistance prevents further confusion among applicants and eases access to disaster assistance for survivors.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe know that navigating the impacts of disasters can present an enormous burden to families. By streamlining deadlines for disaster unemployment with other FEMA programs, it can limit the complexity for those impacted,\u201d said Team Rubicon Chief Programs Officer David Burke. \u201cTeam Rubicon supports the Disaster Assistance Deadlines Alignment Act of 2023 as one small step to help disaster survivors.\u201d\n\n\u201cFederal assistance complexity after disasters is a barrier to help, and floods can often take weeks after a disaster declaration to recede. Aligning Disaster Unemployment Assistance with IHP deadlines which reduces complexity, and giving an extra 30 days or more to file for assistance, will be very helpful to many flood survivors in putting their lives back to normal,\u201d Chad Berginnis, Executive Director, Association of State Floodplain Managers.\n\n\u201cAmerican Flood Coalition Action is proud to support this common sense proposal to simplify the federal disaster assistance process by aligning program deadlines,\u201d said Brandon Renz, Senior Government Relations Director at American Flood Coalition Action. \u201cWe appreciate Chairman Peters and Senator Rubio\u2019s bipartisan efforts to support survivors navigating federal programs as they rebuild their lives in the wake of major floods and other disasters.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) applauds Chairman Peters, Ranking Member Paul, and Senator Rubio for their commitment to the simplification of the application process for disaster survivors, and we endorse S.1858, the Disaster Assistance Deadlines Alignment Act,\u201d said Cathy M. Clark, M.A., President, IAEM-USA. \u201cThis bill is another common-sense reform that will align application deadlines between Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) and Individuals and Households Program (IHP) when both are approved after a major disaster.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:30:18Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senate-passes-peters-paul-and-rubio-bipartisan-bill-to-create-one-deadline-to-apply-for-fema-disaster-assistance-programs-for-individuals"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9735189378261566, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}