NSDC Urges Senate to Consider Crucial Hazard Mitigation Reform Legislation

December 1, 2021 / Direct Link: https://bit.ly/HELPact12121

The National Special Districts Coalition is urging Senate leaders to move bipartisan legislation to reform federal hazard mitigation programs to better facilitate completion of much-needed mitigation projects.

The Hazard Eligibility and Local Projects (HELP) Act of 2021 would reform the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to allow Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) hazard mitigation program-qualified projects to begin without risk of losing potential federal assistance. Eligible projects are too often caught in the regulatory process, leaving infrastructure critical to the continuity of public services vulnerable to the forces of nature the mitigation program would otherwise assist.

NSDC sent Tuesday a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY., and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., calling on the Senate to consider and approve the legislation.

“NSDC represents special districts across the nation that provide critical infrastructure, emergency response, and essential services to thousands of communities,” the Coalition’s letter reads. “Special districts, along with their local government partners, are on the front lines of protecting their communities during disasters and are responsible for building resiliency for those communities against future disasters. All too often essential projects are delayed or disqualified from [FEMA] hazard mitigation assistance funds given the time it takes for FEMA to make funding decisions. The inability to start mitigation work because a grant application is pending leaves a community’s infrastructure vulnerable as natural disasters have only increased in severity and frequency.”

H.R. 1917 (Fletcher), the U.S. House version of the HELP Act, passed out of the Lower Chamber, by an resounding 409-16 vote. S. 1877 (Tillis) awaits further action in the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Contact Cole Karr, NSDC Federal Advocacy Coordinator, for more information.

Website Accessibility Policy

Special Districts Association of Oregon is fully committed to providing accessible facilities, elements and channels of communication to all members of the public. As part of this commitment, Special Districts Association of Oregon has a policy of providing an accessible website compatible with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1) and commercial screen reading software. All features of the website are coded to allow individuals with vision and other impairments to understand and use the website to the same degree as someone without disabilities. We welcome feedback and can often resolve issues in a timely manner if they arise.

If you need any special assistance or accommodations:

Call us at (503) 371-8667

Ongoing Compliance Information

Compliance Officer

Special Districts Association of Oregon has designated a compliance officer for website disability-related accommodations. The compliance officer has received training in website accessibility and updates the site in accordance with those best practices. Contact our accessibility officer to report an issue.

Compliance Procedures and Reports

In addition to testing with users with a wide range of disabilities and coding our website to WCAG standards, Special Districts Association of Oregon regularly scans its website to ensure ongoing compliance, and makes timely changes to any inaccessible changes, if any are found.

Linked Documents and Third Parties

Please note that this site may link out to third-party websites, such as state or federal agencies, that do not have accessible content. This site may also include documents provided by third parties included in our agenda packets, for example. While we cannot control the accessibility of content provided by third parties, we are happy to assist any member of the public with reading and accessing content on our site.

See an opportunity for us to improve? Please contact our accessibility officer or call us at (503) 371-8667.

Report a Website Accessibility Issue

We are committed to your ability to access all content, and we will respond to all requests as soon as possible.