NEWS RELEASE
OFFICE OF SEN. GARY PETERS
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WASHINGTON, DC – The House has passed bipartisan legislation authored by U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (Mich.), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, to create one application deadline for two Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) programs that individuals use for federal disaster assistance. FEMA’s Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) and Individuals and Households Program (IHP) currently have different application deadlines following a disaster declaration, which can cause confusion for disaster survivors who may have trouble tracking when they need to apply for each program.
The senator’s 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 legislation was led through the House by U.S. Representative Joe Neguse (D-CO-2). The bill passed the Senate in July 2023, and now heads to the President to be signed into law.
“Following a natural disaster, survivors shouldn’t have to worry about conflicting deadlines when applying to federal disaster assistance programs. This bipartisan legislation will limit confusion within the application process and make it easier for families in need to access these critical resources,” said Peters.
The 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.
Peters has led several efforts to strengthen our federal disaster preparedness and response. Peters' bipartisan bill to simplify the federal application process by creating a universal FEMA application across federal agencies
advanced Committee. Peters
secured $500 million in funding as part of the bipartisan infrastructure bill for a
program he created to help states establish revolving loan programs for local governments to carry out mitigation projects that reduce the risk of shoreline erosion, extreme flooding, and other natural disasters. Peters’ bipartisan legislation to protect FEMA Reservists from losing their full-time employment when they are called up to assist communities with disaster response was also
signed into law. Finally, Peters’ bill to help protect pets and other animals during and in the aftermath of natural disasters and emergencies was also
signed into law.
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