On the recordApril 5, 2022
I thank the chairman for yielding time. The SPEED Recovery Act will expedite the approval process for FEMA's small projects within the Public Assistance Program, or PA program. I am proud to join Chairman DeFazio, Ranking Member Graves, and my subcommittee ranking member, Mr. Webster, in bringing this bill forward. PA helps communities remove debris, implement emergency protective services, and repair damage to public buildings and infrastructure. The public assistance approval process can be lengthy and complicated, and that is why, as you have heard, the 1988 Stafford Act ordered FEMA to simplify the procedure for small projects that might not have the capacity or resources to deal with the red tape and complicated grant process. The cost for completing a small project, however, is not the same as it was in 1988 when this was first established. Stakeholders have reported to Congress, and I heard during a hearing of my subcommittee back in October, that the small projects the program was intended to cover are now unqualified. This legislation will raise the qualifying project threshold, and this updated threshold will speed the postdisaster recovery process and help us to make our communities get back on their feet. I support this. You heard it; that it is commonsense legislation. I ask my colleagues to do the same, use some common sense and vote to support this.
