To establish a Commission on Federal Natural Disaster Resilience and Recovery to examine and recommend reforms to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Federal Government’s approach to natural disaster resilience and recovery, and for other purposes.
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Lankford introduced the following bill; which was read twice …
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill creates a temporary commission to review how the federal government handles natural disaster preparedness and recovery. The Commission on Federal Natural Disaster Resilience and Recovery, housed within the Office of Management and Budget, will study the maze of federal disaster programs scattered across 17 agencies and recommend ways to make them work better together. The commission has two years to produce a comprehensive report identifying duplication, inefficiencies, and opportunities for reform before shutting down.
Who Benefits and How
Emergency management consultants and disaster policy experts benefit most directly - 14 of the 15 commission positions will go to outside experts who receive travel reimbursement and per diem compensation for their service. State, local, and Tribal emergency managers also benefit by gaining seats on the commission and potential influence over federal disaster policy, which could lead to reforms that better serve their needs. Standards-setting organizations in the emergency preparedness field gain representation on the commission, giving them a voice in shaping future federal disaster policy recommendations.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Office of Management and Budget gets stuck with the bill for the entire commission operation - staff salaries, travel costs, and administrative expenses - all coming out of OMB's existing budget with no new funding authorized. This is a direct unfunded mandate. Seventeen federal agencies (FEMA, SBA, USDA, HUD, DOE, DOT, EPA, DOJ, and others) must dedicate staff time to "advise and consult" with the commission and provide information on demand, creating new reporting burdens on top of their existing disaster response duties. Existing federal disaster program administrators face potential job security risks since the commission is explicitly tasked with recommending "administrative changes" and identifying program duplication, which could lead to consolidation or elimination of their programs.
Key Provisions
- Establishes a 15-member commission with 1 OMB employee and 14 outside experts from emergency management, state/local government, standards organizations, and advocacy groups
- Grants the commission chair power to hire and fire staff without civil service rules and set compensation up to Executive Schedule Level V
- Requires 17 federal agencies to provide information and consultation upon commission request
- Mandates comprehensive reports every 180 days for two years, culminating in a final report with legislative and administrative recommendations addressing the 11 reform options from a 2022 Government Accountability Office study
- Commission automatically terminates 60 days after submitting its final report
- No new appropriations - all costs absorbed by OMB from existing budget
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Establishes a commission within OMB to examine and recommend reforms to improve efficiency and effectiveness of federal natural disaster resilience and recovery programs
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Create an expert commission to comprehensively review federal disaster programs and identify consolidation opportunities, reduce duplication, and improve efficiency across multiple agencies"
Likely Beneficiaries
- State and local emergency management agencies (potential for improved federal coordination)
- Emergency management consultants and experts (commission appointments and study opportunities)
- OMB (enhanced oversight authority over disaster programs)
- Disaster-affected communities (potential for improved program efficiency)
Likely Burden Bearers
- Federal agencies with disaster programs (required to provide information and potentially face reorganization)
- Existing federal disaster program staff (potential for program consolidation or elimination)
- OMB (absorbs costs from existing budget with no new appropriations)
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_chair"
- → Chair of the Commission (elected by Commission members)
- "the_office"
- → Office of Management and Budget
- "the_director"
- → Director of the Office of Management and Budget
- "the_commission"
- → Commission on Federal Natural Disaster Resilience and Recovery
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
The Commission on Federal Natural Disaster Resilience and Recovery established under subsection (b)
Director of the Office of Management and Budget
A weather event relating to cold or hot weather, flood, earthquake, tornado, hurricane, or ice storm; and an event meeting such other criteria as the Commission may determine appropriate
The Office of Management and Budget
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology