H.R. 4058: Enhancing Stakeholder Support and Outreach for Preparedness Grants Act

This bill, titled the Enhancing Stakeholder Support and Outreach for Preparedness Grants Act, aims to improve outreach and assistance related to two specific grant programs under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS): the Urban Area Security Initiative and the State Homeland Security Grant Program. The main features of the bill include:

DHS Grant Outreach

The bill modifies sections of the Homeland Security Act to enhance the following aspects:

Urban Area Security Initiative

Under this section, the bill mandates that the Administrator of FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) will:

• Conduct ongoing stakeholder outreach and engagement to collect feedback from various stakeholders, including State, local, Tribal, and territorial authorities, on grant awards and the effectiveness of outreach efforts.
• Carry out annual surveys to gather this feedback.
• Provide summaries of the feedback collected and explain how this feedback was integrated into future grant funding opportunities.
• Implement additional feedback mechanisms as deemed appropriate.

State Homeland Security Grant Program

This section similarly requires:

• Ongoing outreach and assistance to stakeholders before, during, and after the awarding of grants.
• Conducting annual surveys for feedback on grants and outreach efforts.
• Summarizing the feedback received and how it influenced later grant funding notices.
• Adopting other feedback mechanisms as considered necessary.

Comptroller General Review

The bill mandates that within two years of its enactment, the Comptroller General must review and report on the effectiveness of FEMA’s outreach, engagement, and support related to these two grant programs. This report will be sent to specific congressional committees.

Subsequent Report by FEMA Administrator

Additionally, within three years of this bill's enactment, the FEMA Administrator is required to submit a report to congressional committees detailing actions taken in response to the new outreach provisions, including insights from the required surveys and summaries.

Summary

Overall, the bill seeks to enhance the communication and support provided by FEMA in relation to awarded grants, ensuring that stakeholders can give feedback, which will be used to improve the grant processes over time.

Relevant Companies

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