House approved disaster recovery bill backed by Gov. Mapp

The U.S. House approved the Disaster Recovery Reform Act, legislation that would amend the 1988 Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act governing how federal disaster-recovery funds are used in the United States and its territories, Government House said on April 30, 2018.

According to the administration, Gov. Kenneth E. Mapp had urged members of Congress and the Trump administration to revise the law after Hurricanes Irma and Maria, arguing that existing rules slowed aid and limited rebuilding options.

Government House said the prior law generally allowed federal funds to be used to rebuild to pre-disaster standards, which in some cases required separate steps rather than allowing a full repair at once. It cited housing repairs in the U.S. Virgin Islands as an example, saying temporary work such as roof installation could be done under one program and later removed so a house could be rebuilt under another.

Mapp said in the statement that he had pressed congressional leaders and federal officials for changes and said he hoped the Senate would pass the measure so it could be applied to ongoing recovery work.

Official source: https://www.vi.gov/u-s-virgin-islands-governor-mapp-successfully-lobbies-for-reform-of-federal-relief-legislation-throughout-united-states/