U.S. Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA) is commending the enactment of the Small Project Efficient and Effective Disaster (SPEED) Recovery Act (H.R. 5641), which seeks to expedite disaster recovery initiatives.
“This is big news for Louisiana,” said Graves, who supported the legislation. “Our bill that was signed into law is going to cut through the bureaucracy and allow for faster recovery from disasters. This will deliver solutions for Louisiana. This is an important win for our communities trying to recover from Hurricane Ida and other disasters.”
Prior to the measure, recovery projects receiving less than $1 million in reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) were stuck in reimbursement purgatory – but now grant recipients that include school boards, local governments, and others will have an expedited approval process for response and recovery grant programs if their reimbursement total falls under $1 million.
“We are thankful for Congressman Graves’ continued work in this area,” Lafourche Parish President Archie Chaisson, III said. “After seeing the devastation that Hurricane Ida brought and the rebuilding process that followed, it was evident that this system needed to change. Being able to complete projects faster and receive funding in a much faster manner will only help strengthen Louisiana.”
St. John the Baptist Parish President Jaclyn Hotard said the bill’s passage is critical.
“As we continue to recover and rebuild from Hurricane Ida, we appreciate Congressman Graves’ diligent efforts to simplify the reimbursement process and provide speedier disaster recovery assistance to our communities.”