This week, the Senate followed the White House’s request for $60.4 billion in emergency spending in response to the damages caused by Hurricane Sandy. The Senate bill, the Fiscal Year 2012 Disaster Assistance Supplemental, provides the same level of funding as the President’s request, but makes some changes that expand the scope of the bill beyond direct relief from Sandy.
Funding important to AGC members includes:
Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) - $17 billion for disaster relief, long-term recovery, restoration of infrastructure and housing, and economic revitalization. Two billion dollars shall be used for mitigation of future risk.
Federal Emergency Management Agency – $11.5 billion for the FEMA Disaster Relief Fund so support disaster response and recovery needs.
Emergency Relief for Public Transportation - $10.783 billion for the repair and restoration of public transit systems and to support mitigation projects to protect those systems from future damage.
Federal Highway Administration Emergency Relief Program - $921 million for the repair of roads and bridges.
Army Corps of Engineers - $5.350 billion
- Disaster Recovery - $1.838 billion
- $1.008 billion for Flood Control and Emergency needs to restore projects to their design profiles rather than the pre=storm conditions.
- $821 million for Operation and Maintenance needs
- $9 million in construction to repair damages under way at the time of Sandy
- Mitigation - $3.512 billion
- $3.452 for construction needs
- $50 million to conduct studies
- $10 million for the Corps to manage the work