(A) by striking “or” at the end of clause (ii);

(B) by striking the period at the end of clause (iii) and inserting “; or”; and

(C) by adding at the end the following:

(A) in paragraph (1) by inserting “for mitigation activities that are cost effective” after “competitive basis”; and

(B) by adding at the end the following:

(A) in paragraph (9) by striking “and” at the end;

(B) by redesignating paragraph (10) as paragraph (12); and

(C) by adding after paragraph (9) the following:

“(i) National public infrastructure predisaster mitigation fund.—

(1) in the matter preceding clause (i), by inserting after “section,” the following: “for disasters declared on or after August 1, 2017, or a disaster in which a cost estimate has not yet been finalized for a project,”;

(2) in clause (i), by striking “and”;

(3) in clause (ii)—

(4) by adding at the end the following:

“(5) NEW RULES.—

(1) by redesignating subsection (d) as subsection (e); and

(2) by inserting after subsection (c) the following:

(1) in section 404(a) (42 U.S.C. 5170c(a)) (as amended by section 102(a) of this Act)—

(2) in section 322(e)(1) (42 U.S.C. 5165(e)(1)), by inserting “or event under section 420” after “major disaster” each place it appears.

“(1) reseeding ground cover with quick-growing or native species;

“(2) mulching with straw or chipped wood;

“(3) constructing straw, rock, or log dams in small tributaries to prevent flooding;

“(4) placing logs and other erosion barriers to catch sediment on hill slopes;

“(5) installing debris traps to modify road and trail drainage mechanisms;

“(6) modifying or removing culverts to allow drainage to flow freely;

“(7) adding drainage dips and constructing emergency spillways to keep roads and bridges from washing out during floods;

“(8) planting grass to prevent the spread of noxious weeds;

“(9) installing warning signs;

“(10) establishing defensible space measures;

“(11) reducing hazardous fuels; and

“(12) windstorm damage, including replacing or installing electrical transmission or distribution utility pole structures with poles that are resilient to extreme wind and combined ice and wind loadings for the basic wind speeds and ice conditions associated with the relevant location.”.

“(A) INCENTIVE MEASURES.—The President may provide incentives to a State or Tribal government to invest in measures that increase readiness for, and resilience from, a major disaster by recognizing such investments through a sliding scale that increases the minimum Federal share to 85 percent. Such measures may include—

“(B) COMPREHENSIVE GUIDANCE.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this paragraph, the President, acting through the Administrator, shall issue comprehensive guidance to State and Tribal governments regarding the measures and investments that will be recognized for the purpose of increasing the Federal share under this section.

“(C) REPORT.—One year after the issuance of the guidance required by subparagraph (B), the Administrator shall submit to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate a report regarding the analysis of the Federal cost shares paid under this section.

“(D) SAVINGS CLAUSE.—Nothing in this paragraph prevents the President from increasing the Federal cost share above 85 percent.”.

(1) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking “90 percent of”; and

(2) in paragraph (2)(A), by striking “75 percent of”.

(1) by inserting “(1) In general.—” before “Participation in”; and

(2) by adding at the end the following:

(1) in subparagraph (E), by striking “and” at the end;

(2) in subparagraph (F), by striking the period and inserting “; and”; and

(3) by adding at the end the following:

(1) IDENTIFICATION.—The Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, in coordination with the Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, shall develop and issue guidance for State, local, and Tribal governments regarding the identification of evacuation routes.

(2) GUIDANCE.—The Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, in coordination with the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, shall revise existing guidance or issue new guidance as appropriate for State, local, and Tribal governments regarding the design, construction, maintenance, and repair of evacuation routes.

(1) IDENTIFICATION.—In developing the guidance under subsection (a)(1), the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall consider—

(2) DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, MAINTENANCE, AND REPAIR.—In revising or issuing guidance under (a)(2), the Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration shall consider—

“(4) WAIVER OF GENERAL PROHIBITION.—

(1) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.—Notwithstanding section 312 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5155) and its implementing regulations, assistance provided pursuant to section 404 of such Act may be used to fund activities authorized for construction within the scope of a federally authorized water resources development project of the Army Corps of Engineers if such activities are also eligible activities under such section.

(2) FEDERAL FUNDING.—All Federal funding provided under section 404 pursuant to this subsection shall be applied toward the Federal share of such project.

(3) NON-FEDERAL MATCH.—All non-Federal matching funds required under section 404 pursuant to this subsection shall be applied toward the non-Federal share of such project.

(4) TOTAL FEDERAL SHARE.—Funding provided under section 404 pursuant to this subsection may not exceed the total Federal share for such project.

(5) NO EFFECT.—Nothing in this subsection shall—

(A) by striking “financial”; and

(B) by striking “subsection (e)” and inserting “subsections (c)(1)(B), (c)(4), and (e) if the President and the State comply, as determined by the Administrator, with paragraph (3)”;

(A) by striking “financial”; and

(B) by striking “subsection (e)” and inserting “subsections (c)(1)(B), (c)(4), and (e)”; and

“(3) IN GENERAL.—

“(2) OTHER NEEDS ASSISTANCE.—The maximum financial assistance any individual or household may receive under subsection (e) shall be equivalent to the amount set forth in paragraph (1) with respect to a single major disaster.”;

“(4) EXCLUSION OF NECESSARY EXPENSES FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES.—

“(II) IMPROVEMENTS OR REPAIRS.—Under the terms of any lease agreement for property entered into under this subsection, the value of the improvements or repairs shall be deducted from the value of the lease agreement.”.

“(aa) enter into lease agreements with owners of multifamily rental property impacted by a major disaster or located in areas covered by a major disaster declaration to house individuals and households eligible for assistance under this section; and”.

“(B) ADDITIONAL FACILITIES.—In addition to the facilities described in subparagraph (A), the term ‘private nonprofit facility’ includes any private nonprofit facility that provides essential services of a governmental nature to the general public (including museums, zoos, performing arts facilities, community arts centers, community centers, houses of worship exempt from taxation under section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, libraries, homeless shelters, senior citizen centers, rehabilitation facilities, shelter workshops, food banks, and facilities that provide health and safety services of a governmental nature), as defined by the President.”.

“(C) HOUSES OF WORSHIP.—A church, synagogue, mosque, temple, or other house of worship, and a private nonprofit facility operated by a religious organization, shall be eligible for contributions under paragraph (1)(B), without regard to the religious character of the facility or the primary religious use of the facility.”.

(A) by striking “Notwithstanding” and inserting the following:

(B) by striking “establish” and inserting the following: “implement”; and

(C) by adding at the end the following:

(1) under section 408 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174); and

(2) in relation to a major disaster or emergency declared by the President under section 401 or 501 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170; 42 U.S.C. 5191) on or after October 28, 2012.

(1) subject to paragraph (2), may waive a debt owed to the United States related to covered assistance provided to an individual or household if—

(2) may not waive a debt under paragraph (1) if the debt involves fraud, the presentation of a false claim, or misrepresentation by the debtor or any party having an interest in the claim.

(1) IN GENERAL.—The inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security shall monitor the distribution of covered assistance to individuals and households to determine the percentage of such assistance distributed based on an error.

(2) REMOVAL OF WAIVER AUTHORITY BASED ON EXCESSIVE ERROR RATE.—If the inspector general determines, with respect to any 12-month period, that the amount of covered assistance distributed based on an error by the Federal Emergency Management Agency exceeds 4 percent of the total amount of covered assistance distributed—

“(e) Disaster mitigation.—In providing assistance pursuant to subsection (c)(2), if appropriate and as applicable, the Secretary may encourage hazard mitigation in assistance provided pursuant to such subsection.”.

(1) deploy with a team of the National Urban Search and Rescue Response System to assist with—

(2) recruit, train, and certify veterinary professionals, including veterinary students, in accordance with an established set of plans and standard operating guidelines to carry out the duties associated with planning for and responding to emergencies as described in paragraph (1);

(3) assist State, Tribal, and local governments and nonprofit organizations in developing emergency management and evacuation plans that account for the care and rescue of animals and in improving local readiness for providing veterinary medical response during a disaster; and

(4) coordinate with the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Agriculture, State, Tribal, and local governments (including State departments of animal and human health), veterinary and health care professionals, and volunteers.

(1) An analysis of whether and how the unified process has expedited the interagency review process to ensure compliance with the environmental and historic requirements under Federal law relating to disaster recovery projects.

(2) A survey and analysis of categorical exclusions used by other Federal agencies that may be applicable to any activity related to a Presidentially declared major disaster or emergency under such Act.

(3) Recommendations on any further actions, including any legislative proposals, needed to expedite and streamline the review process.

“(d) Facilitating closeout.—

(1) the contracting process used by FEMA to evaluate offerors and award the relevant contracts to contractors;

(2) FEMA’s assessment of the past performance of the contractors, including any historical information showing that the contractors had supported large-scale delivery quantities in the past;

(3) FEMA’s assessment of the capacity of the contractors to carry out the relevant contracts, including with respect to inventory, production, and financial capabilities;

(4) how FEMA ensured that the contractors met the terms of the relevant contracts; and

(5) whether the failure of the contractors to meet the terms of the relevant contracts and FEMA’s subsequent cancellation of the relevant contracts affected the provision of tarps and plastic sheeting to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands of the United States.