Reps. Carter, Ezell, Thompson Introduce the FEMA Workforce Planning Act to Ensure the Federal Government Has Capacity for Disaster Response

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter Sr. (D-LA), alongside Reps. Mike Ezell (R-MS) and Bennie Thompson (D-MS) introduced the Federal Emergency Mobilization Accountability (FEMA) Workforce Planning Act. This legislation requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to develop and submit detailed workforce plans to Congress to ensure the agency can effectively respond to natural disasters and other emergencies. It also requires FEMA to improve employee recruitment and retention efforts, develop strategies to train and deploy its workforce efficiently, and use data to address and fix staffing gaps.

"Americans rely on FEMA in our most desperate moments," said Congressman Carter. "As storms grow more intense and last longer, our commitment to preparedness must grow stronger too. I'm proud to champion this bipartisan legislation that will ensure FEMA has the support they need to maintain an effective and efficient workforce prepared to respond wherever and whenever disaster strikes."

"Communities across South Mississippi know firsthand how important it is to have a prepared and capable FEMA workforce when disaster strikes," said Congressman Ezell. "I'm proud to help introduce the FEMA Workforce Planning Act to ensure FEMA has the right people, training, and resources in place to respond quickly and effectively when Americans need help most. By improving workforce planning and addressing staffing gaps before the next emergency, we can strengthen FEMA's readiness and better serve communities recovering from disasters."

"Unfortunately, FEMA's longstanding workforce problems have only worsened over the last year and a half. In order to respond to worsening disasters, we need FEMA to have the proper analysis, strategies, and plans to ensure its workforce is effective and meeting the needs of the nation. I thank Congressman Carter for introducing this necessary legislation," said Congressman Thompson.

Background

The Federal Emergency Mobilization Accountability (FEMA) Workforce Planning Act requires the FEMA Administrator to develop a human capital operating plan, in accordance with best practices outlined by the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Comptroller General of the United States, to shape and improve the Agency's workforce. The plan must be submitted to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure every 3 years.

The workforce plans must include:

• Performance measures to evaluate progress towards the human capital goals of FEMA, including filling staffing gaps, closing skills gaps in mission-critical occupations, and implementing workforce training and, if applicable, progress towards meeting those goals;
• Details of the types of employees of FEMA, including by hiring authority and cadre;
• A comprehensive analysis of the projected costs associated with implementing the plan;
• Strategies and practices designed to increase cost-efficiency within the workforce operations of FEMA, including reducing overhead costs, improving resource utilization, and avoiding unnecessary expenditures;
• A detailed analysis of how FEMA determined its current overall staffing goals;
• An analysis of the current workforce of FEMA and possible gaps in the current staffing structure needed to fulfill FEMA's mission; and,
• A plan of action with specific recommendations for developing and reshaping the workforce of FEMA to address the gaps in critical and emerging skills.

Read the full bill text here.

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