S. 444

Federal Emergency Mobilization Accountability (FEMA) Workforce Planning Act

This bill requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to develop and submit to Congress every three years a human capital operating plan to shape and improve FEMA’s workforce, and it requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to submit a report analyzing the plan.

Specifically, the bill lists contents FEMA must include in the plan, such as performance measures to track staffing and training, strategies for increasing cost-efficiency, and a plan of action to address gaps in critical and emerging skills in FEMA’s workforce. The plan must discuss the membership and training of the Surge Capacity Force, through which federal employees deploy in response to a catastrophic disaster. FEMA must submit the first plan within one year after the bill’s enactment and subsequent plans at least once every three years.

The bill also requires GAO to submit a report analyzing whether FEMA’s plan meets the requirements of the bill, including any recommendations to ensure subsequent plans meet the requirements.