Consolidation of Federal Assistance Resources Will Enhance the Federal/State Emergency Management Effort

Gao ID: GGD-83-92 August 30, 1983

GAO discussed the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) need for consolidation of federal assistance resources for emergency management and reviewed the agency's Comprehensive Cooperative Agreement (CCA) initiative.

A total of 15 separate FEMA categorical planning and preparedness programs were funded at $83 million in fiscal year (FY) 1982 and $90 million in 1983. GAO believes that the fragmentation spawned by most of these 15 programs frustrates states' full achievement of national emergency management or civil defense goals. The programs are too often narrowly defined and states cannot transfer funds between them. GAO stated that the categorical assistance structure promotes costly and inefficient program administration. Specifically, GAO found that categorical programs encourage states to perform overlapping planning and to duplicate emergency management activities. States sometimes overcame the categorical restrictions by undertaking a comprehensive and coordinated management effort. However, these practices could be curtailed if FEMA requirements were strictly enforced. In recognition of the constraints of the categorical structure, FEMA initiated CCA, which gives states discretion in achieving program objectives. While CCA limits the ability of FEMA to hold states accountable for categorical programs, FEMA is still held accountable by Congress for spending appropriated funds in the categorical manner. GAO believes that a consolidated assistance program that retains state accountability for achieving federal objectives would enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the federal/state emergency management effort.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

Director: J. William Gadsby Team: General Accounting Office: Human Resources Division Phone: (202) 512-8387


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