InsideGov
Congress · Laws

National Urban Search and Rescue Response System Act of 2016

Public Law 114-326 · S. 2971 · 114th Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Dec 16, 2016 · Emergency Management

Sponsor: Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH)

Cosponsors (7): Sen. Ron Johnson,

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseRecorded vote: 405 yea, 7 nay405–7
  • SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes

The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.

Report a correction

Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

National Urban Search and Rescue Response System Act of 2016

(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to direct the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to: (1) continue to administer the National Urban Search and Rescue Response System; (2) provide for a national network of standardized search and rescue resources to assist states and local governments in responding to hazards; (3) designate urban search and rescue teams to participate in the system, determine participation criteria, and enter into an agreement with the state or local government agency sponsoring each team with respect to such participation; and (4) maintain management and technical teams necessary to administer the system.

FEMA may appoint a system member for a period of federal service to provide for the participation of such member in exercises, pre-incident staging, major disaster and emergency response activities, and training events sponsored or sanctioned by FEMA.

FEMA shall enter into: (1) an annual preparedness cooperative agreement under which amounts shall be made available to a sponsoring agency for training and exercises, acquisition and maintenance of equipment, and medical monitoring required for responder safety and health; and (2) a response cooperative agreement under which FEMA shall reimburse a sponsoring agency for costs incurred in responding to a major disaster or emergency.

FEMA shall submit a report on the development of a plan to finance, maintain, and replace system equipment.

Who voted for it

Every House member of the 114th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 405 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

405 yea7 nay21 present or did not vote

ProEstablishmentAnti
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(176)

Republicans who voted yea(229)

Data notes

The House’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 1315 in Voteview), matched to the vote the record cites and checked against its totals. Positions are each member’s DW-NOMINATE score for that Congress, as on the Ideology page; left to right is more liberal to more conservative. Paired and announced yea votes count as yea. Lists follow the compass, most liberal first. A name links to a profile only for members of the current Congress. A law passed by voice vote or unanimous consent has no member list, and neither does a vote Voteview has not yet recorded.

Report a correction

Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

Data notes

A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.

Report a correction

Related bills

1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • H.R. 1471Related bill

    FEMA Disaster Assistance Reform Act of 2015

Data notes

Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.

Report a correction

Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 25 actions.

  1. Dec 16, 2016Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 114-326.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Dec 14, 2016FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Dec 12, 2016FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  5. Dec 10, 2016Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to the House amendment to S. 2971 by Unanimous Consent.
  6. FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
  7. OtherOther · Resolving differences -- Senate actions: Senate agreed to the House amendment to S. 2971 by Unanimous Consent.
  8. Dec 8, 2016FloorFloor · Message on House action received in Senate and at desk: House amendment to Senate bill.
  9. Dec 7, 2016FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  10. FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 405 - 7 (Roll no. 615).House roll call 615
  11. FloorFloor · Considered as unfinished business.
  12. FloorFloor · At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
  13. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House continuned with debate on S. 2971.
  14. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 2971.
  15. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  16. FloorFloor · Mr. Barletta moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
  17. Dec 1, 2016FloorFloor · Received in the House.
  18. FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  19. CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
  20. Nov 30, 2016FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  21. Aug 30, 2016CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 578.
  22. CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Johnson under authority of the order of the Senate of 07/14/2016 with an amendment. With written report No. 114-307.
  23. May 25, 2016CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
  24. May 23, 2016CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
  25. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes

Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.

Report a correction

Amendments

No amendments to this bill are on record.

Data notes

Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.

Report a correction

Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.