Coalition Letter on Emergency Disaster Relief Supplemental

Dear Speaker Johnson, Majority Leader Schumer, Leader Jeffries, and Leader McConnell:

The undersigned coalition of state and local chambers of commerce urge Congress to expeditiously pass an emergency supplemental appropriations bill during the upcoming Congressional work period to replenish funding for disaster relief programs that have been or are at threat of being exhausted as result of recent natural disasters, including Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Additional funding is necessary to both help already devastated communities and ensure that there are adequate resources to respond to future droughts, hurricanes, tornados, wildfires, and other severe weather.

We also urge you to take the opportunity to complete work on bipartisan proposals to expand predisaster mitigation and resilience projects. These efforts not only help communities prepare for natural disasters, they reduce after disaster costs, including for federal taxpayers.

Emergency Supplemental Funding

Specifically, we urge the Congress to approve immediate additional funding for:

• The Small Business Administration's Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), which are a critical lifeline for small businesses, non-profits, and homeowners as they seek to rebuild after a natural disaster.
• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster recovery and assistance programs, which help individuals, families, and local governments in the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster.
• The Department of Transportation's emergency relief program, which assists with repairing and replacing critical national assets and lifeline infrastructure impacted by unforeseen disasters. These roads, bridges, and other critical infrastructure projects are vital to local economies.

Bipartisan Predisaster Policy Solutions

The following predisaster mitigation policies and others, included in bipartisan legislation already advancing through regular order offer a solid downpayment that will help bolster both current and future federal resilience capabilities in a smart and efficient manner:

• H.R. 6093, the Weather Act, H.R. 7070, the Wildfire Response Improvement Act, H.R. 7671, the Disaster Management Cost Modernization Act, and H.R. 8790, the Fix our Forests Act, and for additional funding and predisaster authorities for comprehensive programs, including CDBG-DR and small business loans.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, together with the Chamber Foundation and Allstate recently released the Preparedness Payoff, a report which states that for every $1 invested in predisaster mitigation and resilience projects and measures, there are $13 in overall savings. This means that planning ahead and adapting infrastructure to anticipated disaster risks (e.g., rerouting, hardening infrastructure, and nature-based solutions) can decrease losses due to disasters and reduce the impact on the economy, allowing communities to recover more quickly.

Thank you for your consideration and we look forward to working with Congress to help communities recover from recent disaster and ensure that the policies and support are in place to prepare for future disasters.

Sincerely,

U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Alabama

Greater Pell City Chamber of Commerce

Mobile Chamber

Opelika Chamber of Commerce

Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce

Arizona

Buckeye Valley Chamber of Commerce

Greater Phoenix Chamber

Kingman Area Chamber of Commerce

Lake Havasu Area Chamber of Commerce

Prescott Valley Chamber of Commerce

Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce

Tempe Chamber of Commerce

West Valley Chamber of Commerce Alliance

Arkansas

Arkansas State Chamber / AIA

Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce

Rogers-Lowell Chamber

California

Brea Chamber of Commerce

California Chamber of Commerce

Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce

Coalition of California Chambers Orange County

Gateway Chambers Alliance

Greater Bakersfield Chamber

Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce

Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce

Greater Grass Valley Chamber of Commerce

Greater Irvine Chamber of Commerce

Laguna Hills Chamber of Commerce

Lake Elsinore Valley Chamber of Commerce

Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce

Murrieta/Wildomar Chamber of Commerce

Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce

North San Diego Business Chamber

Palm Desert Area Chamber of Commerce

Palos Verdes Peninsula Chamber of Commerce

Pasadena Chamber of Commerce & Civic Association

Porterville Chamber of Commerce

Rancho Cordova Area Chamber of Commerce

San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce

San Juan Capistrano Chamber of Commerce

San Marcos Chamber of Commerce

Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce

Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce

Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce

South Bay Association of Chambers of Commerce

Valley Industry & Commerce Association

Vista Chamber of Commerce

West Ventura County Business Alliance

Yorba Linda Chamber of Commerce

Colorado

Aurora Chamber of Commerce

Colorado Chamber of Commerce

Vail Valley Partnership

Connecticut

CBIA

Florida

Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce

Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce

Florida Chamber of Commerce

Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce

Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce

Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce

Manatee Chamber of Commerce

Punta Gorda Chamber of Commerce

South Tampa Chamber of Commerce

St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce

Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce

Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce

Georgia

Barrow County Chamber of Commerce

Brookhaven Chamber of Commerce

Chattooga County Chamber of Commerce

Columbia County Chamber of Commerce

Cordele-Crisp Chamber of Commerce

Darien-McIntosh County Chamber of Commerce

Fayette County Chamber of Commerce

Georgia Chamber of Commerce

Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce

Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce

Greater Vidalia Chamber

Habersham County Chamber of Commerce

Hazlehurst-Jeff Davis County Chamber of Commerce

Henry County Chamber of Commerce

Jackson County Area Chamber of Commerce

Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce

Metro Atlanta Chamber

Newton Chamber of Commerce

Paulding Chamber of Commerce

Roberta-Crawford Chamber of Commerce

Rome Floyd Chamber of Commerce

Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce

Hawaii

Chamber of Commerce Hawaii

Kapolei Chamber of Commerce

Kauaʻi Chamber

Idaho

Boise Metro Chamber

Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce

Twin Falls Area Chamber of Commerce

Illinois

Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce

Dixon Chamber of Commerce & Main Street

Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Chamber of Commerce

Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce and Industry

GLMV Chamber of Commerce

Illinois Chamber of Commerce

Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce

RiverBend Growth Association

The Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce

Western DuPage Chamber of Commerce

Indiana

Crossroads Chamber

Fulton County Chamber of Commerce

Greater Lawrence Chamber of Commerce

Indiana Chamber Executives Association

Indiana Chamber of Commerce

Kendallville Area Chamber of Commerce

OneZone Chamber

Iowa

Waverly Chamber of Commerce

Kentucky

Commerce Lexington

Kentucky Chamber of Commerce

Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce

Union County Chamber of Commerce

Louisiana

Committee of 100 for Economic Development

Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce

Louisiana Association of Business & Industry

One Acadiana

St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce

Maryland

Harford County Chamber of Commerce

Maryland Chamber of Commerce

Massachusetts

Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce

Michigan

Detroit Regional Chamber

Greater Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce

Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce

Michigan Chamber of Commerce

Midland Business Alliance

Mississippi

Mississippi Economic Council

Missouri

Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce

Greater West Plains Area Chamber of Commerce

Montana

Billings Chamber of Commerce

Glasgow Area Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture

Helena Area Chamber of Commerce

Kalispell Chamber of Commerce

Nebraska

Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry

Nevada

Reno + Sparks Chamber of Commerce

Vegas Chamber

New Hampshire

Business & Industry Association of New Hampshire

New Jersey

Burlington County Regional Chamber of Commerce

New Jersey Chamber of Commerce

New Mexico

New Mexico Chamber of Commerce

New York

North Country Chamber of Commerce

North Carolina

Alleghany County Chamber of Commerce

Anson County Chamber of Commerce

Apex Chamber of Commerce

Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce

Avery County Chamber of Commerce

Black Mountain-Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce

Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce

Boone Area Chamber of Commerce

Cabarrus Regional Chamber of Commerce

Caldwell Chamber of Commerce

Charlotte Regional Business Alliance

Chatham Chamber of Commerce

Clayton Chamber of Commerce

Edenton-Chowan Chamber of Commerce

Four Oaks Chamber of Commerce

Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce

Greater Winston Salem, Inc.

Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce

Henderson County Chamber of Commerce

Highlands Chamber of Commerce

Hillsborough/Orange County Chamber of Commerce

Holly Springs Chamber of Commerce

Jackson County Chamber of Commerce

Madison County Chamber of Commerce

Matthews Chamber of Commerce

McDowell Chamber of Commerce

Mint Hill Chamber of Commerce

Montcross Area Chamber of Commerce

Moore County Chamber

Perquimans County Chamber of Commerce

Randleman Chamber of Commerce

Rocky Mount Area Chamber of Commerce

Rowan County Chamber of Commerce

The Chamber for a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro

The Chamber of Catawba County

Triangle East Chamber of Commerce

Wilmington Chamber of Commerce

North Dakota

The Chamber - Grand Forks / East Grand Forks

Ohio

Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce

Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce

Huber Heights Chamber of Commerce

Marion Area Chamber of Commerce

Pickerington Area Chamber of Commerce

Streetsboro Area Chamber of Commerce

Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce

Troy Area Chamber of Commerce

Oklahoma

Bixby Metro Chamber of Commerce

Greater Oklahoma City Chamber

Norman Chamber of Commerce

State Chamber of Oklahoma

Tulsa Regional Chamber

Oregon

Albany Area Chamber of Commerce

Canby Area Chamber of Commerce

Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce

Lake County Chamber of Commerce

McMinnville Area Chamber of Commerce

Oregon Business & Industry

Portland Metro Chamber

Roseburg Area Chamber of Commerce

Salem Area Chamber of Commerce

Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce

Stayton Sublimity Chamber of Commerce

Union County Chamber of Commerce

Washington County Chamber of Commerce

Pennsylvania

Allegheny Conference on Community Development

Carlisle Area Chamber of Commerce

Greater Latrobe-Laurel Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce

Hanover Area Chamber of Commerce

Harrisburg Regional Chamber

Lebanon Valley Chamber of Commerce

Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry

Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce

Somerset County Chamber of Commerce

South West Regional Chamber of Commerce

Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce

The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia

The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce

Wyoming County Chamber of Commerce

South Carolina

Aiken Chamber of Commerce

Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce

Fountain Inn Chamber of Commerce

Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce

Greater Hartsville Chamber of Commerce

Greater Mauldin Chamber of Commerce

Greater Summerville/Dorchester County Chamber of Commerce

Greenville Chamber of Commerce

Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce

South Carolina Chamber of Commerce

Tri-County Regional Chamber of Commerce

Upstate Chamber Coalition

Tennessee

Blount County Chamber of Commerce

Bristol Chamber of Commerce

Farragut West Knox Chamber of Commerce

Kingsport Chamber

Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry

Texas

Abilene Chamber of Commerce

Brazosport Area Chamber of Commerce

Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce

Greater Houston Partnership

Irving Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Metrocrest Chamber of Commerce

North Texas Commission

Utah

Salt Lake Chamber

South Valley Chamber of Commerce

St. George Area Chamber of Commerce

Vermont

Vermont Chamber of Commerce

Virginia

Central Fairfax Chamber of Commerce

Danville Pittsylvania Chamber of Commerce

Front Royal-Warren County Chamber of Commerce

Hampton Roads Chamber

Highland County Chamber of Commerce

Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce

Virginia Chamber of Commerce

Virginia Peninsula Chamber

Washington

Association of Washington Business

Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce

Coupeville Chamber of Commerce

Covington Chamber of Commerce

Greater Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce

Lakewood Chamber of Commerce

West Virginia

West Virginia Chamber of Commerce

Wisconsin

Beaver Dam Area Chamber of Commerce

Forward Janesville

Greater Green Bay Chamber

Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce

Wyoming

Campbell County Chamber of Commerce

Casper Area Chamber of Commerce

Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce

Wyoming State Chamber of Commerce

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