U.S. Senators Mark Kirk and Dick Durbin of Illinois are renewing their call for an update of the methods the government uses to determine disaster assistance.
The Republican and the Democrat introduced Thursday what they call the Fairness in Federal Disaster Declarations Act. The senators say the current system discriminates against smaller communities in states with large population centers.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency denied an Illinois request for federal aid after the devastating tornadoes of November 2013.
The senators say their proposed legislation would benefit smaller communities like Washington, Illinois, which are unfairly hurt by outdated methodology. The measure has been introduced twice previously without success.
