Bill Details
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This bill would change federal disaster law to encourage communities to take more steps before disasters happen. It would let FEMA support a wider range of preparedness and resilience efforts, including training and organizing local emergency response teams, and it would also cover certain science-based building and land-use practices that help communities better handle storms, floods, wildfires, tsunamis, and similar disasters. The bill also directs FEMA to give states and tribal governments clear guidance on how these preparedness investments can be used.
- It expands the kinds of disaster-related projects that can be supported under existing federal disaster assistance rules.
- It includes support for local emergency response teams or similar nonprofit groups that help with disaster response, training, outreach, and preparedness exercises.
- It allows FEMA to recognize certain proven resilience measures, such as stronger building standards or land-use practices that reduce damage from future disasters.
- FEMA would have to issue detailed guidance to state and tribal governments within one year after the bill becomes law.
The bill would take effect one year after it is enacted. It does not create new funding by itself and would rely on money already appropriated to FEMA.
Official Summaries
Investing in Community Resilience Act of 2025
This bill expands the activities eligible to increase the federal cost share under the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Assistance (PA) program.
Under current law, FEMA provides PA applicants (i.e., government entities and certain nonprofits) a minimum federal cost share of 75% of the costs of repairing or replacing eligible disaster-damaged facilities, but FEMA may increase this to up to 85% if the applicant invests in certain incentive measures that increase disaster readiness and resilience. The bill expands the measures eligible to cause this increase to include (1) investments in preparedness programs, (2) programs designated by FEMA that increase disaster resilience through building standards or land use practices, and (3) support for community emergency response teams or similar non-governmental organizations that provide disaster assistance and advance preparedness.
The bill takes effect one year after enactment.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 372 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 372
To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency
Assistance Act to incentivize certain preparedness measures, and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 3, 2025
Mr. Lankford (for himself and Mr. Welch) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security
and Governmental Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency
Assistance Act to incentivize certain preparedness measures, and for
other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Investing in Community Resilience
Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAMS.
(a) Amendment.--Section 406(b)(3)(A) of the Robert T. Stafford
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5172(b)(3)(A))
is amended--
(1) in clause (ii), by inserting ``preparedness,'' after
``disaster relief,'';
(2) in clause (iv)--
(A) by inserting ``or programs designated by the
Administrator that result in substantial science-based
and verified increased resilience from building
standards or land use practices for storms, tsunamis,
floods, wildfires, or equivalent disasters'' after
``community rating system''; and
(B) by striking ``and'';
(3) in clause (v), by striking the period and inserting ``;
and''; and
(4) by adding at the end the following:
``(vi) support of viable community
emergency response teams or equivalent non-
governmental organizations that provide
disaster assistance, including by providing or
facilitating regular training, outreach, and
soliciting participation in preparedness
exercises.''.
(b) Comprehensive Guidance.--Not later than 1 year after the date
of enactment of this Act, the President, acting through the
Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, shall issue
comprehensive guidance to State and Tribal governments relating to the
measures and investments described in section 406(b)(3)(A) of the
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42
U.S.C. 5172(b)(3)(A)), as amended in subsection (a).
SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE; APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) Effective Date.--This Act, and the amendments made by this Act,
shall take effect on the date that is 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act.
(b) Appropriations.--The amendments made by this Act shall be
carried out only with funds appropriated to the Federal Emergency
Management Agency on or after the date of enactment of this Act.
(c) No Additional Funds.--No additional funds are authorized to be
appropriated for the purpose of carrying out this Act.
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