Bill Details
View committees (1)
View cosponsors (10)
- Sen. Marshall, Roger [R-Kansas]
- Sen. Scott, Rick [R-Florida]
- Sen. Budd, Ted [R-North Carolina]
- Sen. Hawley, Josh [R-Missouri]
- Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-Tennessee]
- Sen. Tillis, Thomas [R-North Carolina]
- Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-Michigan]
- Sen. Warnock, Raphael G. [D-Georgia]
- Sen. Hassan, Margaret Wood [D-New Hampshire]
- Sen. Ossoff, Jon [D-Georgia]
AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would make it illegal to treat people differently based on their political beliefs or party affiliation when deciding who gets federal disaster aid. In plain terms, it updates the rules for disaster assistance so that people affected by storms, floods, fires, or other emergencies cannot be denied help because of who they support politically. The goal is to make disaster aid fair and based on need, not politics.
- It changes the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, which already bans discrimination in disaster aid based on race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, and economic status.
- The bill adds “political affiliation” to that list of protected categories.
- This means federal disaster assistance programs would be required to treat applicants equally regardless of their political views or party ties.
Official Summaries
Stopping Political Discrimination in Disaster Assistance Act
This bill prohibits discrimination on the basis of political affiliation by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other participating entities (i.e., public or private entities providing or receiving assistance) in carrying out federal major disaster or emergency relief and assistance activities.
Current law requires FEMA and other participating entities to provide federal major disaster or emergency relief and assistance without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency, or economic status. The bill adds political affiliation to the classes protected under this requirement.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 373 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 373
To prohibit discrimination based on political affiliation in granting
disaster assistance.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 3, 2025
Mr. Lankford (for himself, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Scott of Florida, Mr.
Budd, Mr. Hawley, Mrs. Blackburn, and Mr. Tillis) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To prohibit discrimination based on political affiliation in granting
disaster assistance.
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 ``Stopping Political Discrimination in
Disaster Assistance Act''.
SEC. 2. NONDISCRIMINATION IN DISASTER ASSISTANCE.
Section 308(a) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5151(a)) is amended by striking
``or economic status'' and inserting ``economic status, or political
affiliation''.
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