Emergency Management Desk
Emergency Management Bills
5 bills in the Emergency Management desk, ordered for current relevance and readability.
Emergency ManagementHR-164-119Latest action: Jan 16, 20253 readersPassed Chamber
POWER Act of 2025
Sponsored by Val Hoyle
The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act currently authorizes federal funding to help communities recover from disasters and conduct hazard mitigation—efforts to reduce future disaster damage. However, the law has created ambiguity about whether electric utilities can combine emergency power restoration work with hazard mitigation activities, and whether receiving emergency assistance disqualifies them from separate hazard mitigation funding. This gap has left utilities uncertain about their eligibility for comprehensive federal support when disasters strike. The POWER Act of 2025 amends Section 403 of the Stafford Act to clarify that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) may authorize electric utilities to conduct hazard mitigation activities alongside emergency power restoration work. The bill explicitly permits utilities to combine these efforts and establishes that receiving federal assistance for emergency power restoration does not make a utility ineligible for additional hazard mitigation assistance under Section 406 of the Stafford Act, for which the utility otherwise qualifies. This removes the eligibility barrier that previously discouraged utilities from pursuing comprehensive disaster recovery. The amendment applies only to federal appropriations made after the bill's enactment, meaning utilities will benefit from this clarification on future disasters. FEMA will administer the expanded assistance through its existing Stafford Act programs, with no new funding mechanism created. The change allows utilities to pursue cost-effective resilience improvements—such as hardening power lines or upgrading infrastructure—during the same recovery period as emergency repairs, potentially reducing future outages and accelerating community recovery timelines.
Emergency Management
Latest updateJan 15, 2025
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 419 - 2 (Roll no. 13). (text: 1/13/2025 CR H103)
Emergency Management
Emergency ManagementHR-153-119Latest action: Jan 15, 20250 readersPassed Chamber
Post-Disaster Assistance Online Accountability Act
Sponsored by Mike Ezell
Federal disaster assistance flows through multiple agencies—the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Small Business Administration, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development—to help communities recover from hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and other natural disasters. Currently, while some reporting requirements exist, there is no centralized, publicly accessible system that consolidates information about how disaster funds are spent across these agencies. Recipients must navigate separate reporting channels, and the public lacks a unified way to track where federal disaster dollars go and what projects they support. The Post-Disaster Assistance Online Accountability Act requires the Office of Management and Budget, in consultation with the Treasury Department and relevant federal agencies, to establish a dedicated online repository within the existing Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act website. Within 30 days after each calendar quarter ends, covered agencies must publish detailed information about disaster assistance they distributed, including total amounts awarded, funds expended or obligated, and a comprehensive list of all projects funded. Each project entry must include its name, description, completion status, award identification number, Federal Emergency Management Agency catalog number, geographic location with ZIP codes, and any other reporting requirements the agency collects. The repository will launch once the Office of Management and Budget completes its coordination with federal agencies and issues implementing guidance—expected within months of enactment. The Office of Management and Budget may contract with private entities or nonprofits to develop the platform if needed. All data must be machine-readable to enable public analysis and comparison. This centralized system will allow disaster survivors, local officials, auditors, and taxpayers to monitor fund distribution in real time, identify spending patterns, and verify that assistance reaches intended recipients and projects. The change creates no new funding requirements, instead repurposing existing reporting obligations into a unified public dashboard.
Emergency Management
Latest updateJan 14, 2025
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 426 - 0 (Roll no. 10). (text: 1/13/2025 CR H101-102)
Emergency Management
Emergency ManagementHR-152-119Latest action: Jan 14, 20252 readersPassed Chamber
Federal Disaster Assistance Coordination Act
Sponsored by Mike Ezell
When disasters strike, multiple federal agencies collect information from affected individuals and businesses seeking assistance, often asking for overlapping or redundant details. Similarly, preliminary damage assessments—the initial evaluations that determine disaster aid eligibility—are conducted separately by different agencies, creating fragmentation and duplication. The Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 established a framework for federal disaster response, but it did not address the inefficiencies in how information is gathered or how damage is assessed across agencies. These duplicative processes burden applicants, delay aid distribution, and waste government resources. The Federal Disaster Assistance Coordination Act directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator, working with the Small Business Administration, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Labor, Office of Management and Budget, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Transportation, and other relevant agencies, to conduct a comprehensive study within two years. FEMA must develop a plan to streamline and consolidate information collection from disaster applicants and grantees, reducing duplication and administrative burden. The Administrator must also establish a working group to identify overlaps in preliminary damage assessments, evaluate whether a single federal agency could conduct all assessments, and explore emerging technologies like unmanned aircraft systems to speed up the assessment process. FEMA must submit a comprehensive report to Congress within two years containing the streamlining plans and working group findings, along with any recommendations. The report will be made publicly available on FEMA's website in downloadable and machine-readable formats. Within 180 days after submitting the report, FEMA and the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency must brief congressional committees on the findings. The study itself does not mandate immediate changes to disaster assistance processes; rather, it creates a roadmap for potential future reforms that Congress and FEMA can use to improve efficiency in federal disaster response.
Emergency Management
Latest updateJan 13, 2025
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 405 - 5 (Roll no. 9). (text: CR H100-101)
Emergency Management
Emergency ManagementHR-125-119Latest action: Jan 4, 20251 readersIn Committee
Limiting Emergency Powers Act of 2025
Sponsored by Andy Biggs
Under current law, the National Emergencies Act allows the President to declare a national emergency, which grants broad powers to redirect federal funds, enter contracts, and exercise authorities tied to that emergency. Once declared, an emergency remains in effect indefinitely unless Congress passes a joint resolution terminating it—a high bar requiring action from both chambers. In practice, emergencies declared decades ago remain technically active, and Congress rarely votes to end them. This structure gives the President substantial discretion over emergency powers with minimal ongoing congressional oversight. The Limiting Emergency Powers Act amends the National Emergencies Act to require affirmative congressional approval to keep an emergency in place. Under the bill, any emergency declared by the President automatically terminates 30 days after declaration unless Congress enacts a joint resolution affirming it. If affirmed, the emergency lasts two years, after which it terminates unless the President renews it and Congress again affirms the renewal through joint resolution. The bill also requires that when an emergency ends, unobligated funds revert to their original purpose, construction contracts terminate unless work began before the end date, and emergency powers cease—though actions already taken remain valid. Implementation begins immediately upon enactment. Previously declared emergencies receive a two-year grace period from the bill's effective date before the new termination rules apply, giving Congress time to act on existing emergencies. The bill creates a recurring congressional vote requirement: every two years, Congress must affirmatively renew any emergency the President wishes to maintain. This shifts the default from indefinite continuation to automatic expiration, requiring the President and Congress to jointly sustain emergency authority rather than requiring Congress to actively terminate it. No new funding is required; the mechanism operates through existing appropriations and contract law.
Emergency Management
Latest updateJan 4, 2025
Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.
Emergency Management
Emergency ManagementHR-128-119Latest action: Jan 3, 20250 readersIn Committee
Fentanyl is a WMD Act
Sponsored by Lauren Boebert
The Department of Homeland Security currently operates a Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office under Title XIX of the Homeland Security Act of 2002. This office focuses on preventing, detecting, and responding to threats from traditional weapons of mass destruction—nuclear, biological, chemical, and radiological materials. Illicit fentanyl, a synthetic opioid responsible for tens of thousands of overdose deaths annually, is not formally classified within the WMD framework, despite its lethal potency and capacity to cause mass casualties. The Fentanyl is a WMD Act requires the Assistant Secretary for the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office at the Department of Homeland Security to treat illicit fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction under Title XIX of the Homeland Security Act of 2002. This reclassification directs the office to apply its existing WMD prevention, detection, and response protocols to fentanyl trafficking and distribution. The change does not create new authorities or funding streams but instead redirects the office's analytical and operational focus to encompass fentanyl alongside traditional WMD threats. In practice, this reclassification means the DHS Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office will incorporate fentanyl into its threat assessments, intelligence gathering, and interagency coordination efforts. The office may deploy existing detection technologies and personnel trained in WMD response to border checkpoints and ports of entry to identify fentanyl shipments. Implementation occurs immediately upon enactment, using current appropriations and staffing. The change does not alter existing drug enforcement responsibilities of the Drug Enforcement Administration or Customs and Border Protection but creates a parallel WMD-focused lens through which DHS analyzes fentanyl as a mass-casualty threat.
Emergency Management
Latest updateJan 3, 2025
Referred to the Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology.
Emergency Management