[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3347 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3347
To abolish FEMA and establish a block grant program for disaster
relief, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 13, 2025
Mr. Higgins of Louisiana introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in
addition to the Committee on Homeland Security, for a period to be
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee
concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To abolish FEMA and establish a block grant program for disaster
relief, 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 ``Sovereign States Emergency
Management Act''.
SEC. 2. ABOLISHMENT OF FEMA.
(a) Abolishment.--The Federal Emergency Management Agency is
abolished effective on the date that is 2 years after the date of
enactment of this Act.
(b) Unobligated Funds.--Any funds made available to the
Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency that are
unobligated on the abolishment date described in subsection (a) shall
be transferred to the general fund of the Treasury and made available
to carry out the program established under section 2.
(c) Transfer of Functions.--All functions that immediately before
the abolishment date specified in subsection (a) are authorized to be
performed by the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management
Agency, any other officer or employee of the Agency acting in that
capacity, or any agency or office of the Agency, are transferred to the
President effective on such abolishment date.
(d) Personnel and Assets.--Except as otherwise provided in this
Act, so much of the personnel, property, and records employed, used,
held, available, or to be made available in connection with a function
transferred to the President under subsection (c) shall be available to
the President, at such time or times as the President directs for use
in connection with the functions transferred.
(e) References.--Any reference in any other Federal law, Executive
order, rule, regulation, or delegation of authority, or any document of
or pertaining to the Federal Emergency Management Agency--
(1) to the Administrator of the Federal Emergency
Management Agency is deemed to refer to the President; or
(2) to the Federal Emergency Management Agency is deemed to
refer to the Executive Office of the President.
SEC. 3. DISASTER RELIEF BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment.--The Secretary of the Treasury shall establish a
program to provide grants to States for natural disaster and emergency
relief.
(b) Grant Terms.--
(1) In general.--In carrying out the program established
under this section, the Secretary shall provide a grant to each
State in an amount determined in accordance with the formula
established pursuant to paragraph (2).
(2) Allocation of funds.--
(A) In general.--The Secretary shall, by rule,
establish a formula for the allocation of grant funds
to each State under this section.
(B) Considerations.--In establishing the formula
under subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall consider
the following:
(i) Population size.
(ii) Historical disaster frequency and
severity during the 20-year period preceding
the date of enactment of this Act.
(iii) Geographic risk factors (such as
seismic zones, flood plains, hurricane-prone
areas).
(iv) Economic need, as determined by per
capita income.
(3) Use of funds.--A State may use a grant provided under
this section to carry out--
(A) disaster preparedness training and acquire and
maintain related equipment;
(B) response and recovery operations following a
natural disaster or emergency; and
(C) mitigation projects to reduce future disaster
risks.
(4) Administrative costs.--A State may use not more than 5
percent of the amount allocated to such State under this
subsection for administrative costs.
(5) Allocation.--The Secretary may not allocate grant funds
to a State for a fiscal year under this section unless and
until the Secretary, pursuant to subsection (c), approves the
emergency management plan submitted by such State for such
fiscal year.
(c) State Emergency Management Plans.--Not later than April 1 of
each year, each State shall develop and submit for approval by the
Secretary an emergency management plan for the fiscal year beginning on
October 1 of such year, and such plan shall include--
(1) a description of how the State intends to use funds
allocated under this section;
(2) documentation of coordination between the State, local
governments, and Tribal authorities in developing and
implementing such emergency management plan; and
(3) measurable goals for disaster preparedness and
response.
(d) Reports.--Not later than 90 days after the end of each fiscal
year, each State shall submit to the Secretary a report describing--
(1) how funds allocated under this section were used during
the preceding fiscal year;
(2) outcomes achieved with such funds, including
improvements in preparedness metrics, response times, and
completed mitigation projects; and
(3) the extent to which the State complied with the
emergency management plan developed under subsection (c).
(e) Duplication of Benefits.--The Secretary shall ensure that no
State receives a grant under this section if such State receives
assistance from any other Federal source for the same purposes for
which such a grant may be used.
(f) Audit.--Not less frequently than annually, the Secretary shall
conduct an audit of the program established under this section and
submit a report thereon to the Committees on Oversight and Government
Reform, Homeland Security, and Transportation and Infrastructure of the
House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs of the Senate.
(g) Administrative and Audit Expenses.--Of the amounts made
available to carry out this section, 10 percent shall be for expenses
related to administering the program established under this section and
10 percent shall be for expenses related to carrying out the audit of
such program required under subsection (f).
(h) Termination.--The program established under this section shall
terminate on the date that is 4 years after the date on which the
Secretary issues the rule required by subsection (b)(2).
(i) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Emergency.--The term ``emergency'' means an occasion or
instance for which assistance is needed to save lives and to
protect property and public health and safety, or to lessen or
avert the threat of a catastrophe in any part of a State.
(2) Natural disaster.--The term ``natural disaster'' means
any natural catastrophe (including any hurricane, tornado,
storm, high water, winddriven water, tidal wave, tsunami,
earthquake, volcanic eruption, landslide, mudslide, snowstorm,
or drought), or, regardless of cause, any fire, flood, or
explosion, in any part of a State, for which assistance is
needed to alleviate the damage, loss, hardship, or suffering
caused thereby.
(3) State.--The term ``State'' any of the fifty States, the
District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam,
American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands.
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