[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4669 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4669
To authorize and improve the Federal Emergency Management Agency and
reform Federal disaster mitigation, preparedness, response, and
recovery, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 23, 2025
Mr. Graves (for himself, Mr. Larsen of Washington, Mr. Webster of
Florida, and Mr. Stanton) 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 authorize and improve the Federal Emergency Management Agency and
reform Federal disaster mitigation, preparedness, response, and
recovery, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Fixing Emergency
Management for Americans Act of 2025'' or the ``FEMA Act of 2025''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as
follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
DIVISION A--ESTABLISHMENT OF FEMA AS CABINET-LEVEL INDEPENDENT AGENCY
TITLE I--ESTABLISHMENT OF FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
Sec. 11. Establishment of independent agency.
Sec. 12. Administrator; Deputy Administrator; other officials of the
Agency.
Sec. 13. Authority and responsibilities.
Sec. 14. Office of the Inspector General.
Sec. 15. Transfer of functions.
Sec. 16. Personnel and other transfers.
Sec. 17. Saving provisions.
Sec. 18. References.
Sec. 19. Federal Emergency Management Agency Working Capital Fund.
Sec. 20. Improving disaster assistance for veterans.
TITLE II--OFFICES AND FUNCTIONS OF FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
Sec. 21. National emergency management.
TITLE III--RELATED MATTERS
Sec. 31. Changes to administrative documents.
Sec. 32. Recommended legislation.
DIVISION B--FEMA REFORMS
TITLE I--PUBLIC ASSISTANCE REFORMS
Sec. 101. Rebuilding public infrastructure.
Sec. 102. Task force to address backlog of open declared disasters.
Sec. 103. Disaster declaration damage thresholds.
Sec. 104. Federal permitting improvement.
Sec. 105. Unified Federal review.
Sec. 106. Block grants for small disasters.
Sec. 107. Common sense debris removal.
Sec. 108. Disaster management costs modernization.
Sec. 109. Streamlining and consolidating information collection and
preliminary damage assessments.
Sec. 110. Reasonable incident periods.
Sec. 111. Fire management assistance program policy.
Sec. 112. Indian tribal government eligibility.
Sec. 113. Strengthening closeouts for critical services.
Sec. 114. Sheltering of emergency response personnel.
Sec. 115. Emergency protective measures to fight flooding damage.
Sec. 116. Fairness and accountability in appeals.
Sec. 117. Expedited funding for emergency work.
Sec. 118. Consistency in procurement practices.
TITLE II--INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE REFORMS
Sec. 201. Information sharing for Federal agencies.
Sec. 202. Universal application for individual assistance.
Sec. 203. Clarifying duplication of benefits.
Sec. 204. Crisis counseling and addiction in disasters.
Sec. 205. Repair and rebuilding.
Sec. 206. FEMA emergency home repair program.
Sec. 207. Direct assistance.
Sec. 208. Accurate information to disaster victims.
Sec. 209. Improved notices for FEMA assistance.
Sec. 210. Common sense displacement assistance for disaster victims.
Sec. 211. State-managed housing authority.
Sec. 212. Improved rental assistance.
Sec. 213. Online guides for postdisaster assistance.
Sec. 214. Clarifying sheltering assistance eligibility.
Sec. 215. Access to lifesaving non-congregate sheltering.
Sec. 216. Assistance for total loss.
TITLE III--MITIGATION REFORMS
Sec. 301. Preapproved project mitigation plans.
Sec. 302. Reducing disaster costs and protecting lives.
Sec. 303. Resilient buildings and communities.
Sec. 304. Strengthening hazard risk reduction.
Sec. 305. Utility resiliency.
Sec. 306. Additional amendments to hazard mitigation revolving loan
fund.
Sec. 307. Streamlined hazard mitigation application process.
Sec. 308. Study and report on mitigation benefits.
TITLE IV--TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY
Sec. 401. GAO review of FEMA transition.
Sec. 402. Transparency and online accountability.
Sec. 403. Prohibition on political discrimination.
Sec. 404. Review of burdensome regulations and policies.
Sec. 405. Report on assistance to individuals.
Sec. 406. Individual assistance dashboard.
Sec. 407. GAO report on preliminary damage assessments.
Sec. 408. Improved rental assistance.
Sec. 409. GAO assessment on identity theft and disaster fraud in
disaster assistance programs.
Sec. 410. GAO study on insurance utilization for public assistance-
eligible facilities.
Sec. 411. Study on wildfire management plans.
Sec. 412. Effectiveness of local, State, territory, and Federal
alerting systems.
Sec. 413. GAO review of management costs.
Sec. 414. Report on coordination of disaster assistance to individuals.
Sec. 415. GAO review of cost savings associated with repair and
rebuilding reforms.
Sec. 416. Transparency for disaster declarations.
Sec. 417. Fast-moving disasters working group.
Sec. 418. Public assistance dashboard.
Sec. 419. Improving disaster workforce retention.
DIVISION A--ESTABLISHMENT OF FEMA AS CABINET-LEVEL INDEPENDENT AGENCY
TITLE I--ESTABLISHMENT OF FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
SEC. 11. ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENT AGENCY.
(a) In General.--The Federal Emergency Management Agency is
established as a cabinet-level independent establishment in the
executive branch.
(b) Mission.--The primary mission of the Agency is to reduce the
loss of life and property of the Nation from all hazards, including
natural disasters and manmade disasters, by leading and supporting the
Nation in a comprehensive emergency management system of preparedness,
response, recovery, and mitigation.
(c) Specific Activities.--In support of the primary mission of the
Agency, the Administrator of the Agency shall--
(1) lead the Nation's efforts to prepare for, respond to,
recover from, and mitigate against the risk of natural
disasters and manmade disasters, including catastrophic
incidents;
(2) to build a national system of emergency management that
can effectively and efficiently use the full measure of the
Nation's resources to respond to natural disasters and manmade
disasters, including catastrophic incidents, partner with--
(A) State, local, and Tribal governments;
(B) emergency response providers;
(C) other Federal agencies;
(D) the private sector; and
(E) nongovernmental organizations;
(3) develop a Federal response capability that, when
necessary and appropriate, can act effectively and rapidly to
deliver assistance essential to saving lives or protecting or
preserving property or public health and safety in a natural
disaster or manmade disaster;
(4) integrate the emergency preparedness, response,
recovery, and mitigation responsibilities of the Agency to
confront effectively the challenges of a natural disaster or
manmade disaster;
(5) develop and maintain robust Regional Offices, inclusive
of regional disability integration specialists, that work with
State, local, and Tribal governments, emergency response
providers, and other appropriate entities to identify and
address regional priorities;
(6) provide funding, training, exercises, technical
assistance, planning, and other assistance to build the Tribal,
local, State, regional, and national capabilities (including
communications capabilities) necessary to respond to a natural
disaster or manmade disaster;
(7) develop and coordinate the implementation of an all-
hazards strategy for preparedness that builds the common
capabilities necessary to respond to natural disasters and
manmade disasters while also building the unique capabilities
necessary to respond to specific types of incidents that pose
the greatest risk to our Nation; and
(8) identify, integrate, and implement the needs of
children, including children within underserved communities,
individuals with disabilities, and other vulnerable populations
with access and functional needs, into activities to prepare
for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate against the risk of
natural disasters and other disasters, including catastrophic
incidents, including by appointing a technical expert, who may
consult with relevant outside organizations and experts, as
necessary, to coordinate such integration, as necessary.
(d) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Catastrophic incident.--The term ``catastrophic
incident'' means any natural disaster, act of terrorism, or
other man-made disaster that results in extraordinary levels of
casualties or damage or disruption severely affecting the
population (including mass evacuations), infrastructure,
environment, economy, national morale, or government functions
in an area.
(2) Critical infrastructure.--The term ``critical
infrastructure'' has the meaning given that term in section
1016(e) of Public Law 107-56 (42 U.S.C. 5195c(e)).
(3) Local government.--The term local government means--
(A) a county, municipality, city, town, township,
local public authority, school district, special
district, intrastate district, council of governments
(regardless of whether the council of governments is
incorporated as a nonprofit corporation under State
law), regional or interstate government entity, or
agency or instrumentality of a local government;
(B) an Indian tribe or authorized tribal
organization, or in Alaska a Native village or Alaska
Regional Native Corporation; and
(C) a rural community, unincorporated town or
village, or other public entity.
(4) Resources.--The term ``resources'' means personnel and
major items of equipment, supplies, and facilities available or
potentially available for responding to a natural disaster, act
of terrorism, or other manmade disaster.
(5) State.--The term ``State'' means any State of the
United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of
Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and any
possession of the United States.
(6) Tribal government.--The term ``Tribal government''
means the government of an Indian tribe or authorized tribal
organization, or in Alaska a Native village or Alaska Regional
Native Corporation.
(7) Vulnerable populations with access and functional
needs.--The term ``vulnerable populations with access and
functional needs'' means--
(A) the elderly, children, and individuals with
disabilities (including individuals with mobility,
communication, intellectual, and processing
disabilities) for whom emergencies may present unique
access and functional needs, such as maintaining
independence, communication, transportation,
supervision, and medical care; and
(B) include individuals described in subparagraph
(A) who reside in institutionalized settings.
SEC. 12. ADMINISTRATOR; DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR; OTHER OFFICIALS OF THE
AGENCY.
(a) Administrator.--
(1) In general.--The Federal Emergency Management Agency
shall be headed by an Administrator, who shall be appointed by
the President, by and with the advice and consent of the
Senate, and who shall report directly to the President.
(2) Principal advisor on emergency management.--The
Administrator is the principal advisor to the President for all
matters relating to emergency management in the United States.
(3) Qualifications.--The Administrator shall be appointed
from among individuals who have--
(A) a demonstrated ability in, and knowledge of,
emergency management; and
(B) not less than 5 years of executive leadership
and management experience in the public or private
sector.
(4) Executive schedule.--Title 5, United States Code, is
amended--
(A) in section 5312, by adding at the end the
following:
``Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management
Agency.''; and
(B) in section 5313, by striking the item relating
to ``Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management
Agency.''.
(b) Deputy Administrator.--
(1) In general.--The Agency shall have one Deputy
Administrator, who shall be appointed by the President, by and
with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Deputy
Administrator shall carry out duties and powers prescribed by
the Administrator and act for the Administrator when the
Administrator is absent or unable to serve or when the position
of the Administrator is vacant.
(2) Qualifications.--The Deputy Administrator shall be
appointed from among individuals who have extensive experience
in emergency preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigating
hazards.
(3) Executive schedule.--Section 5314 of title 5, United
States Code, is amended by striking the item relating to
``Deputy Administrators, Federal Emergency Management Agency.''
and inserting the following:
``Deputy Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency.''.
(c) Assistant Administrators.--
(1) In general.--The Agency shall have one or more
Assistant Administrators, who shall be appointed by the
Administrator, and whose duties shall be determined by the
Administrator.
(2) Qualifications.--Each Assistant Administrator shall be
appointed from among individuals who have a demonstrated
ability in and knowledge of emergency management or other field
relevant to their position.
SEC. 13. AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITIES.
(a) In General.--The Administrator of the Federal Emergency
Management Agency shall provide Federal leadership necessary to prepare
for, respond to, recover from, or mitigate against all disasters,
including natural or manmade, including--
(1) helping to ensure the effectiveness of emergency
response providers to major disasters (as that term is defined
in section 102 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122)) and other
emergencies;
(2) with respect to the Nuclear Incident Response Team--
(A) establishing standards and certifying when such
standards have been met; and
(B) conducting joint and other exercises and
training and evaluating performance;
(3) providing the Federal Government's response to all
disasters, including--
(A) managing such response;
(B) directing the Domestic Emergency Support Team
and the Nuclear Incident Response Team;
(C) overseeing the Metropolitan Medical Response
System; and
(D) coordinating other Federal response resources,
including requiring deployment of the Strategic
National Stockpile, in the event of a disaster;
(4) aiding the recovery from a disaster;
(5) building a comprehensive national incident management
system with Federal, State, and local government personnel,
agencies, and authorities, to respond to such attacks and
disasters;
(6) consolidating existing Federal Government emergency
response plans into a single, coordinated national response
plan;
(7) helping ensure the acquisition of operable and
interoperable communications capabilities by Federal, State,
local, and Tribal governments and emergency response providers;
(8) assisting the President in carrying out the functions
under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) and carrying out all
functions and authorities given to the Administrator under such
Act;
(9) carrying out the mission of the Agency to reduce the
loss of life and property and prepare the Nation for all
hazards by leading and supporting the Nation in a comprehensive
emergency management system of--
(A) mitigation, by taking sustained actions to
reduce or eliminate long-term risks to people and
property from hazards and their effects;
(B) preparedness, by planning, training, and
building the emergency management profession to prepare
effectively for, mitigate against, respond to, and
recover from any hazard;
(C) response, by conducting emergency operations to
save lives and property through positioning emergency
equipment, personnel, and supplies, through evacuating
potential victims, through providing food, water,
shelter, and medical care to those in need, and through
restoring critical public services; and
(D) recovery, by rebuilding communities so
individuals, businesses, and governments can function
on their own, return to normal life, and protect
against future hazards;
(10) increasing efficiencies, by coordinating efforts
relating to preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation;
(11) helping to ensure the effectiveness of emergency