[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7029 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7029
To ensure that older adults and individuals with disabilities are
prepared for disasters, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 13, 2026
Mrs. Dingell (for herself, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Panetta, and Mr.
Huffman) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the
Committees on Education and Workforce, and Energy and Commerce, 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 ensure that older adults and individuals with disabilities are
prepared for disasters, 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 ``Real Emergency Access for Aging and
Disability Inclusion for Disasters Act'' or the ``REAADI for Disasters
Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND SENSE OF CONGRESS.
(a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
(1) In the United States, according to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, there are more than 70,000,000
adults who are individuals with disabilities and, according to
the Bureau of the Census, there are more than 54,000,000 adults
age 65 or older.
(2) There have been nearly 400 emergencies declared under
section 501 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5191) related to hurricanes
and tropical cyclones during the period beginning January 2000
and ending December 2024. These declared emergencies have
directly resulted in at least 1,442 deaths in the United
States.
(3) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
estimates that--
(A) the cumulative damage from weather- and
climate-related disasters in 2022 cost the United
States over $182,700,000,000; and
(B) 27 of the disasters in 2024 cost over
$1,000,000,000 each.
(4) Individuals with disabilities and older adults have
been found to die at higher rates, compared to the general
population, during disasters.
(5) According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency,
in 2024, the United States experienced a total of 108 major
disaster and emergency declarations under sections 401 and 501,
respectively, of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170, 5191), which resulted
in more than 4,000,000 individuals applying for assistance
through the Agency.
(6) According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency,
in 2022, the United States experienced 90 major disasters
declared under section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170) affecting
more than 54,000,000 people, and more than 16,000,000 of those
people were adults with disabilities.
(7) Failure to provide accessibility for, or plan for
accommodating, individuals with physical or sensory
disabilities, chronic illness, or mental disabilities decreases
the ability of those individuals to evacuate prior to or during
a disaster.
(8) Households of individuals with disabilities are more
likely to need assistance and are less likely to be able to
evacuate in advance of disasters.
(9) Less than a third of individuals with intellectual
disabilities and individuals needing personal care attendants
have planned with their personal care providers what to do in a
disaster.
(10) Evacuation information, including orders, is not
uniformly communicated in ways and via media that are
accessible to individuals with disabilities, including being
communicated in ways that lack use of American Sign Language,
captions, and plain language on websites, instructional
materials, and television and radio announcements.
(11) Displaced individuals with disabilities served in
general population shelters have better access to information
and material resources than individuals with disabilities in
specially designed shelters.
(12) Despite the better access to information and resources
provided at general population shelters, personnel in general
population shelters often do not have the resources or training
to address the needs of individuals with disabilities and older
adults.
(13) Public shelters often do not have disability-related
accommodations, often forcing individuals with disabilities and
older adults to be segregated, sometimes apart from their
families and natural supports during disasters.
(14) Households with individuals with disabilities sustain
more costly property damage from disasters than households
without individuals with disabilities.
(15) Historically, disaster-related recommendations for
individuals with disabilities and older adults have been
typically aimed at caregivers and service providers, not
individuals with disabilities and older adults themselves.
(16) Thousands of individuals with disabilities have been
denied their civil rights because they do not receive
accessible notice during disasters--
(A) of spoken instructions via phone or video; or
(B) of instructions regarding evacuations,
sheltering, and other procedures during disasters.
(17) Disaster shelters and services do not routinely have
American Sign Language interpreters nor procedures written or
presented in plain language.
(18) Individuals with disabilities and older adults are
more at risk for loss of life, loss of independence, or
violation of civil rights than the general population during
times of disasters, response, and recovery.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) individuals with disabilities and older adults should
be supported during times of disasters, and during disaster
preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation, in order to--
(A) ensure maintenance of and access to services
and supports; and
(B) enable those individuals and adults to return
to their communities in a timely manner as compared
with the general population;
(2) during the recovery and mitigation phases of disaster
response, all buildings and services should be designed, and
constructed or reconstructed, according to principles of
universal design and to the standards established by the
Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board in
order to ensure access for individuals with disabilities, older
adults, and all individuals;
(3) individuals with disabilities and older adults should
have access to shelters and other services during disasters in
the same locations and settings as the general population;
(4) individuals with disabilities and older adults should
receive information about preparation for, response to,
recovery from, and mitigation of disasters in formats
accessible to them, including in American Sign Language,
Braille, and plain language, as well as captioned video
messages;
(5) individuals with disabilities and older adults must be
included as key speakers, essential stakeholders, and
decisionmakers in the preparation (including planning),
response, recovery, and mitigation phases of disasters;
(6) local, State (including territorial), Tribal, and
Federal disaster planning must include robust representation of
individuals with disabilities and older adults; and
(7) individuals with disabilities and older adults must be
included in the evaluation of governmental, VOAD, and other
nongovernmental preparation (including planning), response,
recovery, and mitigation of disasters.
SEC. 3. PURPOSES.
The purposes of this Act are to--
(1) improve the inclusion of individuals with disabilities
and older adults in the preparation for, response to, recovery
from, and mitigation of disasters;
(2) ensure that individuals with disabilities and older
adults with disabilities are free from discrimination on the
basis of disability or age in programs and activities and are
protected during, and included in, all phases of disaster
preparation, response, recovery, and mitigation;
(3) ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities
Act of 1990, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and other
disability laws during preparation for, response to, recovery
from, and mitigation of disasters;
(4) improve coordination among the communities of
individuals with disabilities and older adults, including
multiply marginalized BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities, government
agencies, centers for independent living, VOADs, and other
nongovernmental organizations, including organizations that
represent and are comprised of covered individuals, in
preparing (including planning) for, responding to, recovery
from, and mitigation of disasters;
(5) improve outcomes for all individuals, including
individuals with disabilities and older adults, who are
affected by disasters, and increase community resilience in
responding to disasters;
(6) establish dedicated Federal funding for capacity-
building and rapid response to support Federal, State
(including territorial), Tribal, and local entities, and public
and private human services entities, to support activities to
address the needs of at-risk individuals before, during, and
after a disaster; and
(7) enact into Federal law standards of care and standards
for protection of civil rights, for older adults and people
with disabilities, to be applied for disasters and public
health emergencies.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Access and functional needs.--The term ``access and
functional needs'', used with respect to an individual, means
an individual with needs such as--
(A) an individual with a disability;
(B) an older adult;
(C) an individual with limited English proficiency;
(D) an individual with limited access to
transportation that would enable the individual to
prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate a
disaster; or
(E) an individual with limited access to the
financial resources that would enable the individual to
prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate a
disaster.
(2) At-risk individuals.--The term ``at-risk
individuals''--
(A) has the meaning given the term in section
2802(b)(4)(B) of the Public Health Service Act (42
U.S.C. 300hh-1(b)(4)(B)); and
(B) includes--
(i) older individuals, individuals with
disabilities, and children; and
(ii) members of families that include
individuals described in clause (i) or
subparagraph (A).
(3) Civil rights.--The term ``civil rights'', used with
respect to an individual, means the existing (as of the date of
enactment of this Act) legal rights of an individual to be free
from discrimination on the basis of disability or age in
programs and activities.
(4) Covered individual.--The term ``covered individual''
means an individual with a disability, an older adult, and an
individual with access and functional needs.
(5) Department.--The term ``Department'' means the
Department of Health and Human Services.
(6) Disability.--The term ``disability'' has the meaning
given the term in section 3 of the Americans with Disabilities
Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12102).
(7) Disability inclusive emergency management experience.--
The term ``disability inclusive emergency management
experience'', used with respect to an individual or entity--
(A) means an individual or entity that has--
(i) demonstrated disability leadership
experience, including working with
nongovernmental entities; and
(ii) subject matter expertise in leading
disability inclusive preparedness, response,
recovery, and mitigation initiatives that focus
on meeting the civil rights of covered
individuals who are affected by disasters, to
be free from discrimination on the basis of
disability or age in programs and activities;
and
(B) includes an individual or entity that has
demonstrated favorable outcomes that measure the
effective communication access, physical access,
program access, health, safety, and independence of
individuals affected by disasters and their
communities.
(8) Disaster.--The term ``disaster'' means an emergency or
major disaster (as such terms are defined under section 102 of
the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance
Act (42 U.S.C. 5122)) that results in severe property damage,
deaths, or multiple injuries.
(9) Disaster services.--The term ``disaster services''
means the process of responding to a disaster and providing
humanitarian aid to individuals and communities who are
affected by a disaster.
(10) Disproportionately affected.--The term
``disproportionately affected'', used with respect to a group,
means a group of individuals with protected status, including
individuals with disabilities or older adults, who are
excessively adversely affected by disaster-related harms.
(11) Fund.--The term ``Fund'' means the Disaster Human
Services Emergency Fund established under section 7.
(12) Human services.--The term ``human services''--
(A) means programs and activities designed to aid
individuals, families, and communities to prevent or
remediate problems or events that destabilize lives and
undermine the ability to meet basic needs in the
immediate aftermath of a disaster and medium- and long-
term needs after a disaster; and
(B) includes--
(i) preparedness training and capacity-
building;
(ii) peer support;
(iii) child care;
(iv) nutritional services;
(v) home and community-based supports and
services;
(vi) personal care;
(vii) case management;
(viii) behavioral health and psychosocial
support;
(ix) assistance with accessing home repair
and modifications;
(x) accessible housing;
(xi) food, home, transportation,
communication, and language access;
(xii) helping prevent institutionalization
or helping transition individuals to community
living;
(xiii) helping with evacuation; and
(xiv) supporting at-risk individuals in
accessing durable medical equipment or other
equipment.
(13) Indian tribal government.--The term ``Indian Tribal
government'' has the meaning given the term ``Indian tribal
government'' in section 102 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122).
(14) Individuals with disabilities.--The term ``individuals
with disabilities'' means more than one individual with a
disability.
(15) Older adult.--The term ``older adult'' has the meaning
given the term `older individual' in section 102 of the Older
Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3002).
(16) Public health emergency.--The term ``public health
emergency'' means a public health emergency declared under
section 319 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d).
(17) Resident.--The term ``resident'' means--
(A) in the case of an individual receiving
assistance through an Indian Tribal government or other
Indian entity, a resident of an area or member of a
community governed by an Indian Tribal government; and
(B) in the case of an individual not described in
subparagraph (A), a resident of a State that is not an
Indian Tribal government.
(18) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Health and Human Services.
(19) State.--The term ``State'' means any of the 50 States,
an Indian Tribal government, the District of Columbia, the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands,
Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands.
(20) Visitability standards.--The term ``visitability
standards'' means standards for Type C (Visitable) Units under
the Standards for Accessible and Usable Buildings and
Facilities (ICC A117.1-2009), or any successor standards, of
the American National Standards Institute.
(21) VOAD.--The term ``VOAD'' means a nongovernmental
organization a