FEMA Act of 2025

Summary

Fixing Emergency Management for Americans Act of 2025 or the FEMA Act of 2025 This bill reestablishes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) (currently within the Department of Homeland Security) as an independent, cabinet-level agency. It also makes broad changes to FEMA’s disaster and hazard mitigation assistance programs. The bill generally transfers FEMA’s current functions and authorities to the independent FEMA, except for certain security-related programs. The bill makes various changes to the Public Assistance program, including by establishing new grants for expedited funding to repair or replace disaster-damaged facilities, establishing block grants that recipients may choose instead of Public Assistance for smaller disasters, expediting and expanding uses of funding for emergency response and debris removal, and allowing use of excess administrative funds for increasing recipients’ disaster management capacity. The bill makes various changes to the Individual Assistance program, including by expanding eligibility for housing assistance, expanding mitigation and direct (non-financial) assistance for residences, reducing certain restrictions on funds duplicating program benefits, and establishing a unified disaster application system. The bill makes various changes to FEMA’s mitigation programs, including by establishing mitigation plans with preapproved projects, authorizing an entire Hazard Mitigation Grant Program grant to be provided before costs are incurred, changing pre-disaster mitigation assistance to noncompetitive formula grants, and allowing recipients to combine mitigation project funds from multiple federal programs. Additionally, federal entities must publish various information relating to disaster assistance and conduct various studies on related topics (e.g., preliminary damage assessments, fast-moving disasters, and government emergency alerting systems).

Summary from the Congressional Research Service. How we handle summaries

Where it stands

Out of committee and scheduled for a vote by the full chamber.

House Committee on Homeland Security · U.S. House of Representatives

Also referred to House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure · U.S. House of Representatives.

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Cosponsors

Related bills

• H.R. 152Federal Disaster Assistance Coordination ActRelated bill
• H.R. 164POWER Act of 2025Related bill
• H.R. 744Disaster Management Costs Modernization ActRelated bill
• H.R. 1076WARN ActRelated bill
• H.R. 1245Disaster Survivors Fairness Act of 2025Related bill

As identified by Congress.gov.

Full history

1. Sep 9, 2025

   Introduced

   Introduced in U.S. House

   U.S. House

2. Sep 3, 2025

   Committee vote

   Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held

3. Sep 3, 2025

   Committee vote

   Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held

4. Sep 3, 2025

   Committee vote

   Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held

5. Sep 3, 2025

   Reported out of committee

   Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 57 - 3.

Read the record

• Read on Congress.gov (opens in a new tab) The official record on Congress.gov.