H.R. 10667: Disaster Recovery and Resilience Act of 2026

This bill would change how some federal disaster recovery rules work after the President declares a major disaster under the Stafford Act.

Changes to shipping and labor rules during disaster relief

The bill would let the Coast Guard’s department waive certain shipping restrictions for up to 180 days if a vessel owner or operator shows the waiver is needed to deliver disaster relief to an area hit by a major disaster. It would also remove Davis-Bacon Act wage requirements from projects under the Stafford Act that are related to repairing disaster damage.

New Emergency Recovery Board

The bill would require the President to create an Emergency Recovery Board within 30 days after the first major disaster declaration in each disaster category during a calendar year. The board would be set up to review how recovery is handled after that type of disaster.

The board would include:

• The Secretary of Transportation
• The Secretary of Homeland Security
• The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
• The FEMA Administrator
• Relevant state officials
• Local officials from affected areas
• One House employee and one Senate employee

Within 30 days of being formed, the board would submit an initial report to Congress and certain federal agencies identifying immediate barriers that federal and state governments could remove to speed recovery. Within 90 days, it would send Congress a second report recommending legislative or regulatory changes to help future disaster recovery efforts.

Environmental review and hazard mitigation changes

The bill would change the hazard-mitigation section of the Stafford Act so that, when disaster-related mitigation projects are carried out, the required federal review would specifically include compliance with environmental laws such as the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and Endangered Species Act.

Repairs and replacements of damaged facilities

When a facility is repaired, restored, reconstructed, or replaced using Stafford Act authority, the bill would require any prescheduled technological improvement to be installed at the same time. The bill defines that term as a technology upgrade that had already been planned, procured, and funded before the disaster declaration.

Relevant Companies

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