H.R. 9292: Disaster Relief Integrity and Independence Act

This bill would change how federal disaster assistance decisions are made under the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act.

What it would do

• Bars political bias in disaster aid decisions: It would prohibit the President from deciding whether to declare an emergency or major disaster, or from awarding federal disaster funding and other relief, based on the political affiliation of people in a state, territory, or locality.
• Requires a faster response to disaster requests: When a state, tribal government, or territorial government asks for a major disaster declaration, the President would have to respond within 45 days.
• Creates automatic approval if there is no response: If the President does not respond within 45 days, the request would be treated as approved.
• Allows follow-up amendments: The 45-day deadline would not stop states, tribes, or territories from submitting, or the federal government from approving, amendment requests related to disaster declarations.

Plain-language effect

In practical terms, the bill is meant to make federal disaster aid decisions more neutral and to reduce delays in getting a response to disaster declaration requests. It would set a clear time limit for action and prevent those decisions from being based on political party alignment.

Relevant Companies

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