The “Fixing Emergency Management for Americans (FEMA) Act of 2025” is a bi-partisan draft legislation aim at overhauling FEMA and streamlining disaster response programs. The proposed FEMA Act of 2025 proposes a significant restructuring of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and reforms across mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery functions. In joint release on the bill the sponsors Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Sam Graves (R-MO) and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-WA) noted that the “bill also rewards effective state and local preparedness, protects taxpayers, cuts red tape, and ensures that relief efforts are fast, fair, and free from political bias.”
Not only is this an opportunity to comment on any changes that are based on your experience that you think should be made to FEMA but to provide input on the proposed legislation. Please review the information and share your comments with the League via email with Paul Penna at ppenna@njlm.org.
Adjust Disaster Declaration Thresholds
The Act formalizes “small disasters” as a distinct category and sets an upper limit for this designation at 125% of the per capita damage indicator multiplied by a state’s population. This change expands the number of disasters that would qualify as “small disasters,” allowing them to be managed by states under alternative procedures with reduced federal oversight.
Importantly, disasters that exceed the per capita damage indicator – such as those causing $9 million to $11 million in damages in a state with 5 million residents – already qualify for major disasters declarations under current FEMA policy. However, under the Act, those same disasters would be reclassified as “small disasters” and handled by the state with streamlined federal assistance, shifting responsibility for compliance, audit, and recovery program delivery more heavily to state and local governments.
Alternative Procedures for Small Disasters
This section authorizes the use of simplified and expedited procedures for disasters classified as “small” under the new thresholds established in Section 103 (Adjust Disaster Declaration Thresholds). The goal is to reduce administrative burdens, accelerate recovery timelines, and cut down on paperwork and audit requirements for events that have relatively limited impacts.
It allows states and local governments to access federal assistance through a more flexible framework, including the option to receive fixed-cost estimates and lump-sum payments rather than navigating the traditional reimbursement model. By delegating more authority to state and enabling streamlined project management, this section seeks to improve efficiency, lower costs, and ensure that communities affected by smaller-scale disasters can access timely support without being entangled in complex federal processes.
Information Sharing for Federal Agencies
This section aims to improve coordination among federal agencies by allowing secure data sharing to streamline aid delivery and reduce paperwork for disaster survivors. The goal is to eliminate duplicate application and accelerate support by enabling a unified federal response.
Contact: Paul Penna, Director of Government Affairs, ppenna@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x110.