National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization Act of 2025

Bill Number

H.R. 3168

Origin Chamber

House

Congress

119th Congress, Session 1

Policy Area

Emergency Management

Status

Introduced

Latest Action

2026-01-12: Reported by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 119-438, Part I.

Last Updated

2026-06-11T05:06:23Z

AI-Generated Summary

Purpose of the Legislation

This bill, titled the "National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization Act of 2025," aims to extend and enhance the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977. It reauthorizes the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP), a federal initiative to reduce risks from earthquakes through research, planning, and mitigation efforts. The focus is on improving coordination, early warning systems, and standards to better protect communities.

Key Provisions

• Program Activities (Amendments to Section 5(a)(2)(B)):
• Expands involvement to include Tribal governments alongside state and local ones.
• Broadens activities to cover designing, constructing, evaluating, and retrofitting buildings and infrastructure for earthquake resistance.
• Updates development of standards and guidelines, including voluntary codes for buildings, structures, and essential infrastructure (like utilities and roads), with emphasis on quick recovery after earthquakes to minimize downtime for critical services.
• Enhances research on earthquake hazards, functional recovery (ability to resume normal operations post-event), and other risks.
• Requires publishing and maintaining maps and data on earthquake-related risks, including liquefaction (soil instability during shaking) and tsunami susceptibility (risk of waves from undersea quakes), in coordination with the National Tsunami Hazards Mitigation Program.

• Duties of the Interagency Coordinating Committee (Amendments to Section 5(a)(3)(D)(ii)):
• Adds coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to ensure timely broadcasting of emergency alerts from the earthquake early warning system.
• Includes planning for secondary hazards (e.g., landslides or fires triggered by quakes).

• Biennial Report (Amendments to Section 5(a)(4)(A)):
• Makes a technical correction to reference the correct subsection for reporting on program progress.

• Advisory Committee (Amendments to Section 5(a)(5)(A)):
• Includes the Chair of the Scientific Earthquake Studies Advisory Committee in membership.
• Adds representation from Tribal governments.

• Responsibilities of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) (Amendments to Section 5(b)(3)):
• Expands cooperation with state, local, and Tribal governments.
• Adds coordination with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on sharing data and resources for responding to oceanic earthquakes and tsunamis.
• Requires consultation with the FCC to broadcast earthquake alerts and early warnings quickly, reliably, and in the main languages of affected areas to maximize warning time.
• Mandates expansion of the earthquake early warning system to more high-risk areas, with improvements to detection speed and warning timing before ground shaking.
• Includes coordination with state and Tribal governments on system upgrades.
• Directs issuance of aftershock forecasts (predictions of follow-up quakes) after major events.
• Updates other duties, such as including FCC in interagency coordination and producing maps of earthquake-related natural hazards.

• Authorization of Appropriations (Amendments to Section 12(b)(2)):
• Allocates $83,403,000 annually for fiscal years 2026 through 2030 to NEHRP agencies.
• Requires at least $30,000,000 per year specifically for completing the Advanced National Seismic System (a network of sensors and monitoring tools for real-time earthquake detection).

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Inclusivity Expansion: Adds Tribal governments throughout the program, ensuring their participation in planning, coordination, and benefits—previously limited to state and local levels.
• Early Warning and Communication Enhancements: Introduces specific requirements for rapid, multilingual alerts via FCC coordination and expansion of the early warning system, which were not as detailed before.
• Broader Hazard Coverage: Incorporates tsunamis, secondary hazards, and aftershock forecasting; emphasizes post-earthquake recovery standards and functional recovery (restoring services quickly).
• Funding Specificity: Provides consistent annual funding through 2030 with a dedicated portion for seismic monitoring upgrades, extending beyond prior authorizations.
• Technical and Structural Updates: Minor fixes like report references and redesignated subsections for clarity, plus new USGS duties on oceanic events and data sharing.

Potential Impacts

• On Government Agencies: Strengthens interagency collaboration (e.g., USGS with NOAA, FEMA, and FCC), potentially improving efficiency in monitoring, alerting, and response. Increases funding could accelerate seismic network completion, reducing operational silos.
• On Citizens: Enhances public safety in earthquake-prone areas through faster warnings, better building standards, and recovery-focused guidelines, potentially saving lives, reducing injuries, and minimizing economic losses from property damage or service disruptions. Multilingual alerts benefit diverse communities.
• On International Relations: Limited direct impact, as the focus is domestic, but improved oceanic earthquake and tsunami coordination could indirectly support U.S. roles in global hazard monitoring (e.g., Pacific Rim partnerships).

Main Stakeholders Affected

• Federal Agencies: USGS (lead role in monitoring and warnings), NOAA (tsunami data), FEMA (emergency response), FCC (alert broadcasting), and other NEHRP participants like the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
• State, Local, and Tribal Governments: Gain expanded roles in coordination, early warning improvements, and implementing standards for infrastructure.
• Citizens and Communities: Especially in high-risk areas (e.g., California, Alaska), through better preparedness, warnings, and recovery options.
• Scientific and Professional Groups: Researchers, engineers, and builders involved in hazard mapping, standards development, and seismic system operations.
• Infrastructure Operators: Providers of "lifeline" services (e.g., power, water, transportation) required to adopt updated codes for resilience.

Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications

• Legal: Reauthorizes and amends the 1977 Act without creating new enforcement mechanisms, relying on existing federal coordination. Emphasizes voluntary standards, avoiding mandates that could face legal challenges.
• Constitutional: No apparent issues; aligns with federal authority over interstate commerce, disaster preparedness, and scientific research under the Commerce Clause and general welfare provisions.
• Political: Supports ongoing federal investment in natural disaster mitigation, potentially fostering bipartisan support in earthquake-vulnerable regions. The bill's referral to multiple committees (Science, Space, and Technology; Natural Resources; Transportation and Infrastructure) indicates broad jurisdictional interest, which could influence passage through Congress.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Sponsor

Rep. Valadao, David G. [R-CA-22]

Cosponsors (4)

Rep. Costa, Jim [D-CA-21], Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1], Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7], Rep. DelBene, Suzan K. [D-WA-1]

Recent Actions

• 2026-01-12: Reported by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 119-438, Part I.
• 2026-01-12: Reported by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 119-438, Part I.
• 2025-06-25: Ordered to be Reported by Unanimous Consent.
• 2025-06-25: Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
• 2025-06-25: Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources Discharged
• 2025-05-20: Subcommittee Hearings Held
• 2025-05-13: Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.
• 2025-05-01: Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.
• 2025-05-01: Referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources, and Transportation and Infrastructure, 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.
• 2025-05-01: Referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources, and Transportation and Infrastructure, 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.
• 2025-05-01: Referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources, and Transportation and Infrastructure, 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.
• 2025-05-01: Introduced in House
• 2025-05-01: Introduced in House

Bill Versions

• National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization Act of 2025 — issued 2025-05-01 — PDF (7 pages)