Disaster Relief Integrity and Independence Act
- Bill Number
- H.R. 9292
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Emergency Management
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-06-11: Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
- Last Updated
- 2026-06-30T21:25:30Z
AI-Generated Summary
Disaster Relief Integrity and Independence Act (H.R. 9292)
Purpose
This legislation amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to prevent political considerations from influencing federal disaster aid decisions and to require timely responses to requests for major disaster declarations.
Key Provisions
- Prohibition on political interference: The President is barred from basing determinations of federal disaster assistance, emergency or major disaster declarations, funding, or other relief on political affiliation in any state, territory, or locality.
- Response timeline: The President must respond to requests for major disaster declarations from state, tribal, or territorial governments within 45 days of receipt.
- Automatic approval: If no response is issued within 45 days, the request is automatically deemed approved.
- Amendment flexibility: The 45-day deadline does not restrict the submission or approval of amended disaster declaration requests.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Adds a new subsection (b) to Section 308 of the Stafford Act, explicitly prohibiting political affiliation as a factor in aid decisions (previously, this section focused on nondiscrimination without this specific political prohibition).
- Adds a new subsection (d) to Section 401 of the Stafford Act, introducing mandatory response deadlines and automatic approval mechanisms (no such timeline existed in the original law).
Potential Impacts
- Government agencies: Requires the executive branch, particularly the President and FEMA, to process disaster requests within fixed timeframes, potentially increasing administrative workload for timely reviews.
- Citizens and localities: Provides greater predictability for affected communities by reducing delays in aid access and limiting perceived partisan bias in disaster relief.
- International relations: No direct effects outlined in the bill.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- State, tribal, and territorial governments submitting disaster declaration requests.
- The President and federal agencies responsible for disaster response, such as FEMA.
- Communities and individuals in disaster-affected areas seeking federal assistance.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Strengthens nondiscrimination rules in federal emergency law by targeting political affiliation specifically.
- Introduces an automatic approval process that could limit executive discretion in disaster declarations.
- May raise questions about separation of powers, as it imposes binding timelines and default approvals on presidential actions.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (1)
Recent Actions
- 2026-06-11: Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
- 2026-06-11: Introduced in House
- 2026-06-11: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Disaster Relief Integrity and Independence Act — issued 2026-06-11 — PDF (3 pages)