HR3347-119

What This Bill Does

The Sovereign States Emergency Management Act would end the Federal Emergency Management Agency two years after enactment. On the abolition date, FEMA functions are transferred to the President, and FEMA personnel, property, and records become available for presidential use in carrying out those transferred functions. Unobligated FEMA funds are transferred to the Treasury general fund and made available for the bill's new program. Section 3 directs the Treasury Secretary to provide disaster and emergency relief block grants to states under a formula considering population, disaster frequency and severity over the previous 20 years, geographic risks such as seismic zones, flood plains, and hurricane exposure, and economic need measured by per capita income. States may use grants for disaster preparedness training and equipment, response and recovery operations, and mitigation projects, with administrative costs capped at 5 percent.

Who Benefits and How

State emergency management agencies benefit because disaster funding shifts toward state block grants that they can use for preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation. State governors benefit from a larger state role in disaster relief decisions after FEMA is abolished. Federalism advocates benefit because the bill moves operational disaster responsibility away from a standing federal agency and toward state-administered grants. Federal taxpayers benefit from the transfer of unobligated FEMA funds to the Treasury general fund before grant use.

Who Bears the Burden and How

FEMA employees face agency abolition and transfer of functions, personnel, property, and records after two years. Disaster survivors may face transition risk as existing FEMA programs are replaced by state block grants. Treasury disaster grant staff must create the allocation formula, administer grants, and police the 5 percent state administrative cap. States must manage grant compliance, choose eligible uses, and absorb more responsibility for disaster policy execution.

Key Provisions

• Abolishes FEMA two years after enactment and transfers its functions to the President.
• Transfers FEMA personnel, property, records, and unobligated funds for use under the new framework.
• Creates Treasury disaster relief block grants for states using population, disaster-history, geographic-risk, and income factors.
• Authorizes state uses for preparedness training, equipment, response, recovery, and mitigation while limiting administrative costs to 5 percent.