To require the Federal Emergency Management Agency to use appropriated funds to restore agency staffing levels, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill would require FEMA to reinstate every employee who was involuntarily separated (laid off or fired) from the agency between January 20, 2025 and the date the bill is enacted, provided those employees want their jobs back. It also bars FEMA from making changes to congressionally authorized programs that would reduce access to extreme weather resources, and specifically requires immediate reinstatement of two programs: the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program and the flood mitigation assistance program.
Who Benefits and How
FEMA employees who lost their jobs after January 20, 2025 would be reinstated to their positions. State and local governments benefit from the continuation of federal disaster preparedness programs and funding for climate resilience projects. Communities vulnerable to flooding and extreme weather benefit from the mandated reinstatement of the BRIC and flood mitigation assistance programs, which fund infrastructure projects to reduce future disaster damage.
Who Bears the Burden and How
FEMA leadership is constrained from restructuring programs or reducing staff, even if that was part of a broader federal workforce reduction plan. The agency must use appropriated funds to rehire separated employees. The FEMA Administrator is specifically prohibited from making changes to existing programs that reduce access to extreme weather resources.
Key Provisions
- Mandates reinstatement of all FEMA employees involuntarily separated since January 20, 2025
- Employees must elect to be reinstated (voluntary)
- Must use appropriated funds for reinstatement within 30 days
- Prohibits changes to congressionally mandated programs that reduce access to weather resources
- Requires immediate reinstatement of BRIC program and flood mitigation assistance program
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency to use appropriated funds to reinstate employees who were involuntarily separated after January 20, 2025, and mandates the continuation of FEMA disaster preparedness and resilience programs including BRIC and flood mitigation assistance.
Key Policy Areas
Emergency Management, Government Operations, Environment
Primary Purpose
Requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency to use appropriated funds to reinstate employees who were involuntarily separated after January 20, 2025, and mandates the continuation of FEMA disaster preparedness and resilience programs including BRIC and flood mitigation assistance.
Policy Domains
FEMA Program Continuation
Identified Gains
- State and local governments
- Communities in flood-prone areas
- Infrastructure resilience contractors
Identified Costs
- FEMA Administrator
FEMA Workforce Reinstatement
Identified Gains
- FEMA employees involuntarily separated since January 20, 2025
- Communities vulnerable to natural disasters
Identified Costs
- FEMA budget and administration
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Casar (for himself, Mr. Neguse, Mr. Amo, Mr. Moskowitz, …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
FEMA employees involuntarily separated since Jan 20, 2025, Federal Emergency Management Agency, State and local governments
Positive-direction: FEMA employees involuntarily separated since Jan 20, 2025, State and local governments
Negative-direction: Federal Emergency Management Agency
Communities vulnerable to flooding and extreme weather
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_administrator"
- → Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
- "the_administrator"
- → Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology