HR7029-119

What This Bill Does

The REAADI for Disasters Act is a large disaster civil-rights and human-services bill. It finds that more than 70 million U.S. adults have disabilities and more than 54 million are older adults, and that disasters can disproportionately harm people with access and functional needs. It defines covered individuals to include people with disabilities, older adults, people with limited English proficiency, people with limited transportation access, children, and people needing communication, medical, independence, supervision, or transportation support. It amends Stafford Act use-of-funds rules so disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation funds can support accessibility, assistive technology, accessible transportation, accessible housing, communication access, training, technical assistance, engagement, and compliance with disability civil-rights laws. It authorizes training, technical assistance, and research disability and disaster centers run by eligible institutions or nongovernmental organizations focused on disability or older-adult needs. It creates a Disaster Human Services Emergency Fund for rapid coordination, grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, staff, IT, and person-centered case-management services during disasters, public health emergencies, or likely emergencies. It authorizes $300 million per year for fiscal years 2026 through 2035 for disaster preparedness grants and technical assistance to State, local, Tribal, territorial, and nonprofit entities. It authorizes projects of national significance for disability and older-adult disaster inclusion. It requires States and local governments to develop crisis standards of care consistent with Rehabilitation Act section 504 and ACA section 1557, without suspending civil rights. It expands the National Advisory Committee on Individuals with Disabilities and Disasters from 17 to 45 members, adds disability community, emergency management, housing, legal services, Transportation Secretary, and Domestic Policy Council representation, and creates settlement-review and GAO investigation processes for disaster-related disability-rights compliance.

Who Benefits and How

Individuals with disabilities, older adults, children, people with limited English proficiency, people lacking transportation, and people needing communication or medical supports benefit because disaster planning, funding, crisis standards, research, grants, and advisory structures must address their needs and civil rights. State, local, Tribal, and territorial emergency managers benefit from training, technical assistance, centers, grants, and human-services funding to build accessible disaster systems. Disability-led organizations, older-adult organizations, legal services agencies, universities, public health agencies, and human service nonprofits benefit from eligibility for centers, grants, projects, advisory roles, and emergency fund awards. Congress, GAO, DOJ, HHS, and FEMA benefit from clearer oversight mechanisms for disaster disability-rights compliance.

Who Bears the Burden and How

HHS, FEMA, DOJ, GAO, State emergency managers, local governments, Tribal governments, territorial agencies, public health agencies, and human-services agencies must update disaster plans, funding uses, crisis standards, training, grant administration, advisory committees, settlement reviews, reports, and compliance procedures. States and local governments must ensure crisis standards do not discriminate and must engage community and provider stakeholders. Eligible grantees must include covered individuals in leadership, maintain advisory councils, conduct research, report results, and support person-centered services. Federal taxpayers fund the emergency fund, $300 million annual preparedness grants, centers, projects, and administrative costs.

Key Provisions

• Defines access and functional needs and covered individuals for disability-inclusive disaster policy.
• Expands allowable disaster-response fund uses to accessibility, assistive technology, accessible transportation, housing, communication, engagement, training, and civil-rights compliance.
• Authorizes disability and disaster training, technical assistance, and research centers.
• Establishes a Disaster Human Services Emergency Fund for rapid support to at-risk individuals during disasters and public health emergencies.
• Authorizes $300 million per year for fiscal years 2026 through 2035 for disaster preparedness grants.
• Authorizes projects of national significance led by disability- and older-adult-focused entities.
• Requires nondiscriminatory crisis standards of care under Rehabilitation Act and ACA civil-rights rules.
• Expands the National Advisory Committee on Individuals with Disabilities and Disasters from 17 to 45 members.
• Creates DOJ settlement-agreement review and GAO investigation processes for disaster disability-rights compliance.