To reauthorize the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977, 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 reauthorizes the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) for five years (FY2024-2028). It updates the program to focus on post-earthquake 'functional recovery' rather than just safety, includes Tribal governments in earthquake preparedness efforts, and adds tsunami effects to earthquake hazard considerations. The bill also requires new reporting on seismic standards implementation.
Who Benefits and How
FEMA receives $10.59 million annually for earthquake programs. USGS receives $100.9 million annually with $36 million earmarked for the Advanced National Seismic System. Tribal governments gain explicit inclusion in earthquake hazard reduction planning. Construction and engineering firms benefit from new standards for post-earthquake functional recovery, creating demand for retrofitting and evaluation services.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Federal agencies (FEMA, USGS, NSF, NIST) must submit biennial reports on seismic standards implementation and coordinate new research activities. Building owners in earthquake-prone areas may face new evaluation and retrofitting requirements under updated seismic performance standards. Federal taxpayers fund the approximately $555 million in appropriations over 5 years.
Key Provisions
- Authorizes $10.59 million/year for FEMA and $100.9 million/year for USGS earthquake programs through FY2028
- Adds 'functional recovery' concept focusing on post-earthquake building reoccupancy and infrastructure service restoration
- Expands scope to include Tribal governments and earthquake-caused tsunamis
- Requires inventories of buildings and infrastructure with high seismic risk
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
This bill reauthorizes the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) through fiscal year 2028, updating its findings, purposes, and definitions to enhance earthquake preparedness, mitigation, and response, with a focus on functional recovery, community resilience, and the inclusion of Tribal governments.
Key Policy Areas
Disaster Preparedness, Public Safety, Infrastructure, Science And Technology, Emergency Management, Urban Planning, Intergovernmental Relations
Primary Purpose
This bill reauthorizes the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) through fiscal year 2028, updating its findings, purposes, and definitions to enhance earthquake preparedness, mitigation, and response, with a focus on functional recovery, community resilience, and the inclusion of Tribal governments.
Policy Domains
National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Communities in earthquake-prone areas
- State, local, and Tribal governments
- Vulnerable populations
- Construction and engineering sectors
- Research institutions
- The general public
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Federal Program agencies (FEMA, USGS, NIST, NOAA, FCC)
- Interagency Coordinating Committee
- State, local, and Tribal governments
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
Passed SenateReported by Ms. Cantwell, with an amendment
Mr. Padilla (for himself, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Merkley, …
Mr. Padilla (for himself and Ms. Murkowski) introduced the following …
Passed Senate (inferred from es version)
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
FEMA, FEMA, USGS, NSF, NIST (Program agencies), Federal agencies and affected program participants
FEMA faces effects in multiple directions
Positive-direction: Federal agencies and affected program participants, Tribal governments, USGS
Negative-direction: FEMA, USGS, NSF, NIST (Program agencies), Federal emergency management agencies, NEHRP Program agencies
Affordable housing developers, Building owners in seismic zones
Engineering and construction firms, Engineering firms
Residents of affordable housing in seismic zones, Taxpayers
Positive-direction: Residents of affordable housing in seismic zones
Negative-direction: Taxpayers
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Not explicitly defined as a single 'Secretary' in this bill, but various federal agencies and their heads are involved.
- "program_agencies"
- → Agencies participating in the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP)
- "the_administrator"
- → Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- "state_local_tribal_governments"
- → State, local, and Tribal governments
- "united_states_geological_survey"
- → United States Geological Survey (USGS)
- "institutions_of_higher_education"
- → Institutions described in section 371(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965
- "federal_communications_commission"
- → Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
- "interagency_coordinating_committee"
- → Interagency Coordinating Committee of the NEHRP
- "federal_emergency_management_agency"
- → Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- "national_institute_of_standards_and_technology"
- → National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
- "national_oceanic_and_atmospheric_administration"
- → National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- "scientific_earthquake_studies_advisory_committee"
- → Scientific Earthquake Studies Advisory Committee
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
A statement of probabilities that 1 or more earthquakes within a clearly specified magnitude range may occur within a specified time interval and geographic region.
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