Sponsors (4)
The bill centralizes and clarifies federal emergency management—likely improving disaster coordination, preparedness, and faster aid for affected communities—at the cost of higher federal spending, potential politicization and transitional disruption, and reduced flexibility for some state and local authorities.
People and communities affected by disasters (and the responders who serve them): Emergency response, preparedness, and recovery will be more centralized and coordinated under a Senate‑confirmed Director, Director‑appointed Regional Directors, a single National Response Plan and staffed Coordination Center, plus interoperable communications — speeding response, reducing duplication, and improving救
Federal employees, agency partners, and courts: Consolidating and clarifying statutory language (headings, table of contents, 'Secretary' vs. 'Director' references, adding FEMA to statutory lists, and specifying the administering Agency/Director) reduces legal ambiguity and makes authorities easier to find and implement.
State and local governments (including rural communities): Clarifying 'hazard' to explicitly include Stafford Act major disaster and emergency declarations speeds eligibility determinations for federal assistance and can accelerate access to grants and recovery aid.
All taxpayers: Creating and operating a cabinet‑level agency, consolidated national systems, and carrying out transfers and transitions will increase federal administrative costs that are borne by taxpayers.
State, local, and Tribal governments and local decisionmakers: Centralizing authority and stronger federal oversight of grants and response can reduce local flexibility and shift decision‑making away from state/local control.
Federal employees, contractors, and partners: The reorganization and renumbering of authorities will create transitional confusion, administrative complexity, and temporary uncertainty about responsibilities, which could disrupt operations and ongoing programs.
Based on analysis of 24 sections of legislative text.
Turns FEMA into an independent, cabinet-level Agency with a Senate-confirmed Director and transfers FEMA functions, personnel, assets, and authorities out of DHS.
Introduced April 2, 2025 by Thomas Roland Tillis · Last progress April 2, 2025
Creates a standalone, cabinet-level Federal Emergency Management Agency led by a Presidentially appointed, Senate‑confirmed Director and moves FEMA’s functions out of the Department of Homeland Security into that new Agency. It consolidates authorities for national emergency management (preparedness, mitigation, response, recovery), transfers personnel, assets, contracts, and funds, preserves ongoing legal actions and documents, and requires a transition and technical conforming report to Congress.