Sponsors (4)
The bill speeds and broadens federal relief for 2023–2024 disaster survivors—improving equity and access and accelerating decisions—at the cost of higher potential fiscal outlays and risks of inconsistent or wasteful application absent strong oversight, while excluding survivors from other years.
Disaster-affected state governments, homeowners, and small businesses from 2023–2024 disasters can receive additional federal assistance via governor-requested waivers, speeding recovery and covering unmet needs.
State and local governments and disaster applicants will get faster, more targeted waiver decisions because FEMA must provide input, consider cost-effectiveness and equity, and the agency has a 45-day decision deadline.
Homeowners and small businesses retain access to multiple funding sources because the bill prevents certain loans from being treated as duplicative assistance.
Taxpayers could face higher federal spending if waivers are granted broadly, increasing the bill's fiscal cost.
Broad executive discretion to waive duplication rules risks inconsistent or politically influenced application and raises the chance of waste, fraud, or abuse without strong oversight and interagency coordination.
Limiting the waiver authority to disasters occurring in 2023–2024 leaves out survivors from prior or future disasters who may have similar unmet needs.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Allows the President to waive the federal duplication-of-benefits ban for disasters declared in 2023–2024 on a governor's request, with conditions and a 45-day decision deadline.
Introduced March 26, 2025 by Chuck Edwards · Last progress March 26, 2025
Authorizes the President to waive the federal duplication-of-benefits rule for disaster assistance when a Governor requests a waiver on behalf of a State, affected person, business, or other entity, if the President finds the waiver is in the public interest and will not cause waste, fraud, or abuse. The President must act on requests within 45 days, may consider FEMA recommendations and factors like cost-effectiveness and equity, cannot treat certain loans as duplicative if federal aid is applied to disaster losses, and may not impose an income threshold to limit waiver eligibility. The waiver authority applies only to assistance for major disasters declared in calendar years 2023 and 2024.