Summary

Updates and reauthorizes the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program by expanding agency responsibilities, adding Tribal governments to program coordination, strengthening earthquake early warning and alerting requirements (including multilingual broadcasts), and directing improvements to post-earthquake performance standards and functional recovery. It also authorizes $83,403,000 per year for FY2026–2030 and requires at least $30,000,000 annually to complete the Advanced National Seismic System.

Key Points

• Adds Tribal governments throughout NEHRP roles and coordination responsibilities.
• Expands construction language to include designing, evaluating, and retrofitting for resilience and functional recovery.
• Directs USGS to expand earthquake early warning in high-risk areas and to coordinate multilingual, rapid broadcast alerts with the FCC.
• Requires USGS coordination with NOAA and FEMA on oceanic earthquake and tsunami data sharing and resources.
• Authorizes $83,403,000 per year for FY2026–2030 for NEHRP activities.
• Requires a minimum of $30,000,000 per year to complete the Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS).
• Authorizes USGS to issue aftershock forecasts and adds emphasis on post-earthquake recovery performance objectives (reoccupancy/downtime).
• Strengthens interagency coordination (including FCC) to ensure timely dissemination of EEW-generated emergency alerts.

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