Sponsors (3)
The bill increases predictability for FEMA mitigation programs and funds targeted retrofit assistance (prioritizing low‑income homeowners) to build resilience, but it tightens code eligibility, diverts a portion of existing mitigation funds to a temporary pilot, and creates potential legal and administrative burdens for state and local governments.
State and local governments get clearer, narrower rules (FEMA will consider the two most recent editions) and certainty that only the two named Stafford Act programs are affected, reducing legal risk, ambiguity, and speeding eligibility reviews for predisaster mitigation and revolving loan fund projects.
Jurisdictions that recently adopted the prior code edition keep some flexibility (a two-edition rule lets recent adopters stay eligible while encouraging uptake of newer consensus standards).
Homeowners — with priority for low-income homeowners — can access retrofit grants (elevation, seismic, wind, etc.), reducing future damage and out-of-pocket repair costs and increasing resilience for financially vulnerable households.
States, local governments, and taxpayers may face higher compliance and construction costs because mitigation projects using older but still common code editions could become ineligible, forcing code updates, retrofits, or redesigns.
Deletion of the specified paragraph could remove authorities or program elements and create legal or implementation gaps and uncertainty for FEMA and subnational governments until regulations or guidance are updated.
Up to 10% of annual Section 203 funds can be diverted to the retrofit pilot, reducing funds available for other mitigation projects and applicants under that program.
Based on analysis of 5 sections of legislative text.
Clarifies which code editions count as "latest," deletes one provision in the revolving loan fund statute, and creates a FEMA residential retrofit pilot using up to 10% of predisaster mitigation funds through Sept 30, 2030.
Introduced January 16, 2025 by Chuck Edwards · Last progress January 16, 2025
Creates a FEMA-run residential resilience pilot that will fund home retrofits to reduce damage from local natural hazards, using up to 10% of annual predisaster hazard mitigation funds. It also narrows which editions count as the “latest published editions” for certain predisaster mitigation rules and deletes one existing paragraph in the hazard mitigation revolving loan fund statute, with the pilot required to start within one year and to end on September 30, 2030.