Sponsor
Timothy M. Kennedy
Representative · D-NY
Representative · D-NY
The bill broadens and clarifies federal support for winter storms and boosts aid and mitigation funding for rural and low‑income areas—reducing local burdens and future damage—while increasing federal costs and creating risks of inconsistent aid, exclusions for some urban poor, and potential diversion of mitigation dollars.
State and local governments and communities will get faster, clearer access to federal aid after severe winter storms because FEMA can waive strict snowfall/statewide thresholds and the law explicitly covers debris removal, road/utility repairs, and public building recovery.
Residents in qualifying rural or low-income areas will face much lower out-of-pocket recovery costs and local budgets will be less strained because FEMA would cover up to 90% of eligible disaster expenses and increase federal mitigation cost‑sharing.
Communities in qualifying areas can receive larger hazard‑mitigation grants (up to 90% cost share), enabling more mitigation projects and reducing future disaster damage and recovery costs.
Taxpayers nationwide could face higher federal spending and larger budgetary outlays because expanded eligible assistance and increased federal cost‑sharing raise total federal disaster costs.
Granting FEMA broad waiver authority and allowing aid determinations based on subjective criteria or State estimates could create uncertainty and inconsistent or politicized declarations about when federal aid applies.
Defining 'rural or disadvantaged area' primarily by non‑urban status or median income may exclude low‑income pockets inside cities, leaving some vulnerable urban communities with less federal support.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Expands Stafford Act winter‑storm assistance and allows higher federal cost shares (75% baseline, 90% for rural/disadvantaged areas) and use of mitigation funds for snow‑removal equipment.
Official title: To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to expand assistance related to winter storms, and for other purposes.
Introduced January 15, 2025 by Timothy M. Kennedy · Last progress January 15, 2025
Amends the Stafford Act to let hazard-mitigation grant recipients use funds for activities that reduce future winter-storm risk (including buying snow‑removal equipment), creates a statutory definition of “winter storm,” and requires FEMA to adopt rules allowing declaration of winter‑storm disaster assistance without strict snowfall thresholds when certain alternative conditions are met. It also raises the federal cost share for many disaster assistance programs to at least 75 percent and to at least 90 percent for eligible assistance in newly defined “rural or disadvantaged areas,” and it creates a statutory test for identifying those areas. Overall, the bill expands federal authority to provide assistance for winter storms and shifts more disaster recovery and mitigation costs to the federal government for rural or lower‑income areas while adding regulatory duties for FEMA to implement the new definitions and waiver processes.