Stopping Political Discrimination in Disaster Assistance Act

This proposal would make it illegal to deny or reduce disaster help because of someone’s political affiliation. It applies to FEMA and any other public or private groups that provide or receive federal disaster aid during major disasters or emergencies. It adds “political affiliation” to the existing list of protections (like race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English ability, or economic status) in the federal disaster relief law , by changing Section 308(a) of the Stafford Act to include this protection.

Key points:

• Who is affected: People seeking federal disaster assistance, and the agencies and groups that deliver it.
• What changes: Disaster aid cannot be given or withheld based on political affiliation, adding to the existing non-discrimination rules.
• Where this is added: The non-discrimination section of the Stafford Act is updated to include political affiliation.