Legislative Activity

The "Helene Small Business Recovery Act" allows the President to waive the rule against receiving duplicate benefits from different federal programs after a major disaster or emergency, upon a Governor's request. The President can grant this waiver if it's in the public's best interest and won't lead to misuse or fraud, considering factors like cost-effectiveness, fairness, and FEMA's recommendations. The President must approve or deny the waiver within 45 days, and loans cannot be considered a duplication of assistance if all federal aid is used for disaster-related losses. This applies to major disasters declared in 2023 or 2024.

The "Economic Opportunity for Distressed Communities Act" incentivizes investment in brownfield and superfund sites by offering tax benefits for capital gains invested in Qualified Distressed Opportunity Funds. Taxpayers can defer or exclude capital gains by investing in these funds, with increased benefits for longer-term investments. These funds must invest at least 90% of their assets in distressed opportunity zone property, fostering economic growth in these areas.

The "Promoting Resilient Buildings Act of 2025" aims to enhance community resilience to natural disasters by updating building codes for hazard mitigation and establishing a pilot program for residential retrofits. This act prioritizes using the latest building standards for predisaster projects and enables FEMA to provide grants to homeowners for resilience improvements like floodproofing, seismic retrofits, and wildfire mitigation. The pilot program requires FEMA to report to Congress on its effectiveness and impact, ensuring continuous improvement in disaster resilience efforts.

The Disaster Survivors Fairness Act of 2025 aims to improve FEMA's disaster assistance programs by streamlining the application process through a unified system and universal application, expanding eligibility for housing assistance, and allowing direct assistance for home repairs. The act also focuses on better support for renters, hazard mitigation, and state-managed housing programs, while increasing transparency through online dashboards and required reports. Additionally, the bill addresses management costs, funding for online post-disaster guides, and sheltering for emergency response personnel. Finally, the bill requires the Comptroller General to conduct studies on improper disaster assistance, damage assessment procedures, and challenges faced by states and territories in securing assistance.

The "Unemployment Integrity Act of 2025" aims to reform unemployment compensation by requiring claimants to participate in reemployment services and interviews, and by enabling employers to report noncompliance. It also mandates a study and potential increase in random audits to improve the administration of state unemployment compensation laws. Additionally, the Act limits funds transfers for extended unemployment compensation to states that meet specific work search requirements.

The "Restoring Access to Mountain Homes Act" allows state, tribal, and local governments in North Carolina to be reimbursed for repairing or replacing private roads and bridges damaged by Tropical Storm Helene, even with pre-existing damage, if they are the sole access to homes or essential services. Reimbursement requires government inspection, maintaining access during repairs, cost documentation, and adherence to regulations. Individuals who already received disaster assistance for road or bridge repairs can choose to continue with that assistance or return the funds to be eligible for reimbursement under this act.

The "Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act of 2025" allows victims of specific violent crimes committed by aliens to sue sanctuary jurisdictions if sanctuary policies prevented the alien's detention or deportation. It mandates that sanctuary jurisdictions that accept certain federal grants waive immunity from these lawsuits and protects state and local entities from liability when complying with Department of Homeland Security detainers. This act aims to ensure cooperation between federal and local law enforcement and provide legal recourse for victims harmed by sanctuary policies.

The "Equal Representation Act" mandates the inclusion of a citizenship status question on the 2030 census and all future censuses. It requires the Secretary to report the number of citizens and non-citizens in each state. It also changes the way congressional districts are calculated by excluding non-citizens from the population count used for apportionment.