Senator Butler Introduces Legislation to Bolster Federal Investments in Disaster Preparedness
Washington, D.C. — This week, U.S. Senator Laphonza Butler (D-CA), a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, introduced the Investing in Community Resilience Act of 2024, designed to reduce the financial burden of disasters on local communities, enhance individual and community preparedness, and promote participation in federally-supported resilience programs. “Our communities are stronger when they have the resources and capacity to invest in resiliency,” said Senator Butler. “This bill encourages local communities to make investments before natural disasters hit by expanding the list of preparedness activities eligible for federal recovery funds after a disaster.” The Investing in Community Resilience Act of 2024 would amend the Stafford Act by adding additional resilience measures that FEMA may provide incentives to state or Tribal governments for adopting before a disaster. FEMA may recognize such resilience investments through an increased federal cost-share from the standard 75% federal cost-share up to 85% for post-disaster public assistance restoration and repair projects and associated expenses. This bill would also clarify that subrecipients are eligible to receive increased federal-cost share under this section.