PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Feb 26, 2025
Disaster Displacement Assistance Improvement Act of 2025
This bill enables individuals or households to receive displacement assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) following a disaster (i.e., funds to address immediate, short-term lodging needs) regardless of the recipient’s insurance status.
Under current law, in determining whether an individual or household is eligible for displacement assistance, FEMA generally must determine whether the applicant has insurance that will cover those same expenses, to avoid a duplication of benefits. The bill prohibits FEMA from considering insurance a duplication of benefits when determining an individual or household’s eligibility for displacement assistance, removing the need for FEMA to determine insurance status prior to providing the assistance.
People & committees
Rep. Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26] · D–CA
Legislative record
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Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.
Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Jan 17, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-02-26 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The bill would change how insurance is treated when deciding whether people qualify for disaster displacement assistance—help with temporary housing. It would prohibit treating insurance as a duplicate benefit for that eligibility decision. The rule would cover assistance for stays in hotels or motels, with family or friends, or in other available housing options.
In determining eligibility for displacement assistance under this section, the President may not consider insurance a duplication of benefits for the purpose of applying section 312 of this Act.
the term displacement assistance means assistance provided under this section to stay in a hotel or motel, stay with family and friends, or for any other available housing options.
Section 1 would name the bill the Disaster Displacement Assistance Improvement Act of 2025.
This Act may be cited as the Disaster Displacement Assistance Improvement Act of 2025.
Section 2 would add a subsection to section 408 of the Stafford Act. It would prohibit the President from counting insurance as duplicate assistance when applying section 312 to displacement-assistance eligibility. This is a proposed eligibility rule, not an automatic award of assistance.
Section 408 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174) is amended by adding at the end the following: (k) Duplication of benefits
In determining eligibility for displacement assistance under this section, the President may not consider insurance a duplication of benefits for the purpose of applying section 312 of this Act.
The proposed definition of displacement assistance includes assistance under section 408 for hotel or motel stays, stays with family and friends, and any other available housing options.
In this section, the term displacement assistance means assistance provided under this section to stay in a hotel or motel, stay with family and friends, or for any other available housing options.
The supplied action snapshot, updated January 17, 2026, records introduction in the House on February 26, 2025, and referrals that day to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and its Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.
Source snapshot updated 2026-01-17T01:42:45Z. 2025-02-26: Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management. 2025-02-26: Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. 2025-02-26: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-02-26. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version; earmark disclosures and committee or conference materials were not supplied.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow preferential benefit was identified in the complete supplied introduced text under the stated criteria. The generally applicable eligibility protection for the program's intended beneficiaries does not alone warrant a finding. This conclusion does not extend to other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Jan 17, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI