PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.
Congressional Research Service
No official summary is available in the imported record yet.
People & committees
Rep. Rouzer, David [R-NC-7] · R–NC
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
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.
Source last updated: Sep 17, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
AI Conversation Starters
Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.
Analyze H.R.2342 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
Examine H.R.2342 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.
Examine H.R.2342 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.
Examine H.R.2342 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.
PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-03-25 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 proposed State-Managed Disaster Relief Act would let states and Indian tribal governments request a lump sum payment instead of regular federal Public Assistance for qualifying small disasters. The payment would equal 80 percent of estimated assistance costs. State and tribal leaders would have flexibility to direct recovery spending, subject to limits on recipients, disaster-related uses, applicable environmental, historic preservation, and civil rights laws, and applicable resiliency standards.
This Act may be cited as the State-Managed Disaster Relief Act.
The Governor of a State or the governing body of an Indian tribal government for the area in which a covered small disaster occurs may request a lump sum payment of the estimated damages calculated under subsection (b) for such disaster in lieu of any assistance under the Public Assistance Program for such disaster.
a payment under subsection (a) shall be equal to the amount that is 80 percent of the total estimated cost of assistance under the Public Assistance Program for a covered small disaster in the area of jurisdiction of the State or Indian tribal government requesting such payment.
A State or Indian tribal government receiving a payment under this section may use such payment for recovery for the covered small disaster in any manner determined appropriate by the respective Governor or governing body of such State or Indian tribal government if such funds— (1) address impacts and needs resulting from the declared disaster incident; (2) are provided to State, Indian tribal government, territorial and local government agencies, and private non-profit entities eligible for Public Assistance Program funding; and (3) are used in a manner that complies with applicable environmental, historic preservation, and civil rights laws (including the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (54 U.S.C. 300101 et seq.)) and any applicable resiliency standards under section 203.
Section 2 would add a new title VIII and section 801 to the Stafford Act, establishing an alternative disaster-assistance process. Participation would be optional: the governor or tribal governing body could request the lump sum payment.
The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: VIII Alternative Procedures for Covered Small Disasters 801. Alternative procedures for covered small disasters
The Governor of a State or the governing body of an Indian tribal government for the area in which a covered small disaster occurs may request a lump sum payment
Eligibility would cover major disasters declared under section 401 or emergencies declared under section 501, with estimated damage eligible for Public Assistance no greater than 125 percent of the State’s per capita indicator. The supplied text does not explain how to calculate or apply that comparison, including for tribal governments. The bill defines Public Assistance as the programs under sections 403, 406, 407, and 502.
The term covered small disaster means a major disaster declared under section 401 or an emergency declared under section 501 with estimated damage eligible under the Public Assistance Program of less than or equal to 125 percent of the State’s per capita indicator.
The term Public Assistance Program means the programs under sections 403, 406, 407, and 502.
The payment would equal 80 percent of total estimated Public Assistance costs within the requesting state’s or tribal government’s jurisdiction. This calculation would apply notwithstanding the requirements of the cited federal regulation, which is not reproduced in the supplied sources.
Notwithstanding the requirements of section 206.47(b) of title 44, Code of Federal Regulations, a payment under subsection (a) shall be equal to the amount that is 80 percent of the total estimated cost of assistance under the Public Assistance Program for a covered small disaster in the area of jurisdiction of the State or Indian tribal government requesting such payment.
A state or tribal government accepting this payment could not also receive Public Assistance for the same covered disaster.
A State or Indian tribal government receiving a payment under this section may not receive assistance under the Public Assistance Program with respect to the covered small disaster for which a payment was accepted under this section.
The payment generally could not rise or fall based on actual disaster costs. The Administrator could, however, adjust it for unforeseen circumstances that were not the applicant’s fault.
A payment under this section may not be increased or decreased based on actual costs calculated for a covered small disaster.
Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), the Administrator may adjust a payment under this section in the event of unforeseen circumstances at no fault of the applicant.
States and tribal governments could tell the Federal Emergency Management Agency annually that they were interested in participating. They would have to indicate that they were requesting this assistance when submitting a request for a major disaster declaration. Although the eligibility definition also includes emergencies, the text does not explain the corresponding request process for emergency declarations.
A State or Indian tribal government may designate to the Federal Emergency Management Agency on an annual basis the interest of such State or Indian tribal government in participating in the small disaster authority.
A State or Indian tribal government shall indicate at the time of the submission of a request for a major disaster declaration that such State or Indian tribal government is requesting assistance for such incident under this section.
The term covered small disaster means a major disaster declared under section 401 or an emergency declared under section 501 with estimated damage eligible under the Public Assistance Program of less than or equal to 125 percent of the State’s per capita indicator.
The Administrator and the state or tribal government would have to either agree on the payment amount within 90 days after the incident or administer the incident under regular Public Assistance procedures and authorities.
The Administrator and the State or Indian tribal government shall— (A) reach an agreement on the amount under subsection (b) not later than 90 days after the incident; or (B) administer the incident under the procedures and authorities for the Public Assistance Program.
To qualify, a state or tribal government would need an approved administrative plan in place when the funds were obligated.
To be eligible for assistance under this section, a State or Indian tribal government shall have an approved administrative plan in place at the time of the obligation of funds provided under this section.
State and tribal leaders could choose how to use the payment for recovery, but the money would have to address the declared disaster’s impacts and needs. Permitted recipients would be state, Indian tribal government, territorial, and local government agencies, plus private nonprofit entities eligible for Public Assistance funding.
A State or Indian tribal government receiving a payment under this section may use such payment for recovery for the covered small disaster in any manner determined appropriate by the respective Governor or governing body of such State or Indian tribal government if such funds— (1) address impacts and needs resulting from the declared disaster incident; (2) are provided to State, Indian tribal government, territorial and local government agencies, and private non-profit entities eligible for Public Assistance Program funding
Spending would have to comply with applicable environmental, historic preservation, and civil rights laws, including the named National Environmental Policy Act and National Historic Preservation Act, as well as any applicable resiliency standards under section 203. The state or tribal government would be responsible for ensuring compliance. The supplied sources do not reproduce the referenced laws or standards.
are used in a manner that complies with applicable environmental, historic preservation, and civil rights laws (including the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (54 U.S.C. 300101 et seq.)) and any applicable resiliency standards under section 203.
A State or Indian tribal government shall be responsible for ensuring compliance under subsection (d)(3).
States and tribal governing bodies would have to submit an annual report to the Federal Emergency Management Agency describing expenses for a covered small disaster within their jurisdiction.
A State or governing body of an Indian tribal government shall submit to the Federal Emergency Management Agency an annual report of expenses for a covered small disaster in the area of jurisdiction of the respective State or Indian tribal government.
The proposed section would preserve state and tribal eligibility for assistance under section 404. It also would leave unaffected programs in titles IV and V that are outside the bill’s definition of Public Assistance.
Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect the eligibility of a State or Indian tribal government for assistance under section 404.
Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect any program in title IV or V that is not a Public Assistance Program.
The supplied official-actions snapshot, updated September 17, 2025, records introduction in the House on March 25, 2025, and referrals that day to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.
Source snapshot updated 2025-09-17T14:43:46Z. 2025-03-25: Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management. 2025-03-25: Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. 2025-03-25: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-03-25. 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 change attached to appropriations was identified after reviewing the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials, or document amendment attachment history.
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 outside competitive or formula allocation was identified after reviewing the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version. Formal earmark status cannot be conclusively assessed without accompanying disclosure and legislative materials, and this finding does not establish absence in other versions or materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow preferential carve-out, special exemption, or exception warranting a targeted-benefit finding was identified after reviewing the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Sep 17, 2025. How PlainBill uses AI