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HR 3177
Introduced Re-checks Congress.gov for new actions and updates the bill's status, and fills in any sponsors, committees, or related bills that are missing. It does not re-pull sponsors/cosponsors/committees/related — those rarely change — and it skips all work if nothing has changed upstream, so it's cheap to click.

To require the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to ensure that cost estimates, acquisition of proper materials, and any other activity related to certain projects under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act are performed by professionals licensed in the relevant State, and for other purposes.

To require the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to ensure that cost estimates, acquisition of proper materials, and any other activity related to certain projects under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act are performed by professionals licensed in the relevant State, and for other purposes.

Introduced May 5, 2025

Latest action (May 5, 2025) Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.

Referred to
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
Policy area
Emergency Management

Summary

This bill would require the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to use appropriately licensed professionals—such as engineers, architects, builders, and tradespeople licensed in the relevant state—for cost estimates, material purchases, and other activities related to federal disaster relief projects. FEMA would be prohibited from disapproving plans or material purchases suggested by a licensed professional without that professional's consent, and any purchases recommended by a licensed professional would have to be approved. Plans and materials selected by licensed professionals cannot be rejected, rescinded, or delayed unless fraud is evident. The bill also requires that any FEMA employee directly managing a rebuilding project must themselves be an appropriately licensed professional.

AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.

Sponsor (1)
3 cosponsors

Actions (3)
  1. May 5, 2025 Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management. · house
  2. May 5, 2025 Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. · house
  3. May 5, 2025 Introduced in House

Similar bills (6)

Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.

  • S 352 — Disaster Assistance Fairness Act · Introduced Jan 30, 2025 · Cong. 119 72%
  • HR 3957 — To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide certain fire management assistance to Indian Tribal Governments, and for other purposes. · Introduced Jun 13, 2025 · Cong. 119 72%
  • HR 834 — Disaster Assistance Fairness Act · Introduced Feb 1, 2025 · Cong. 119 72%
  • HR 8368 — To appropriate funds for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Disaster Relief Fund, and for other purposes. · Introduced Apr 20, 2026 · Cong. 119 70%
  • HR 5067 — Rapid Disaster Relief Act · Introduced Aug 30, 2025 · Cong. 119 69%
  • S 925 — A bill to provide for funding assistance under section 406 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5172) to a State or local government for the acquisition of real property for the purpose of the replacement of certain public facilities based on reasonable reliance of cost estimates provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. · Introduced Jun 6, 2007 · Cong. 110 69%

Text versions (1)
  • Introduced in House · May 5, 2025

Only one text version is on file, so there’s no earlier version to compare against yet.

Full text

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

May 5, 2025

Mr. Ezell (for himself, Mr. Carbajal, and Mr. Buchanan) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

A BILL

To require the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to ensure that cost estimates, acquisition of proper materials, and any other activity related to certain projects under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act are performed by professionals licensed in the relevant State, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. COST ESTIMATES BY APPROPRIATELY LICENSED PROFESSIONALS.

(a) In General.—The Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall use appropriately licensed professionals to perform any covered activity with respect to a project eligible for assistance under sections 406 or 428 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5172; 42 U.S.C. 5189f).

(b) Requirements.—

(1) Consent of appropriately licensed professional.—The Administrator may not disapprove, with respect to a project described under subsection (a), any plan, rebuilding proposal, material suggestion for rebuilding, or direct purchase of materials without the direct consent of an appropriately licensed professional.

(2) Purchase approval.—Any purchase suggested by an appropriately licensed professional for any project described under subsection (a) shall be approved by the Administrator.

(3) Acceptance of plans, projects, and materials.—Unless fraud is evident and traceable, any plans proposed, projects prepared, and materials requested or purchased by an appropriately licensed professional may not be rejected, rescinded, or stalled by the Administrator.

(4) Contract process.—The Administrator may not reject or hinder the process of entering into a contract with an appropriately licensed professional if such process is suggested by a State or local government.

(5) State hiring responsibility.—It shall be the responsibility of the State to hire an appropriately licensed professional to develop the scope of work related to performing a covered activity.

(6) Employee of fema.—Any employee of the Agency that assists directly with the management of a rebuilding project eligible for assistance under section 406 or 428 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5172; 42 U.S.C. 5189f) shall be an appropriately licensed professional.

(c) Regulations.—The Administrator shall update regulations and policies, to the extent necessary, to implement the requirements of this Act.

(d) Definitions.—In this Act:

(1) Appropriately licensed professional.—The term “appropriately licensed professional” means an individual—

(A) who is—

(i) employed by the Agency to perform a covered activity; or

(ii) contracted by the Agency or a State or local governmental entity; and

(B) licensed—

(i) in the State in which a project described under this section shall be carried out; and

(ii) as an engineer, architect, builder, tradesperson, or any other profession related to performing a covered activity relating to such project.

(2) Covered activity.—The term “covered activity” includes—

(A) preparing a cost estimate for a project eligible for assistance under section 406 or 428 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5172; 42 U.S.C. 5189f); and

(B) purchasing the proper materials, equipment, vehicles, and any other items necessary to carry out a project described under subparagraph (A). <all>

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