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Pay FEMA Personnel Act of 2026
To make continuing appropriations for Federal Emergency Management Agency pay and operations in the event of a Federal Government shutdown, and for other purposes.
Summary
This bill provides emergency funding to pay Federal Emergency Management Agency employees if a federal government shutdown occurs starting in February 2026. The bill ensures FEMA employees can continue providing disaster relief, managing assistance programs, and awarding grants during any lapse in normal appropriations. The emergency funding automatically terminates once regular appropriations for FEMA are enacted or by September 30, 2026, whichever comes first.
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)
- Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA)
1 cosponsor
- Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA] (D-CA)
Actions (2)
- Mar 12, 2026 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Appropriations. · senate
- Mar 12, 2026 Introduced in Senate
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.
Full text
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 12, 2026
Mr. Padilla (for himself and Mr. Schiff) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Appropriations
A BILL
To make continuing appropriations for Federal Emergency Management Agency pay and operations in the event of a Federal Government shutdown, 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. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Pay FEMA Personnel Act of 2026”.
SEC. 2. CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS FOR FEMA PERSONNEL.
(a) In General.—There is appropriated to the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (in this Act referred to as the “Administrator”) for fiscal year 2026, out of amounts in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the period beginning February 14, 2026, during which interim or full-year appropriations for fiscal year 2026 are not in effect such sums as may be necessary—
(1) to provide standard rates of pay, allowances, pay differentials, benefits, and other payments otherwise payable on a regular basis to employees of the Federal Emergency Management Agency whose services are required to carry out the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.);
(2) to provide standard rates of pay, allowances, pay differentials, benefits, and other payments otherwise payable on a regular basis to employees of the Federal Emergency Management Agency whose services are required to administer Federal assistance through grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements not relating to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.); and
(3) to support all other activities necessary for the administration of every grant program administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
(b) Rule of Construction.—Nothing in subsection (a) shall be construed to prohibit the Administrator from awarding or disbursing grant program funding.
(c) Charge to Future Appropriations.—Expenditures made with amounts appropriated pursuant to subsection (a) shall be charged to the applicable appropriation, fund, or authorization whenever an Act in which such applicable appropriation, fund, or authorization is included is enacted into law.
SEC. 3. TERMINATION.
Amounts made available and authority granted under this Act shall be available until the earliest of the following dates:
(1) The date of enactment into law of an appropriation (including a continuing appropriation) for any purpose for which amounts are made available under section 2(a).
(2) The date of enactment into law of the applicable regular or continuing appropriations resolution or other Act without any appropriation for any purpose for which amounts are made available under section 2(a).
(3) September 30, 2026.
SEC. 4. RETROACTIVE EFFECTIVE DATE.
This Act shall take effect as if enacted on February 13, 2026. <all>
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