What does Preamble of S 3895 do?

This bill requires rulemaking by the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The rulemaking aims to address considerations in evaluating the need for public and individual disaster assistance. The bill's purpose is to establish a process for FEMA to consider factors when determining disaster assistance eligibility.

What does SHORT TITLE. of S 3895 do?

This bill is formally titled the Fairness in Federal Disaster Declarations Act of 2026.

What does REGULATORY ACTION REQUIRED. of S 3895 do?

This section requires the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to amend existing rules within 120 days of the Act's enactment. The amended rules must establish weighted criteria for evaluating the need for public assistance, including factors like estimated cost, localized impacts, insurance coverage, and economic circumstances. For public assistance, specific weighted valuations are assigned to criteria such as estimated cost (10%), localized impacts (40%), and insurance coverage (10%). The Administrator must consider economic circumstances, including local tax base, median income, and poverty rate, when evaluating public assistance needs. Similarly, the rules must establish weighted criteria for evaluating individual assistance needs, considering factors like concentration of damages (20%), trauma (20%), and special populations (20%). Economic considerations, such as local tax base and median income, are also to be considered for individual assistance evaluations. The amended rules will apply to major disaster declarations denied on or after January 1, 2012, under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act.

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Fairness in Federal Disaster Declarations Act of 2026 — S. 3895

Last updated: 2/24/2026 · Introduced: 2/24/2026

Author: Richard Durbin (D-IL)

TL;DR (AI)

This bill requires FEMA to update its rules for determining disaster assistance eligibility, establishing weighted criteria for both public and individual assistance.
For public assistance, the updated rules will consider factors like estimated cost (10%), localized impacts (40%), insurance coverage (10%), and economic circumstances.
For individual assistance, the updated rules will consider factors like concentration of damages (20%), trauma (20%), special populations (20%), and economic circumstances, and will apply retroactively to denials since January 1, 2012.

119th Congressin committeeOfficial page

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Includes provisions on preamble, short title., and 1 more.

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