H.R. 8695

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8695 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8695

To direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency 
to appoint an Acting Regional Administrator in any case in which a 
Regional Administrator position of the Agency has been vacant for at 
least 90 days, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

May 7, 2026

Ms. Letlow introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency 
to appoint an Acting Regional Administrator in any case in which a 
Regional Administrator position of the Agency has been vacant for at 
least 90 days, 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 ``No Delays in Disaster Relief Act''.

SEC. 2. ACTING REGIONAL ADMINISTRATORS OF FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT 
AGENCY .

(a) Establishment.--The Administrator of the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency shall establish a process by which the Administrator 
appoints an Acting Regional Administrator in any case in which a 
Regional Administrator position of the Agency has been vacant for at 
least 90 days.
(b) Authority of Acting Regional Administrator.--In carrying out 
subsection (a), the Administrator shall ensure that an Acting Regional 
Administrator shall have the authority to--
(1) make relevant grant and programmatic decisions 
necessary to support the timely obligation and disbursement of 
funds; and
(2) process and disburse Federal grant assistance to States 
and local governments.
(c) Report to Congress.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit a report to 
Congress that includes the following:
(1) A description of actions taken to implement the 
delegation of approval authority, including any updates to 
policy, guidance, or internal controls.
(2) Identification of regions of the Agency with vacancies 
exceeding 180 days and the status of Acting Regional 
Administrator designations.
(3) The scope of authorities delegated to Acting Regional 
Administrators and any limitations placed on such authorities.
(4) Data on grant processing and award timelines before and 
after implementation, including any measurable improvements in 
timeliness of obligations and disbursements.
(5) An assessment of the impact of delegated authority on 
program efficiency, internal controls, and risk management.
(6) Any challenges encountered in implementation, including 
legal, operational, or staffing constraints, and steps taken to 
address them.
(7) Any recommendations for legislative or administrative 
changes needed to further improve the timely delivery of 
Federal assistance of the Agency.
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