Disaster Declaration Transparency Act of 2026

This bill changes federal disaster law to address cases where a Governor asks the President to declare a major disaster and the President says no. If the President declines against the recommendation of the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), or based on a FEMA recommendation that goes against established precedent, the President must send Congress a written explanation within 24 hours. Congress could then pass a joint resolution, introduced within 14 days, directing the President to declare the major disaster. The bill sets fast-track rules for these resolutions, including discharging committees after 2 days, banning amendments, and limiting debate to 4 hours in the House and 10 hours in the Senate.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Michael F. Bennet Democrat sponsor
• 1 cosponsors