H.R. 1953: To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to include procedures for requests from Indian tribes for a major disaster or emergency declaration, and for other purposes.

H.R. 1953: To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to include procedures for requests from Indian tribes for a major disaster or emergency declaration, and for other purposes.

112th Congress · introduced 2011-05-24 · Emergency Management · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2011-05-24 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Rahall, Nick J., II [D-WV-3] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to include procedures for requests from Indian tribes for a major disaster or emergency declaration, and for other purposes.

Plain summary

Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the Chief Executive of an affected Indian tribal government (the person recognized by the Secretary of the Interior as the chief elected administrative officer of that government) to submit a request for a declaration by the President that, consistent with requirements of that Act, a major disaster or emergency exists. Provides that: (1) in implementing assistance authorized by the President in response to such requests, references to "state" and "governor" shall mean "Indian tribal government" (the governing body of any Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, or community that the Secretary acknowledges to exist as an Indian tribe under the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994) and the Chief Executive of an affected Indian tribal government; and (2) nothing in this Act shall prohibit a tribal government from receiving such assistance through a presidential declaration at the request of a state if the President does not make a declaration under this Act for the same incident. Requires any non-federal contributions of less than $200,000 required under such Act to be paid by an Indian tribal government to be waived. Allows any required non-federal contribution more than $200,000 to be adjusted or waived in accordance with criteria established by the President.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to include procedures for requests from Indian tribes for a major disaster or emergency declaration, and for other purposes.

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Rahall, Nick J., II [D-WV-3] · 11 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Tom Cole (R-OK), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Martin Heinrich (D-NM)

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (1)

Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-112hr1953.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/112/hr>

Record fed-us-cong112-hr1953 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong112 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong112