H.R. 5870: Disaster Declaration Improvement Act

112th Congress · introduced 2012-05-30 · 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 2012-05-30 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA-29] · 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

Disaster Declaration Improvement Act

Plain summary

Disaster Declaration Improvement Act - Directs the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to issue a revised rule governing factors to consider in evaluating a governor's request for a major disaster declaration to require: (1) the "estimated cost of assistance" to be considered equally with the other five factors described in the rule; and (2) the "evaluation of localized impacts" to include consideration of the budgetary resources available to local and state governments to respond to and recover from such disaster and the impact of the disaster on a small city or a census-designated place with a population of less than 25,000 or a medium city with a population of less than 250,000 if either is located within a large county with a population of more than 1 million and in a large state with a population of more than 5 million if the level of financial damage in such city exceeds 10% of the city's general fund or $100 per capita of the census-designated place or city.

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

Disaster Declaration Improvement Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA-29] · 3 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Judy Chu (D-CA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA-29] reported raising $10.4 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

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)

Rulemaking: The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

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-112hr5870.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/112/hr>

Record fed-us-cong112-hr5870 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong112 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong112