S. 2283: A bill 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.

S. 2283: A bill 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 2012-03-29 · Emergency Management · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2012-03-29 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. 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

A bill 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 an 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. Allows any non-federal contribution required to be paid by an Indian tribal government under such Act to be adjusted or waived in accordance with criteria established by the President. Directs the President, in promulgating regulations to carry out this Act, to consider unique conditions that affect the general welfare of the affected federally recognized Indian tribe.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), 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

A bill 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 Senate)

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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: Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT] · 6 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)

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 (3)

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.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
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 Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-112s2283.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/112/s>

Record fed-us-cong112-s2283 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong112 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong112