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County leaders are asking Congress to pass a bill that would make changes to FEMA, including more streamlined reimbursement to local governments hit by disaster.
NEVADA COUNTY, Calif. — Despite the government shutdown, a local elected official traveled to Washington this week to urge Congress to pass a FEMA reform act.
Nevada County Supervisor and Board chair Heidi Hall was among a group of nearly two-dozen county leaders from 15 states who traveled to D.C. They’re members of the National Association of Counties’ Intergovernmental Disaster Reform Task Force.
Their goal was to lobby lawmakers to pass FEMA Act of 2025, H.R. 4669. It would transform FEMA’s disaster relief system from a reimbursement model to a grant-based model. Advocates say that would eliminate the need for counties to front millions of dollars for disaster response and wait years for repayment.
Hall says this and other reforms in the bill are crucial for California, given our wildfire risk.
H.R. 4669 passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in a House committee.
“This is a really important bill that is already bipartisan, has immediate effects for counties and for disaster relief victims, and we sure ought to be able to work together to get this passed,” Hall said. “Counties are on the forefront of disaster relief, but we depend on the federal government to provide assistance and to do it in a way that is efficient, so that we can get disaster relief to victims as soon as possible.”
The legislation awaits floor votes in both the Senate and House, though progress has stalled due to the government shutdown.
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