I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8582 
To improve Federal disaster management and response for disadvantaged 
communities, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 31, 2024 
Ms. BROWNLEY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To improve Federal disaster management and response for 
disadvantaged communities, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Federal Disaster As-
sistance Improvement Act’’. 
SEC. 2. EXPANDING ACCESS TO DECLARATION PROCESS. 
(a) MAJOR DISASTER.—Section 401 of the Robert T. 
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 
(42 U.S.C. 5170) is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
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‘‘(d) COUNTY REQUESTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The chief executive officer 
of an affected county may submit a request for a 
declaration by the President that a major disaster 
exists consistent with the requirements of subsection 
(a) under the following circumstances: 
‘‘(A) The Governor of the State or terri-
tory in which the affected county is located does 
not request such a declaration. 
‘‘(B) The affected county is not included in 
a request for assistance made by the Governor 
of the State or territory in which such county 
is located. 
‘‘(C) The affected county communicates 
with the Governor of the State or territory in 
which the affected county is located about the 
disaster or potential request for a major dis-
aster declaration before the period described in 
paragraph (2)(A) has lapsed. 
‘‘(2) LIMITATION.—The chief executive officer 
of an affected county may not submit a request for 
a declaration by the President that a major disaster 
exists until— 
‘‘(A) the period during which the Governor 
of the State or territory in which such county 
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is located may request such a declaration has 
lapsed; or 
‘‘(B) the Governor of the State or territory 
in which such county is located has commu-
nicated to the chief executive officer of the 
county that the Governor will not seek such a 
declaration from the President. 
‘‘(3) REFERENCES.—In implementing assist-
ance authorized by the President under this Act in 
response to a request from the chief executive officer 
of an affected county for a major disaster declara-
tion, any reference in this title or title III to a State 
or the Governor of a State is deemed to refer to an 
affected county or the chief executive officer of an 
affected county, as appropriate. 
‘‘(4) RULE
OF
CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in 
this subsection shall prohibit a county from receiving 
assistance under this title through a declaration 
made by the President at the request of a State 
under subsection (a) if the President does not make 
a declaration under this subsection for the same in-
cident. 
‘‘(5) DEFINITION OF COUNTY.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In this subsection, the 
term ‘county’ means a county, parrish, or 
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equivalent subdivision of a State or Territory of 
the United States that is a unit of general local 
government. 
‘‘(B) EXCEPTION.—In the event a county 
is located in a State where 1 or more counties 
are not units of general local government, the 
term ‘county’ includes the largest city, town, or 
unit of general local government by population 
in an area affected by a major disaster on be-
half of all affected cities, towns, and other local 
units of general local government.’’. 
(b) EMERGENCY.—Section 501 of the Robert T. Staf-
ford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 
U.S.C. 5191) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(d) COUNTY REQUESTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The chief executive officer 
of an affected county may submit a request for a 
declaration by the President that an emergency ex-
ists consistent with the requirements of subsection 
(a) under the following circumstances: 
‘‘(A) The Governor of the State or terri-
tory in which the affected county is located does 
not request such a declaration. 
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‘‘(B) The affected county is not included in 
a request for assistance made by the Governor 
of the State or territory in which such county 
is located. 
‘‘(C) The affected county communicates 
with the Governor of the State or territory in 
which the affected county is located about the 
emergency or potential request for an emer-
gency declaration before the period described in 
paragraph (2)(A) has lapsed. 
‘‘(2) LIMITATION.—The chief executive officer 
of an affected county may not submit a request for 
a declaration by the President that an emergency ex-
ists until— 
‘‘(A) the period during which the Governor 
of the State or territory in which such county 
is located may request such a declaration has 
lapsed; or 
‘‘(B) the Governor of the State or territory 
in which such county is located has commu-
nicated to the chief executive officer of the 
county that the Governor will not seek such a 
declaration from the President. 
‘‘(3) REFERENCES.—In implementing assist-
ance authorized by the President under this Act in 
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