The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program — the federal government's coordinated earthquake research and preparedness effort involving FEMA, USGS, NSF, and NIST — would be reauthorized through 2028 with significant expansions. The bill adds Tribal governments as full participants throughout the program, broadens the scope from just building safety to "functional recovery" (getting buildings operational again after a quake, not just standing), and requires new capabilities like earthquake forecasting, tsunami coordination, and post-earthquake fire research. USGS would receive $92.4 million per year (with $36 million earmarked for completing the early warning system), NSF gets $54 million, and NIST gets $5.9 million. The bill also requires states and communities to inventory their most seismically vulnerable buildings and infrastructure, and expands the early warning system to additional high-risk areas. For the roughly half of Americans living in earthquake-prone zones, these upgrades to detection, warning, and building standards could mean the difference between a manageable disaster and a catastrophic one.
Congressional Summary
National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization Act of 2025This bill reauthorizes through FY2028 the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) and expands the activities federal agencies must conduct under the program, including activities relating to secondary effects of earthquakes and post-earthquake infrastructure performance. NEHRP is a coordinated earthquake hazards reduction program of four federal agencies: the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the National Science Foundation. Under NEHRP, these agencies are required to conduct various activities relating to earthquakes, including advancing warning systems, hazard reduction measures, and research to improve understanding of earthquakes and their effects.The bill expands the scope of the activities under NEHRP, including requiring the agencies to improve understanding of and develop resilience measures for secondary effects and multiple hazards associated with earthquakes, such as tsunamis and fires;improve post-earthquake functional recovery, which means maintaining or restoring the pre-earthquake functionality of buildings and lifeline infrastructure systems (e.g., infrastructure for water, electricity, and transportation); andassist public entities with developing an inventory, and conducting seismic performance evaluation, of infrastructure with high seismic risk. Additionally, the bill specifically includes tribal governments in the activities conducted under NEHRP.
Legislative Subjects
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- Senate
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Passed Senate
- Action Date
- 2026-01-05
- Date Added
- 2026-04-14