To prohibit the Secretary of Homeland Security from carrying out any policy that imposes an arbitrary monetary threshold on the obligation or disbursement of disaster relief funds, and for other purposes.

House Bill

H.R. 7829

119th Congress

To prohibit the Secretary of Homeland Security from carrying out any policy that imposes an arbitrary monetary threshold on the obligation or disbursement of disaster relief funds, and for other purposes.

In Committee

Introduced:Mar 5, 2026

Primary Sponsor

Pablo Hernández

D - PR

Cosponsors

0

Quick Stats

Summary

This bill would prevent the Department of Homeland Security from setting minimum dollar amounts that communities must meet before they can receive federal disaster relief funding. Currently, some policies require disasters to reach certain cost thresholds before aid is released, which can leave smaller communities or less wealthy areas without help after hurricanes, floods, or other emergencies.

Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Introduced3/5/2026

StatusReferred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

ChamberHouse

Data from Congress.gov

See this page through your district lens

Enter ZIP to personalize representatives and vote context.

Stay on top of this issue

Subscribe for weekly bill and representative updates.

Vote Prediction

To prohibit the Secretary of Homeland Security from carrying out any policy that imposes an arbitrary monetary threshold on the obligation or disbursement of disaster relief funds, and for other purposes.

This bill would prevent the Department of Homeland Security from setting minimum dollar amounts that communities must meet before they can receive federal disaster relief funding. Currently, some policies require disasters to reach certain cost thresholds befo

Community Breakdown

Pass

0%

Fail

0%

0 predictions

This bill would prevent the Department of Homeland Security from setting minimum dollar amounts that communities must meet before they can receive federal disaster relief funding. Currently, some policies require disasters to reach certain cost thresholds before aid is released, which can leave smaller communities or less wealthy areas without help after hurricanes, floods, or other emergencies.

Bill Number: 7829
Introduced: 3/5/2026
Status: Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Data from Congress.gov

AI-generated summary

Fact Sheet

Title: To prohibit the Secretary of Homeland Security from carrying out any policy that imposes an arbitrary monetary threshold on the obligation or disbursement of disaster relief funds, and for other purposes.
Bill Number: 7829
Sponsor: No sponsor
Status: Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Introduced: 3/5/2026
Summary: This bill would prevent the Department of Homeland Security from setting minimum dollar amounts that communities must meet before they can receive federal disaster relief funding. Currently, some policies require disasters to reach certain cost thresholds before aid is released, which can leave smal

Data from Congress.gov

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

This bill would prevent the Department of Homeland Security from setting minimum dollar amounts that communities must meet before they can receive federal disaster relief funding. Currently, some policies require disasters to reach certain cost thresholds before aid is released, which can leave smaller communities or less wealthy areas without help after hurricanes, floods, or other emergencies.

Last updated: 3/6/2026

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

Eliminates arbitrary financial thresholds that can block communities from accessing disaster relief funds
Aims to ensure smaller disasters and less populated areas can still receive federal assistance when needed
Could be particularly important for territories and rural communities that may not meet high dollar thresholds despite significant local impact
Addresses concerns that current threshold policies discriminate against communities based on size or wealth rather than actual need

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

This bill would primarily benefit smaller communities, rural areas, and U.S. territories that experience disasters causing significant local damage but may not meet federal cost thresholds for aid. If passed, more communities could access federal disaster relief regardless of their size or the total dollar amount of damage, potentially speeding up recovery efforts for areas that currently fall through the cracks of the existing system.

Policy Areas

No policy areas assigned yet.

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

7829, 119th Congress (2026). "To prohibit the Secretary of Homeland Security from carrying out any policy that imposes an arbitrary monetary threshold on the obligation or disbursement of disaster relief funds, and for other purposes.". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/119-hr-7829

Public Opinions

Community submissions related to this bill.

Share your opinion

No public opinions yet. Be the first to submit one for this bill.